What are CRT Televisions and are they still used today?

CRT or cathode-ray tube is an analogue display technology that uses electron beams to draw images on a phosphorescent screen. When hit by the beam, the phosphor dots emit light and together create an image. CRT TVs have been around since the 1930s and were phased out in the early 2000s.

What is a CRT TV?

A CRT TV is a television set that uses cathode-ray tubes and a phosphorescent screen to display moving images. The tech has been around since the 1900s, but didn’t see widespread use till the early 1930s.

These TVs were heavy and very delicate as the CRT or cathode-ray tube portion was housed in a fragile, glass envelope which maintained a vacuum on the inside. Because of this, CRT TVs could explode when damaged.

How does a CRT work?

– An electron gun is placed in a vacuum-sealed glass enclosure. This ‘gun’ emits electrons as a straight, continuous beam, much like a laser.

– Various electromagnetic coils placed around the path of the electron beam would bend the beam and direct it to wards the front of the TV.

– Covered in phosphor dots that glow when hit by an electron beam, the front panel would render an image as the electron beam traversed its surface.

– Monochrome TVs used a single electron beam and a single type of phosphor.

– Colour CRT TVs used three electron beams and red, green, and blue phosphor dots.

Benefits of CRT

CRT TVs had a near instant response time and refresh rate, rendering ultra-smooth and clear motion. Modern LCD technology has latency and lag issues that induce blur.

CRT TVs could also render images at any resolution and look sharp, while LCDs can only render clean images at their native resolutions.

LCD TVs usually have a contrast ratio of 1000:1, but CRT TVs had near infinite contrast. This is because they have no backlight and only the phosphor dots (equivalent to pixels) hit by the electron beam would light up.

FAQ

Q1: Were CRT TVs available in widescreen form factors?

A: While most CRT TVs had an aspect ratio of 4:3, HD CRTs TVs that appeared in the late ’90s did in fact support widescreen formats and HD resolutions (up to 1080i)

Q2: Can I connect a modern PC or console to a CRT TV?

A: It’s possible with the right adapters. Modern consoles and PCs only support digital outputs such as HDMI and DisplayPort. You will need an HDMI to RCA adapter for this.

ALSO READ: What is IPTV and how does it work?

CRT is an outdated display technology that still has some die-hard fans, especially among gamers, owing to features like near-infinite contrast and near-zero input lag and latency. CRT uses analogue electronics and is thus incompatible with modern PC and TV hardware.