DF Direct: CRT Displays - Was LCD A Big Mistake For Gaming?

Can we get some respect in the chat for whoever managed to convince a camera to film that CRT screen at a ton of different refresh rates with no flicker.

Is that a plane? Is that a bird? No that's the prices of CRTs skyrocketing!

These guys got me looking for Sony crt monitors in 2019

First ever footage of someone getting colleague zoned

I'm still waiting for the name change to Analog Foundry ....

I wish there was a company making modern 16:9 CRT monitors, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

I wonder if we'll ever see a modernized version of an analog display, with the benefits of a CRT but without the bulk.

I feel this needs a bit of context: People didn't move from CRTs to LCDs for no reason. The displays DF showed are relatively high-end, even the 10€ Trinitron in its heyday. Most normal people that didn't work at TV stations or other audiovisual work were using 15"-17" CRTs at 1024x768 or 1280x1024, with wonky geometry, and often at a headache-inducing 60Hz (too ignorant to apply a resolution supported at 75Hz). Going from that to a sleek LCD monitor that was lighter on the eyes, lighter on power consumption and lighter on the desk was a given once the technology became affordable, especially for the millions that only used Office and the occasional Solitaire. For many it was an upgrade, as low-end CRTs can be a pain. Companies also benefited from switching, as having dozens of employees using displays that consumed a fraction of the energy was fantastic por power savings. Those masses dictated the market shift, but for many, many years, TV stations, pro gamers, architects, graphic designers, etc kept using CRTs and buying the high-end aperture grille Trinitrons and Diamondtrons, until LCD tech caught up somewhat. Only recently have those monitors come down in price, for most of their lifetime they were completely out of reach for the regular consumer. LCD won because it was equal or better for low-end use, not high-end, it's just that it took a while for it to climb up the quality ladder to the upper echelons of monitor requirements. That said, I have a 22" Diamondtron CRT and, while it looks great for retrogaming, my plasma looks far better for modern gaming, and my IPS laptop screen is better for web browsing and video, especially if we're talking about daylight coming through the window (where CRT becomes unusable due to glare). Newer machines also require adapters, which can negate the benefits of CRT (some adapters can't reach the CRT's max resolution/refresh rate, some graphics chips like Intel's can't output a lower resolution without wrapping it in what it thinks is the "native resolution", even though there is no such thing in this case). I get that John is giddy about this newfound love of this technology, but as someone who never stopped using it, the honey moon can end when you realize the limitations, and I feel some might be romanticizing the old days a bit too much.

This is exactly what I was preaching in a hardware forum 10 years ago. When Crysis came out I was still gaming on a Mitsubishi CRT on at 1280x1024 and I was playing it on an i7 920 and an 8800 Ultra and I was BLOWN AWAY by the graphics. The I upgraded to 2600K and a GTX 295, bought a new Dell 2560x1600 monitor and I remember thinking the graphics look flat and dull. I knew I wasn't imagining things back then.

Y'all are just committed to making sure I will never get my hands on a FW900, huh?

The colors on CRT's looked more vibrant. On thin monitors they look washed out and somehow brighter. I don't know how to explain it, but if you've owned a CRT and did the switch you'll know what I'm talking about.

I truly believe if some company decided to make CRT there would be a market for them, limited but I think they would still make some profit.

What i love the most is that none of us can actually see how good the CRT looks since we're all on LCDs. Fantastic.

"I'm not joined by my friend... I'm joined by my colleague..." Alex: ... :(

I always liked crt more, I still have a 36" crt hdtv still in the house.

Have you looked into plasma televisions? As far as I understood, they are the closest you can get to a 'flat CRT': true black levels, fantastic colors and most importantly _no motion blur_. Obviously, they can't scan arbitrary resolutions (or refresh rates?), but the upside is they come in truly massive sizes and are dirt cheap at the moment. They can mount flat to a wall and while being heavy, they're not nearly as heavy as a large CRT.

Stop teasing me with a crt which I can't buy

I absolutely remember buying my first 32" LCD to play Gears of War. After having played on a pretty nice CRT for months, I can still remember the let-down that was the flat panel. If anything, it just got more pixely and felt different in responsiveness - even though I didnt know that that was what it was at the time. Everyone told me I was crazy but I swore that I was better on the old CRT and that the game arguably looked worse on LCD. Years later I have a 65" OLED TV, 34" ultrawide monitor and am now thinking I want to see the CRTs again. I FUCKING KNEW IT. I TOLD THEM.

Imagine if SED/FED didn't get caught up in lawsuit nonsense. We'd have flat CRT's, the flawless display technology already.

Great video, I picked up an FW900 last year and have a few YT videos shot with the display. It is also my main monitor that I’ll use while streaming modern games. Very happy with it and use it over a larger Asus LCD.