The most popular video display continues to be the old standby—direct-view. Direct-view televisions have been around as long as television itself, and they are in no danger of being supplanted by any of the other display formats. In fact, the most popular screen size remains the good old 20-incher—which you can now buy for $100 or less.
The standard direct-view TV includes a picture tube, also called a cathode ray tube (CRT); a tuner for receiving over-the-air television signals; the various circuitry it takes to convert the television signals into the images displayed on the CRT; and a sound system consisting of one or more speakers. A direct-view television set is not much different today from the models produced 10 or 20 or even 50 years ago—they’re just higher quality and lower priced.
Direct-view TVs are ideal for budget and midrange home theater systems because they deliver the brightest picture and the widest viewing angle at the lowest cost of any available display device. The only limitation to direct-view television is the screen size; today’s direct-view sets top off at 40” diagonal (for a 4:3 screen; the largest 16:9 screen is 38” diagonal), while rear projection sets can go to 60” or even 70” for a 16:9 screen.
You can, however, find direct-view televisions capable of displaying high-definition programming, complete with 16:9-ratio widescreen CRTs. Many higher-end direct-view sets also have two or more speakers for stereo sound and a plethora of input and output jacks to connect other audio/video devices (such as DVD players and satellite receivers).
Today’s best direct-view TVs are unmatched in picture quality by any other display technology. A state-of-the-art CRT produces a sharper, higher-resolution picture than any projection or flat panel display does. They might seem old-fashioned in today’s world of high-tech displays, but direct-view CRT televisions continue to deliver!
