24" Widescreen CRT (FW900) From Ebay arrived,Comments.

atwix said:
yes you can. but take into account that 95+% of all CRT are junk, just like 95% of all flat panels are junk.

Do some research on what the best CRT manufacturers and models are.

Sony GDM-FW900 is the PINNACLE of CRT technology and still easily competes with the best IPS panels, even though those ips panels can go 2560x1440 at an overclocked 120 hertz.

The advantage of CRT is its versatility. It can operate at any customised resolution and refresh rate, which is ideal to play old games (like counterstrike or so) at a custom res of lets say 1440x900 at 120 hertz.

About craigslist: there were plenty of fw900 sold on cragislist over the years, but now they get really really rare. You are a couple of years late really, to delve into CRT tech. But you can get Lucky if you live in a big city like new York.

You can also buy refurbished fw900 from accurateit (http://www.accurateit.com/index.php...oduct_id=1811&category_id=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=2) or unkle vito (lagrunauer on this forum, but be prepared to pay close to 1000 dollar for a new one). It depends where you live to find good second hand or refurbished fw900.

You can also find very good 4:3 trinitron CRT with high max resolutions.

Like i said, do yer homework when you see a deal on a local secon d hand website, and look up old reviews of the monitor. When intending to buy anything, you ca Always ask advice here.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Our Grade A+ fully calibrated and adjusted CRTs (16:10 & 4:3) are not junk... And YES, there are still a few parts for some brands of CRTs left in the trade... It depends where and how hard you are willing to look...

When buying a pre-owned CRT, be extremely cautious of the word "refurbished" and pay close attention to the Grade rating of a unit, not only cosmetically but functionally because 99 times out of 100 times (I leave one for the lucky ones) you will ALWAYS get what you pay for it...

Now days, legitimate brand new zero hours CRTs are extremely rare find; and if you are fortunate to hunt down a new one, depending on the model and who the seller is (I would stick with reputable sources to avoid unpleasant surprises when the box arrives), be prepared to have a substantial budget. I can guarantee you that "close to 1000 dollar for a new one" will not be enough, and you will lose the opportunity.

Just my thoughts...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
1.i didn't intend to say that grade A crt that you sell are junk :)

i just meant that you need to do your homework and not just buy any trinitron, or any CRT, at any condition, at any price. I would look at models and brand first, and then find a good condition unit, not the other way around. It is how i ended up googling fw 900 and reading this thread back in 2006, which led me to buy a "refurbished" (yes i know, bad word!) fw900.

The person i replied to asked about fw900 vs "modern" IPS panels, and i think most CRT models NOW (not back in 2005) likely can't compete with LED if you look at advantages vs disadvantages. I think noone will prefer a 1280x1024 18 inch CRT over a standard work floor model 16:9 led with comparable resolution. On the other hand, comparing FW900 versus modern day IPS panels, without looking at weight and volume, is VERY interesting discussion i think.

2. On another note: i'm glad professional CRT specialists like you still exist.

I am curious: do you have a lot of colleagues world wide that you know of? Is there some kind of organisation or forum that binds you all? Or is it more a haphazard collection of independants that mostly do this trade in their free time?

Reason i ask is because i was wondering if a list of "unofficial" CRT specialists (that do repairs and got parts) exists. I wouldn't know how to find anyone near my home.. These people don't exactly advertise for their trade i bet.

3. i stand corrected, i didn't mean 1000 dollar for a new out of the box fw900, but for a grade A second hand one.
 
Last edited:
I need some help guys,

since most games nowadays don't have a refresh rate option anymore i often get the recommended resolution locked @ 80hz and downscaled to, for ex. 1680x1050. I have to manually select 106 Hz in the monitor setting in windows to change the resolution (the pop sound and screen goes blank for a sec).
Can i remove the option for 80hz with that resolution so windows/the game has to use 106 Hz and actually changes the resolution?
I hope you can understand what i want to know :p
 
You can create your own resolution + refreshrate with graphics driver or with powerstrip. Than you should have the specific resolution available ingame which should be locked with the refreshrate you have chosen.
 
atwix said:
1.i didn't intend to say that grade A crt that you sell are junk :)

i just meant that you need to do your homework and not just buy any trinitron, or any CRT, at any condition, at any price. I would look at models and brand first, and then find a good condition unit, not the other way around. It is how i ended up googling fw 900 and reading this thread back in 2006, which led me to buy a "refurbished" (yes i know, bad word!) fw900.

The person i replied to asked about fw900 vs "modern" IPS panels, and i think most CRT models NOW (not back in 2005) likely can't compete with LED if you look at advantages vs disadvantages. I think noone will prefer a 1280x1024 18 inch CRT over a standard work floor model 16:9 led with comparable resolution. On the other hand, comparing FW900 versus modern day IPS panels, without looking at weight and volume, is VERY interesting discussion i think.

2. On another note: i'm glad professional CRT specialists like you still exist.

I am curious: do you have a lot of colleagues world wide that you know of? Is there some kind of organisation or forum that binds you all? Or is it more a haphazard collection of independants that mostly do this trade in their free time?

Reason i ask is because i was wondering if a list of "unofficial" CRT specialists (that do repairs and got parts) exists. I wouldn't know how to find anyone near my home.. These people don't exactly advertise for their trade i bet.

3. i stand corrected, i didn't mean 1000 dollar for a new out of the box fw900, but for a grade A second hand one.
Click to expand...

With technology transitioning from CRT to LCD/Plasma, there are not that many CRT professionals left in the world. Sony phased out the CRT support unit in San Diego, then they outsourced the CRT repairs. I used to know one of the outsourced outfits here locally in Los Angeles (they gave us subcontracted work), but they went out of business in 2009. Besides this, I do not know any other outfit.

As to LCD/Plasma vs. CRT... I am traditional, and based on my experience and research, I still cannot see how LCD/Plasmas can beat the glass...

Again, that is my opinion, and remember... "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder..."

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
Figured I'd bump the thread. How's everyone's FW900's doing? I'm currently saving up to send my baby off for some Unkle Vito love. :D
 
man, i would love mine perfectly calibrated to finally see how it is supposed to look; i was considering a DTP94 but i want something which supports led backlight too

edit: and the r9 290x has do ramdac anymore, now that card is completely useless for me :mad:

edit2: X-Rite DTP94 70€/95$ on ebay, seller says only used once for testing, i am tempted to buy it but i want to calibrate led lcds in the future (well in case i get one)
 
Last edited:
Ashratt said:
man, i would love mine perfectly calibrated to finally see how it is supposed to look; i was considering a DTP94 but i want something which supports led backlight too

edit: and the r9 290x has do ramdac anymore, now that card is completely useless for me :mad:
Click to expand...

DTP94 is a great tool but it lacks the LED support, altough it can calibrate led monitors quite well.
 
Ashratt said:
man, i would love mine perfectly calibrated to finally see how it is supposed to look; i was considering a DTP94 but i want something which supports led backlight too

edit: and the r9 290x has do ramdac anymore, now that card is completely useless for me :mad:
Click to expand...

Software calibration via X-Rite, Gretag McBeth, BARCO, ColorVision, or any other software program capable of generating an ICC profile will not do you any good if the GDM-FW900 and/or the display or CRT monitor is not properly factory calibrated (white point balance adjusted). If the unit is off, the ICC profile generated with these programs will be inaccurate.

My suggestion is for you to factory calibrate and adjust the unit via WinDAS/WinCAT, and then run any of these software programs to produce an accurate ICC profile.

The DTP-94 is one of the very best instruments ever made, and you should not have any issues calibrating the unit and producing a decent ICC profile of your GDM-FW900.

Hope this helps...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
Myramond said:
You can create your own resolution + refresh rate with graphics driver or with powerstrip. Than you should have the specific resolution available in-game which should be locked with the refresh rate you have chosen.
Click to expand...

i use amd and they completely broke the custom resolution support; i added 1600x1024@110Hz; 2048x1280@80 and 2304x1440@80 via the custom resolution utility from toastyX, and in powerstrip there is the "Lock all standard refresh rate selections" option which i hoped would resolve my problem, iirc you can set a fixed refresh rate for each available resolution but it still doesn't work in games or on the desktop without always going into the windows advanced resolution options and changing the refresh rate myself -.-
 
Are there any new monitors that come close to besting the FW900 in terms of colors, blackness, and smoothness? Am looking to good spend money for something nearly as good or better than the FW900, something bigger (27"+).
 
christpunchers said:
Are there any new monitors that come close to besting the FW900 in terms of colors, blackness, and smoothness? Am looking to good spend money for something nearly as good or better than the FW900, something bigger (27"+).
Click to expand...

No.
 
Poordevil said:
Does this mean when we leave the world of high end CRTs we are downgrading picture quality?
Click to expand...

LCDs have their own advantages (e.g., size, geometry, clarity at high PPI), but nothing really has emerged to replace CRT in terms of the black level/dynamic range fundamental. OLED presumably some day when they get them resilient enough to withstand full on desktop usage. And one can dual screen with a plasma or such...

Had high hopes for local dimming LCD displays, but that kind of went sidewise instead of advancing...
 
Poordevil said:
What is this monitor?. Would it make a great gaming monitor or not?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/sys/4147899601.html
Click to expand...

500:1 contrast ratio...might be comparable to a CRT within a still image, but far shy of on/off contrast ratio or dynamic range of CRT, which is better than 15:000:1 or 30 times greater than of that LCD...

Among probably other issues (e.g., black level, motion, size)...
 
christpunchers said:
Are there any new monitors that come close to besting the FW900 in terms of colors, blackness, and smoothness? Am looking to good spend money for something nearly as good or better than the FW900, something bigger (27"+).
Click to expand...

Comparing LCDs vs. CRTs is comparing apples to oranges. They may look impressive in terms of size, color richness (over saturation of the color gamut), and over brightness. But in terms of color accuracy, black levels, dynamic range, response time, and other performance issues such as stuck/dead pixels and screen burns, motion blur, dropped frames, refresh rates, viewing angles, backlight bleeding (I can go on and on with performance issues I've observed in the lab during testings of several LCD monitors)... You can't beat the glass...

Again, that is my personal and practical opinion.

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
Last edited:
LAGRUNAUER said:
Comparing LCDs vs. CRTs is comparing apples to oranges. They may look impressive in terms of size, color richness (over saturation of the color gamut), and over brightness. But in terms of color accuracy, black levels, dynamic range, response time, and other performance issues such as stuck/dead pixels and screen burns, motion blur, dropped frames, refresh rates, viewing angles, backlight bleeding (I can go on and on with performance issues I've observed in the lab during testings of several LCD monitors)... You can't beat the glass...

Again, that is my personal and practical opinion.

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
Click to expand...

..not to mention that flat screens are made to fail within a couple of years, just like all modern technology :D Ok, bit exaggerated... But still, it holds some truth.

Fw900 and other CRT are made to last VERY long timespan. On normal use, they easily last 10+ years. Try to buy an lcd that lasts 10 years, and still is good compared vs rest on market, after 10 years... Enough said.

Pity all the CRT are already 10 years old now.. Anyways, when i bought my fw900 in 2006, i never would have thought i would use it up until now, let alone that NO lcd even came close to reproducing the same image quality up to now.

And yes, i tried one of those experimental 27 inch 2560x1440 LCD with overclockable 120 HZ refresh rates (brand overlord or catleap and the like). I tried skyrim with that lcd with the "realistic colours realistic nights" mod (the very good RCRN mod), and threw out the LCD quickly. Horrible black levels, backlight bleeding and low FPS (these lcd need a new desktop computer worth a couple grand with killer video card to get 60+ good FPS at a theoretical max of around 117hz or 120 refresh rates in OC mode) quickly made me go back to my trusty FW900.

There is nothing better then a dark dungeon with almost no light in a game like skyrim to show why fw900 CRT still are king of the hill for me.
 
Last edited:
My FW900 died so I am using a Viewsonic P225f. It displays 2048 X 1536. Except for the lack of being wide screen I like the image it produces even more than the 900. I keep searching craigslist for another FW 900 or a Diamond pro or something similar as a back up. I intend to stick with CRT for as long as it is practical.
 
I threw a fw900 in the trash the other day . Got it for free . Had black level issues
Almost broke my back, seemed heavier than my 64" samsung F8500
 
UnrealCpu said:
I threw a fw900 in the trash the other day . Got it for free . Had black level issues
Almost broke my back, seemed heavier than my 64" samsung F8500
Click to expand...

What kind of issues? Can you fetch it? With an adjustment of one value in WinDAS, you can fix it. Good God I hope you're joking...

Edit - likely the G2 value is too high which is a common issue. Adjusting this value in WinDAS will correct the black level issues - whether too dark or too bright (unless there's a problem with the hardware). If you can get it back, do it. A 15 dollar cable and 30 minutes of your time could fix it. Then you could sell it.
 
Last edited:
UnrealCpu said:
I threw a fw900 in the trash the other day . Got it for free . Had black level issues
Almost broke my back, seemed heavier than my 64" samsung F8500
Click to expand...

i'm guessing this is a troll. I can't imagine anyone tossing something away for a problem that has a relatively trivial fix.

As for breaking your back, I highly recommend strength training for anyone who plans on owning an FW900. Experience with squats and deadlifts will make dealing with an FW900 much easier and safer. srsly.
 
Let's not jump to troll conclusions. Many people outside this thread would not know what a G2 is if it kicked them in the face. Ditto for the weight. Sure - 93 lbs isn't heavy. But the FW-900 is a little awkward to carry. If not lifted properly, it could be painful. I don't know - just giving the benefit of the doubt here.
 
if it isn't a troll, oh dear :(

and yea, i get that the fw900 ain't easy to move around - which is why I seriously recommend strength training! I wasn't being facetious.
 
spacediver said:
if it isn't a troll, oh dear :(

and yea, i get that the fw900 ain't easy to move around - which is why I seriously recommend strength training! I wasn't being facetious.
Click to expand...

Yeah, keep in mind that while we have discussed the G2 issue in the past - it isn't something that someone would just stumble upon. Actually - that's how I ended up with the dump monitor. It had way too much G2.
 
spacediver said:
i'm guessing this is a troll. I can't imagine anyone tossing something away for a problem that has a relatively trivial fix.

As for breaking your back, I highly recommend strength training for anyone who plans on owning an FW900. Experience with squats and deadlifts will make dealing with an FW900 much easier and safer. srsly.
Click to expand...

LOL

and your a Ogre
 
UnrealCpu said:
I threw a fw900 in the trash the other day . Got it for free . Had black level issues
Almost broke my back, seemed heavier than my 64" samsung F8500
Click to expand...

You may have saved the FW900 by performing WinDAS/WinCAT proper adjustments and calibration.

Provided that the tube has decent emission (not a dim tube and decent gun integrity), G2 issues are very easily corrected in WinDAS. It is one of the first steps during a white point balance adjustment, and it is perhaps one the most important adjustments in order to preserve and prolong the life of a CRT. It is the only way to make the units last for a long time.

Hope this helps....

Unkle Vito!
 
Last edited:
LAGRUNAUER said:
You may have saved the FW900 by performing WinDAS/WinCAT proper adjustments and calibration. It is the only way to make the units last for a long time.

Unkle Vito!
Click to expand...

I bought the chip to fix the g2 but never got to it. Did not have the software to do it anyway. The g2 was really bad and no,adjustment would work. I would rather have a lcd anyway and with gsycn coming out my next monitor is going to be 144hz . Still waiting for something good though. I still have a SGI sony g520 too . Been unused for years but is starting to show wear. Just too many capacitors to mess with or pots , adjustments for me to mess with.
 
UnrealCpu said:
I bought the chip to fix the g2 but never got to it. Did not have the software to do it anyway. The g2 was really bad and no,adjustment would work. I would rather have a lcd anyway and with gsycn coming out my next monitor is going to be 144hz . Still waiting for something good though. I still have a SGI sony g520 too . Been unused for years but is starting to show wear. Just too many capacitors to mess with or pots , adjustments for me to mess with.
Click to expand...
I read your posting, and still cannot fully understand what you really did on that GDM-FW900; what were the functional issues before the adjustments were made, which testing did you perform, and how did you arrive to the conclusion that the G2 was the issue.

Now let me ask you....

1) What chip did you buy to fix the GDM-FW900? When you said "chip", did you mean the WinDAS cable?
2) How do you know that the G2 was "bad"? G2 can be referred as many things on a CRT,
3) Do you know what specifically "G2" means and which parameters it regulates on a CRT?
4) What specific adjustments did you make that, according to you, would not work; and what corrective actions did you try when those adjustments did not work?

Please explain so we can better assist you...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
Hey Unkle Vito, looks like "UnrealCPU" is banned, so we won't be getting an answer from him anytime soon. Oh well - thanks as always for stepping in to help. :)

EDIT: spacediver, you were right. :D
 
Last edited:
jbltecnicspro said:
Hey Unkle Vito, looks like "UnrealCPU" is banned, so we won't be getting an answer from him anytime soon. Oh well - thanks as always for stepping in to help. :)

EDIT: spacediver, you were right. :D
Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but I don't think this user never owned a GDM-FW900 to begin with...

Thanks for your praises...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!
 
Is my monitor done for? Every time I try to do an image restore it completely turns off right after. When I turn it back on it has to warm up. Also, shouldn't the menu be right in the center? I've noticed mine was way to the left.
 
rsfield said:
Is my monitor done for? Every time I try to do an image restore it completely turns off right after. When I turn it back on it has to warm up. Also, shouldn't the menu be right in the center? I've noticed mine was way to the left.
Click to expand...

Not sure as to the first part of the question. The second part - you can move the OSD position on the screen. Can't remember the name off the top of my head but it's in the lower right hand corner of the menu.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top