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CRT Lifespan?

A

Alowishus

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
268
How long should a good CRT monitor last? Is there a difference in lifespan between aperature grill and shadow mask monitors?
 
it also depends on how you treat your crt,

Keeping it fully powered-up needlessly will decrease lifespan,

always having the contrast and brightness set to maximum also decreases useable lifespan (fire up the contrast/brightness when gaming, lower it when surfing)

allow for some ventilation, and keep the unit clear of dust.
 
Forcing higher refresh rates or resolution than your monitor supports will also dramatically decrease lifespan.
 
Im not sure if shadow mask vs. aperture grille have differant average lifespans but I've read that shadow masks's tend to gradualy lose geometry accuracy due to warping of the metal mesh(shadow mask),the aperture grille design doesnt use a single metal mesh like this so heat doesnt affect it that way.

Also aperture grille monitors have a noticably brighter screen (Contrast) so as the CRT ages you're able to adjust the contrast to compensate somewhat , shadow mask crt's on the other hand start off with less brightness and tend to be ran with near max Contrast settings from the get go, this doesnt allow for much adjustment as the CRT dims (ages).
 
i have a sony CRT back home that's been going flawlessly for ~ 5 years now and counting. i hope it lives for another 4+ years.
 
Had an old 15" that lasted for more than 8 years. Had a Sony 19" that had issues after two years and died after three.
 
DELL P990 since 1998, 12 hours use per day till today.

Keep it well ventilated and dust free, avoid moving it if possible.
 
mathesar said:
Im not sure if shadow mask vs. aperture grille have differant average lifespans but I've read that shadow masks's tend to gradualy lose geometry accuracy due to warping of the metal mesh(shadow mask),the aperture grille design doesnt use a single metal mesh like this so heat doesnt affect it that way.

Also aperture grille monitors have a noticably brighter screen (Contrast) so as the CRT ages you're able to adjust the contrast to compensate somewhat , shadow mask crt's on the other hand start off with less brightness and tend to be ran with near max Contrast settings from the get go, this doesnt allow for much adjustment as the CRT dims (ages).
Click to expand...

The aperture grille is held together by two tiny wires which beside having the annoying screen shadow also over time become loose and the picture becomes fuzzy. The vertical bright columns of light I thought were much less desirable than the crispness of a Shadowmask..

Shadowmask is also the older more mature technology and alot of the monitors that last 8+ years are most likely shadowmask. A quality 0.20 dot pitch Shadowmask even though it will cost more the image quality will be better than a quality Aperture Grille. Aperture grilles were created to cheaply scale resolutions very high but they sacrificed image quality. Cheaper versions of the shadowmask were used in all the low end monitors, but even now the Aperture grille style has moved into cheaper budget monitors so you ahve to be careful what you compare.

Though I prefer LCDs now.
 
I have a 13" composite Commodore monitor that I got with my first C64 in 1982. When I got my first Amiga, the monitor went into TV service (using VCR as tuner). It still works, has always had a great picture, but hasn't been used much in the last 5 years !

 
Menelmarar said:
The aperture grille is held together by two tiny wires which beside having the annoying screen shadow also over time become loose and the picture becomes fuzzy. The vertical bright columns of light I thought were much less desirable than the crispness of a Shadowmask..

Shadowmask is also the older more mature technology and alot of the monitors that last 8+ years are most likely shadowmask. A quality 0.20 dot pitch Shadowmask even though it will cost more the image quality will be better than a quality Aperture Grille. Aperture grilles were created to cheaply scale resolutions very high but they sacrificed image quality. Cheaper versions of the shadowmask were used in all the low end monitors, but even now the Aperture grille style has moved into cheaper budget monitors so you ahve to be careful what you compare.
Though I prefer LCDs now.
Click to expand...

I gaurentee if you put a high end shadow mask & apreture grille monitor side by side and had people pick wich one they liked better apreture grille would still win. Sony trinitron monitors (NEC / Mitsubishi etc. also used trinitron/apreture grille in there high end models) have always been considered the best for image quality with there increased brightness ,crisp output and vibrant colors. I currently have a 24" Sony FW900 widescreen CRT and even at 1900x1200 desktop res text is very readable and the picture quality is superb.
 
Menelmarar said:
The aperture grille is held together by two tiny wires which beside having the annoying screen shadow also over time become loose and the picture becomes fuzzy. The vertical bright columns of light I thought were much less desirable than the crispness of a Shadowmask..

Shadowmask is also the older more mature technology and alot of the monitors that last 8+ years are most likely shadowmask. A quality 0.20 dot pitch Shadowmask even though it will cost more the image quality will be better than a quality Aperture Grille. Aperture grilles were created to cheaply scale resolutions very high but they sacrificed image quality. Cheaper versions of the shadowmask were used in all the low end monitors, but even now the Aperture grille style has moved into cheaper budget monitors so you ahve to be careful what you compare.

Though I prefer LCDs now.
Click to expand...

I have had an aperature grill at work for over five years.....still excellent sharpness. Liked it so much, bought one for the home.

Aperture grill are widely considered to have better image quality than the shadow masks. It is superior for design work versus shadow mask.....so you are just flat out wrong about AG being the inferior technology.

More fun fiction to read here in the H Forum......
 
funny you should reply to my thread mathesar, since it was your thread on the fw900 that inspired me to get one with my birthday cash. That was the reason I asked how long an aperature grille monitor can live since I planned on getting one that is 3 years old.
 
We had a HUGE 17" CRT that came with the ZEOS Pantera Pent 90 my dad bought back in 1993-4?....it lasted until 2001before it hummed constantly and took forever to "warm up."
 
I'm reading this thread on a 14" Magnavox that has a manufacture date of Dec. 1991 almost 14years old. Don't ask why I'm useing a 14" CRT in 2005 I might cry...LOL
 
CRT's can last a long, long time if treated well. I've only had one monitor give me problems, a old cheapo 14" from 1994 that went fuzzy after about 11 years :)
 
I've got a 20" Sony TV with a manufacture date of 1989 and the darn thing still works and has never been repaired,it was considered a high end model back when I bought it and even has an Svideo input, (I believe it was one of the first sets to have this) picture quality has lost some of its focus but im told this can be somewhat adjusted ..ill have to take a pic of it sometime.
 
I just hope the FW900 I just ordered last the 3 years i'll be in college. If it dies during the the time frame I'll be miffed since I'm not made out of money :( But.. its a gamble I am willing to take.. and I like to gamble :)
 
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