Sony GDM-FW900 - NIB

Looks like it's been in an attic in Germany for 20 years, who knows if it even works. Private listing so no idea what the bidders are about. Will hit $5000 easy. A used model in what looked to be pristine condition sold for nearly $3500 in Japan just a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure there are enough rich and desperate people in the whole of Europe to put that much on the table.
 
SamuelL421 said:
I can't believe someone still has one new in box after all this time.
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The local auction house near me just sold three 60" plasma tvs, new in box. (Sadly, they listed them days after I got a new TV delivered, so I didn't bid) Boeing bought them and didn't use them for X years and sold them, I guess. I could see the same thing here; someone bought it, and didn't use it right away, then it got in a warehouse somewhere and nobody noticed. I also bought a 1981 bike, new-in-box a couple years ago; it was sitting in a bike shop basement for years.
 
Imagine having someone pick this up for you and try to ship this thing overseas to the United States.. Too bad you can't just buy another airline seat and plop it right next to you lol.. If you could even casually carry this sucker..
 
NovaCloud said:
Imagine having someone pick this up for you and try to ship this thing overseas to the United States.. Too bad you can't just buy another airline seat and plop it right next to you lol.. If you could even casually carry this sucker..
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I’ve never owned one, but I was told it takes a few people to move. I would not be surprised if these weigh a couple hundred pounds given the size of the tube. That box has to be gigantic...

vegeta535 said:
Hmm this or a 65" OLED. What tough decision..
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Hard to say, these things have long been called the “best display ever made”. You’d have to get a NIB like this or have one expertly refurbed but it would be cool to see a comparison done between a new high-end OLED and it.
 
SamuelL421 said:
I’ve never owned one, but I was told it takes a few people to move. I would not be surprised if these weigh a couple hundred pounds given the size of the tube. That box has to be gigantic...


Hard to say, these things have long been called the “best display ever made”. You’d have to get a NIB like this or have one expertly refurbed but it would be cool to see a comparison done between a new high-end OLED and it.
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93 lbs I think. I had one and it's definitely possible to move around as a single person. Not easy, but not back-breaking either. In my opinion, as good as these monitors are, they're overrated to hell and back. YES - they're great! YES their blacks are wonderful. Yes, motion clarity is beautiful. But most newer monitors that fall short, don't fall short enough to justify the likely $3000+ price tag. If I had money to just piss away I'd totally get it. Since I don't, I pass.

And before anyone starts getting on to me about not calibrating, blah blah. I wrote a fricking guide to calibrating the thing. And have spent so many hours learning and honing the craft that I wouldn't be surprised if I'm nearing expert-level on knowing how. I calibrated mine so that it was better than from the factory. Anyways...

I will always have fond memories of my FW900 and have regrets of selling mine. But hey, that's life. No, I wouldn't pay anything for a NIB FW900 unless I had plans on recapping the boards. I think the safer buy would be something that has regular use, but not overuse. My opinion.
 
Yeah you can carry it by yourself, but the box for it is enormous, around 3 feet square or so.
 
I would have killed for one prior to 2010. LCD/LED/OLED have come a long way since the utter refuse that most LCD screens were in the early 2000's compared to even decent quality CRT's of the late 90's early 2000's.
I say this one will still hit $3500. If I was local I would buy it.
 
Am I crazy in thinking that OLED monitor tech is going to catch up to these in a couple years, rendering them completely obsolete? Seems like once we get 4K 144hz 31inch OLEDs this is just done. Fine if you’re a wealthy collector or enthusiast, but realistically not a practical decision by any means. Using “practical” here with cutting edge performance (if even in only a few categories, ie not size) in mind.
 
Powerage said:
Am I crazy in thinking that OLED monitor tech is going to catch up to these in a couple years, rendering them completely obsolete? Seems like once we get 4K 144hz 31inch OLEDs this is just done. Fine if you’re a wealthy collector or enthusiast, but realistically not a practical decision by any means. Using “practical” here with cutting edge performance (if even in only a few categories, ie not size) in mind.
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Let me know when they make 4:3 OLEDs. (Please actually do, I've got an arcade machine that could use two 25" 4:3 monitors that I don't have to fiddle with)
 
toast0 said:
Let me know when they make 4:3 OLEDs. (Please actually do, I've got an arcade machine that could use two 25" 4:3 monitors that I don't have to fiddle with)
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Fair enough. I used to be stuck on 16:10. Idk. Seems like with increasing size it just doesn’t matter too much (outside of ultrawides and niche applications like an arcade machine).
 
toast0 said:
Let me know when they make 4:3 OLEDs. (Please actually do, I've got an arcade machine that could use two 25" 4:3 monitors that I don't have to fiddle with)
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Check out the EIZO EV2730QFX - it’s a 27” square ips screen that’s been around a couple years. Not quite 4:3 and ridiculously expensive... only reasons why I haven’t bit the bullet to get one yet.

I’m still holding out hope of one day finding a quality large format CRT for my retro gear/games. With the way FW900 prices have gone up, I think I may have missed my opportunity to own a decent example of one though. That said, if a battered and abused one came up on eBay for sane money then I’d probably be a bidder.
 
SamuelL421 said:
Check out the EIZO EV2730QFX - it’s a 27” square ips screen that’s been around a couple years. Not quite 4:3 and ridiculously expensive... only reasons why I haven’t bit the bullet to get one yet.

I’m still holding out hope of one day finding a quality large format CRT for my retro gear/games. With the way FW900 prices have gone up, I think I may have missed my opportunity to own a decent example of one though. That said, if a battered and abused one came up on eBay for sane money then I’d probably be a bidder.
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Yeah, I'm not sure if that would fit my machine; but it definitely won't fit my budget. :) Looks nice though.
 
21 and 22 inch diamondtrons and trinitrons can still be found for reasonable money sometimes. I recently saw a G520 on Craigslist for $300. Which is fair if in good shape. Last year or the one b4 I sold a Viewsonic P220Fb diamondtron in excellent shape, I also sold my money pit Cine9 dumpster find not too long back as well. This stuff is still out there, you just have to look and be ready cash in hand..
 
SamuelL421 said:
I’ve never owned one, but I was told it takes a few people to move. I would not be surprised if these weigh a couple hundred pounds given the size of the tube. That box has to be gigantic...


Hard to say, these things have long been called the “best display ever made”. You’d have to get a NIB like this or have one expertly refurbed but it would be cool to see a comparison done between a new high-end OLED and it.
Click to expand...

Newer displays do well enough for me on the responsiveness. I'd take the size and features of a modern OLED display over one of these things any day of the week. These things were great in their day and for a very long time after the fact, but I think their time has past and they are overvalued today.
 
Dan_D said:
Newer displays do well enough for me on the responsiveness. I'd take the size and features of a modern OLED display over one of these things any day of the week. These things were great in their day and for a very long time after the fact, but I think their time has past and they are overvalued today.
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I have to agree on those last points, past their prime and definitely overvalued (probably a scarcity thing now). If it wasn't for my love of retro games and software then I wouldn't be interested. There are some games and software, made with 4:3 in mind, that just look like crap anywhere outside of that ratio - either windowed or stretched. You can find 1:1 / square ratio screens but they're not great quality. The EIZO panel I mentioned earlier in the thread is a middle of the road IPS and costs a fortune despite being "no-frills".

Only half-joking, I need to round up a like-minded group from here, vogons, and a few other forums and then kickstart a reasonable quality 4:3 panel from a Chinese factory.
 
Powerage said:
Am I crazy in thinking that OLED monitor tech is going to catch up to these in a couple years, rendering them completely obsolete? Seems like once we get 4K 144hz 31inch OLEDs this is just done. Fine if you’re a wealthy collector or enthusiast, but realistically not a practical decision by any means. Using “practical” here with cutting edge performance (if even in only a few categories, ie not size) in mind.
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Need 240-360hz (with content that can make use of it) for OLED to render them obsolete. 144hz doesnt cut it (but gets closish)
 
I wonder if everything will go through for the seller. His notes state:
Ships to:
Local pick-up only

Because it probably would cost prohibitively to ship. But how many rich people won't care and just bid anyway and then give the guy trouble for not shipping it to America or something? lol

Imagine if you bought it for 3 grand, it arrives, you plug it in, and it doesn't work >.<

I grew up using CRTs. They were nice but I prefer LCDs overall I think, especially once LCDs crept above 60hz as standard. I remember the transition period where schools and businesses would have a mix or CRTs and LCDs, and I always liked the picture and of LCDs, and didn't get the flicker eye-strain CRTs gave me.
Would like to see the FW900 in person though to see what the hype is all about!
Crazy to think such a relatively "old" monitor is so much "better" than anything we have today, still.
 
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toast0 said:
Let me know when they make 4:3 OLEDs. (Please actually do, I've got an arcade machine that could use two 25" 4:3 monitors that I don't have to fiddle with)
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Could just get an OLED wide enough to fit the display border and cover the sides up while outputting a 4:3 resolution to it. Similar to how some people use 21:9 resolutions on the bottom half of the 4K TVs for ultrawide gameplay if they want since there's no backlight to make it look weird on the remaining portion of the display, so it looks perfect esp. in a dark room. That's part of the versatility of OLED.

Anyways, I could actually drive to pick this up in Germany, but I don't see the big benefit in these anymore either and will stick to OLED from now on. I have a 65" C9 in the living room and am just waiting for a ~42" OLED monitor now with HDMI 2.1 for my consoles as well. The 48" CX is close, but still too big for my desk and a bit outside the comfort zone for desktop usage for me, whereas the 43" curved TV I used previously as a monitor was the perfect size IMO before I moved back down to a 34" ultrawide for G-Sync and 120Hz until the perfect TV/monitor comes back out in that size.
 
Dan_D said:
Newer displays do well enough for me on the responsiveness. I'd take the size and features of a modern OLED display over one of these things any day of the week. These things were great in their day and for a very long time after the fact, but I think their time has past and they are overvalued today.
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I agree. People need to move the fuck on.
 
vegeta535 said:
It is more then good enough. All the benefits brought into by newer tech out weights 20 year old tube TVs. There is no comparison.
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ive owned both FW900 and LGCX. Something tells me youve owned neither. they are both bit overrated. plasma relatively underrated. without bfi or strobing, interpolation barely makes motion on OLED just passable on low frame rate content. if I could get high end plasma with 1:1 pulldown i would unquestionably take it over any OLED for things like 1080p sports and old tv+movies any day of the week. Yes you can get a 360hz LCD now (which I also have) that provides better gaming motion than FW900 but at the expense of terrible blacks and uniformity.

what there is no comparison for is just how trash LCDs were for the first 10ish years of their existence
 
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flegg said:
ive owned both FW900 and LGCX. Something tells me youve owned neither. they are both bit overrated. plasma relatively underrated. without bfi or strobing, interpolation barely makes motion on OLED just passable on low frame rate content. if I could get high end plasma with 1:1 pulldown i would unquestionably take it over any OLED for things like 1080p sports and old tv+movies any day of the week. Yes you can get a 360hz LCD now (which I also have) that provides better gaming motion than FW900 but at the expense of terrible blacks and uniformity.

what there is no comparison for is just how trash LCDs were for the first 10ish years of their existence
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I own a 65" c9 and have used many monitors through out my life. While it might be the pinnacle of tube monitors it does not compare to a OLED. It is not worth what those tubes are going for today.
 
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Honestly, I was never a fan of CRT. Yes, the motion clarity was nice, but the flicker gave me headaches and made it hard to use for long periods.

When I got my first LCD it looked like garbage (black crush, banding, viewing angles, etc.) but it was a huge win in comfort, I will never go back.

Then once you consider all the innovations in the last 20 years, higher resolution, higher refresh rates, ultrawide, variable refresh rate, HDR and higher bit-depth, motion smoothing and strobing, portrait mode, monitor arms and ergonomics, etc. using a CRT makes zero sense.
 
cybereality said:
Honestly, I was never a fan of CRT. Yes, the motion clarity was nice, but the flicker gave me headaches and made it hard to use for long periods.

When I got my first LCD it looked like garbage (black crush, banding, viewing angles, etc.) but it was a huge win in comfort, I will never go back.

Then once you consider all the innovations in the last 20 years, higher resolution, higher refresh rates, ultrawide, variable refresh rate, HDR and higher bit-depth, motion smoothing and strobing, portrait mode, monitor arms and ergonomics, etc. using a CRT makes zero sense.
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Oh cmon. Imagine what they could do with image quality if they managed to make miniature CRT displays for VR headsets. I mean, without all the weight of the lead shielding, or the radiation being fired out the "front" of the headset.
 
cybereality said:
Honestly, I was never a fan of CRT. Yes, the motion clarity was nice, but the flicker gave me headaches and made it hard to use for long periods.

When I got my first LCD it looked like garbage (black crush, banding, viewing angles, etc.) but it was a huge win in comfort, I will never go back.

Then once you consider all the innovations in the last 20 years, higher resolution, higher refresh rates, ultrawide, variable refresh rate, HDR and higher bit-depth, motion smoothing and strobing, portrait mode, monitor arms and ergonomics, etc. using a CRT makes zero sense.
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That's another thing. The flicker of CRT's, even at higher refresh rates was never something I enjoyed. My eyes thanked me when I went to my first LCD. The 19" Sony Trinitron and later, 21" Diamatron (or whatever that Mitsubishi display was) were some of the best I ever had and eight hours on those vs. an LCD was no contest.
 
Dan_D said:
That's another thing. The flicker of CRT's, even at higher refresh rates was never something I enjoyed. My eyes thanked me when I went to my first LCD. The 19" Sony Trinitron and later, 21" Diamatron (or whatever that Mitsubishi display was) were some of the best I ever had and eight hours on those vs. an LCD was no contest.
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I am using a shitty 23" acer monitor at 60hz and I don't notice any of the problems that were overwhelming with a CRT. 60hz on a CRT was unusable.

85 and up were fine though. But Hz to Hz, not comparable.
 
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