FAQ

Why bother with big heavy Tube TVs? Why not a modern flat-screen?

CRTs have many advantages that simply cannot be replicated by modern displays and remain the definitive way to experience retro media even two decades after their dismissal:

  • Perfect Motion Clarity

  • No Digital Processing

  • Zero Input Lag

  • Built-in Anti-Aliasing

  • Distortion-Free Scaling

  • Theft-Proof

  • 4:3 Aspect Ratio means Legacy Content fills the Screen (Retro games, Old Movies and <2007 TV Shows)

In comparison, modern displays suffer in all these categories to varying degrees:

  • Unavoidable Motion Blur regardless of FPS

  • Digital Processing that cannot be completely eliminated

  • Slight to Severe Input Lag depending on the Input Resolution

  • No inherent smoothing of individual pixels - leading to jagged and pixelated visuals

  • Severe shimmering and uneven pixel rows when displaying content at non-native resolution

  • Highly desirable by general public - Burglars and Thieves often target TVs

  • 16:9 Aspect Ratio means Legacy Content displays with vertical black bars on the sides of the screen

Where are you located?

We are located in Prior Lake, MN - about a 30min drive south of Minneapolis.

My TV is too heavy and my car is too small and your shop is too far - what can I do?

If you’re local-ish (~250 miles of Minneapolis), pick-up and delivery at your home can be arranged for an additional fee determined by distance.

Average cost for this service for clients in the metro is around $50 which covers pick-up and delivery.

Do you assist clients outside of Minnesota?

Absolutely!

We offer our services to anyone that can get their TV/Monitor or Consoles to my shop whether that be driving them over or shipping via a carrier.

CRT Calibration is best done on-site and thus I recommend opting for a house-call if possible. We cannot offer calibration services to clients shipping in boards - we need the entire tv chassis (boards, tube, etc.)

What brands/models of CRTs do you service?

Any and all with sufficient documentation to complete the mod/repair. This encompasses the majority of CRTs you’re likely to come across. Send us an email below to verify that we can be of service if you have a particularly rare set.

Check your Display’s Motion Clarity with the BlurBusters TestUFO!

The object is to follow the Alien with your eyes as he scrolls across the screen and try make out as much detail as you can. Feel free to zoom in if you think it’ll make it easier.

If you’re using a monitor with >120fps, click here for a specially crafted test

Test yourself and see if you can answer the following questions:

  • How many eyes does he have?

  • How many lights on his spaceship?

  • What is he holding in his hand?

If you’re reading this on a phone or modern TV/Monitor, you WILL struggle to make out any detail whatsoever no matter how good your eyes are.

This is the motion blur that ALL modern displays suffer from!

CRT Displays are the only display technology with ZERO motion blur and in fact can display the above test without any blurring! The Alien remains crystal-clear no matter the FPS or how fast he moves.

Some TVs/Monitors have features like BFI (Black Frame Insertion) and ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur) that can help to reduce the blur, but these darken the image and only serve to reduce the blur - not eliminate it.

This exercise serves to demonstrate how even the best TV and Monitors made today struggle to compete head-to-head with vintage tube displays invented nearly a century ago!