9

Are questions about CRT TVs relevant in this SE community?

I certainly hope so because you better believe I have questions about CRTs!

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
5

Yes.

They're relevant, and they're barely used any more. I don't see why reason why they shouldn't be.

Also, we've had a tag for them, , since almost the beginning of the site.

5
  • @BlackandWhite Link? Just because it's about something on-topic doesn't mean that the question itself is on-topic.
    – wizzwizz4 Mod
    Commented Jan 26, 2018 at 20:16
  • 5
    @wizzwizz4 CRT-Monitor and CRT-TV are quite different things. While the first is usually ment for computer usage (lets ignore professional AV stuff for a moment), the second is primary NOT a computer related device. It will need a certain computer specific, more important a retro computer specific question topic to make it relevant. Don't you think so?
    – Raffzahn
    Commented Jan 26, 2018 at 20:35
  • @wizzwizz4 retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/5584/… Could you take a look at this please?
    – user7645
    Commented Jan 27, 2018 at 3:17
  • CRT monitors are most definitely computer related devices. UHF TVs only insofar as they are used as monitors. Perhaps we need a TV tag.
    – Chenmunka Mod
    Commented Jan 27, 2018 at 9:17
  • @Chenmunka I tried to create a TV tag but had too low reputation to do so.
    – user7645
    Commented Feb 6, 2018 at 15:27
7

General questions about TVs are probably not on-topic. Questions like "How can I view digital broadcast TV on my old CRT TV" and "How do I connect this CRT TV to this old VCR" are really not related to retro-computing.

But questions about using TVs with retro computers would be. Questions like "How can I hook up old computer model XYZ to my old CRT TV" and "Why are the colors different when I hook up a CRT TV to my computer via RF versus Composite?" are clearly on-topic.

There is also a gray area: "How can I fix this broken CRT TV?" might be on-topic or it might not, depending on whether the OP intends to use this TV with a computer once it's fixed. If they don't explicitly say it's for a non-computing purpose I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and call it on-topic.

2

No, they are not. At least not more than VCRs or Toilet plumbing.

After all, this is about Retro COMPUTING, not Retro Electronics or Radios from Yesteryear.

Having said that, it depends of course on the specific question asked.

Looking for some replacement diodes in a HF circuitry is for sure not, but looking for the reasoning why many home computers are tuned for channel 3 or 4 might be.

Or more general: A question about intrinsic workings of a TV set is not, while the same TV set in relation to a specific computer issue may qualify.

1
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Chenmunka Mod
    Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 9:33

You must log in to answer this question.