For older people who grew up in different eras such as the 1960s-1980s, would you rather prefer the old box TVs or flat screen TVs now to watch?

[Oliverlogan263]

Old Tv

New Tv

[Lliam]

Large, flat screens are awesome.

When I was a kid, we had black and white, CRT (cathode ray tube) TVs with rabbit ear antennas. The screens were fairly small, maybe 35" max.

Then color came out and we got a TV in a large wooden cabinet that was a piece of furniture. But the screen was still only 40" max. It had remote control. Welcome to the future. 🎶There's a great big beautiful tomorrow...🎶 Talk about high-tech! It had a built in stereophonic record player, an AM/FM receiver, and a bin for storing records.

There was no cable or satellite. The signals were broadcast for free. People had antennas on their roofs with wires that attached to the TV.

There were do-it-yourself stands at stores for testing the TV vacuum tube if you picture failed.

In 1989, I won a large, rear projection TV hooked it up to cable in my apartment. This was before flat screens.

That broke down in the mid-2000s and my wife and I bought our first flat screen.
That broke down and we got our current 52" a few years ago.

[Oliverlogan263]

Wow dude that's crazy how different TVs were back then compared to now. I can't even imagine only getting a few channels through antennas and having to constantly mess with the rabbit ears to try and get a clear picture. And your TV being inside an actual wooden cabinet, that's wild. It's cool they added in a record player and stereo too though, making it more than just a TV.

I would take the flat screen now just cause the picture quality is so much better. But those old box TVs do sound kinda nostalgic and retro cool in a way. Like it's funny to think of the TV taking up a whole piece of furniture. And having to go to the store to test vacuum tubes if it broke, that must've been a whole process.

It's insane how much TVs have changed since you were a kid. Going from black and white to getting that huge rear projection TV in the 80s, that must've felt high tech as heck at the time. Now we pretty much all have huge flat screens too. It's so nuts how fast technology advances. Really puts it in perspective hearing about how TVs used to be back in the day compared to the smart TVs we have now. Pretty cool you got to experience all the different stages of TV evolution over the years!

[Lliam]

I lived in the Los Angeles area so we had a whole 7 channels, much more than many parts of the country. LOL
And at a certain time of night, like maybe midnight or 2:00 am, the stations would play The Star Spangled Banner before going off the air and showing a test pattern before going back on the air in the morning. Different stations had different test patterns, but this one is iconic

[WhiteSteve]

Flat screens, no contest. So much less bulk, infinitely better picture. Fun fact: did you know that anything shot in 35 mm film has up to 8K capability? So old movies in 4K are CRAZY to watch, especially for me, because I saw them back in their day too, and the actors are 40 years older, etc….. but it all comes through SO clear, and looks like it was just shot a little while ago instead decades ago.

First movie I discovered this with was The Great Outdoors, from I think 1987. I’m sitting here watching a CRISP picture of 35 year old NOT-dead John Candy like it’s from 2010 (this was probably 2018).

Then I watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark from 1982…. the picture was so clean that, for the first time, I noticed hieroglyphics on the walls of the snake pit Indiana Jones gets trapped in, and also how they were cheap and made of something like styrofoam😂 CLEAN picture, haha.

Even my cat was fooled by a 1970s nature show, he legit thought a bobcat was in the house, lmfao

He was 19 here…. his whole life, I NEVER saw him react to the TV. This was the first night I unpacked it😂

Only downside to flatscreens is you can’t play old NES games with the pistol controller, like Duck Hunt, only tube TVs pick up the signal ….

https://www.youtube.com/embed/x-daxzVxrQI

[Daniela1982]

They have a converter they sell online so you can play NES and NES64 on a smart tv.

[WhiteSteve]

@Daniela1982 I recently heard that! I just bought one of those NES Classic things, modded, so it has every game. It’s cool, but you can’t lay Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley, Gotcha!, etc. I don’t think there’s a Zapper gun extension for it though. Maybe if the price is right and I could find the original console and games, that would be cool to have👍

[Screenwriter]

Only disadvantage of flats is they're kind of delicate. Those box TVs were hard to kill.

But picture sharpness and color quality are far better than the old TVs had. Plus the versatility of the new TVs is stupendous. And they're light as feathers! Unless you have the door-sized ones! But my 32-inch is enough for me.

I can't think of anything electronic that hasn't been improved on from its original incarnation. -- made smaller, works better and more efficiently.

[Daniela1982]

Those old TVs were as heavy as concrete and didn't have all the capabilities as new TVs. The only thing those old clunkers are worth is for target practice. And good luck finding new picture tubes or replacement vacuum tubes.

[Oliverlogan263]

No kidding tho, those old TVs were freaking tanks. Like lifting one of those things was a workout. I can't even imagine how sore I'd be trying to carry one of them now. And yeah definitely zero chance of finding parts for them anymore either. Anyone still hanging onto those clunkers is nuts. Way more fun to use them for target practice than actually watching something on them. Like you said their picture quality probably couldn't even compare to a new flat screen. And no way they'd have all the streaming apps and gaming stuff we can do now. Just a big useless chunk of glass and metal at this point. Anyone with one of those antiques should seriously just drag it out back and start taking shots at it for fun. Way more entertaining than trying to actually use the thing still.

[abc3643]

Definitely, a flat screen TV BUT I do not need any of this SmartTV horseshit.
I have a Roku TV and it is absolute shit. I can't even enter a specific channel number and I need to rescan the broadcast (aka antenna) stations constantly. It's crap.

Here's how you watch TV 50 years ago...

1. FIRST DAY: Plug the TV into an electrical socket.
2. FIRST DAY: Attach antenna or cord to aerial on roof.
3. Turn on TV.
4. Change channels.

Total time for Day One: 3 minutes
Total time for every subsequent day: 10 seconds.

My 2024 Roku TV:
10 minutes

Yeah, technology... isn't it wonderful?

[exitseven]

I had an old 35" Sony Trinitron. I bought it in the early 90s. I figured I would not get s flat screen until it died. However I saw what High definition TV looked like so I got one probably 2010 or so and brought the old one to my vacation house. The thing weighed a ton.

[Oliverlogan263]

Woah a Sony Trinitron, those were sick TVs back in the day. And lasting you into the early 90s is crazy longevity for a TV from that era. I can only imagine how heavy that sucker was too, like you said those old tube TVs were tanks. But if it lasted you almost 20 years then it was definitely worth sticking with until it died. Can't blame you for upgrading though once you saw how crisp HD looked on a flat screen, no way you could go back to just standard def after that. Smart move bringing the old Sony to the vacation house too so it could keep getting use. Those things just don't die I guess haha. 2010 was right around when HD really started taking over too so perfect timing. Cool that you got so many years out of that original Trinitron, must've been sad to see it finally retire but gotta keep up with the new tech ya know?

[exitseven]

That damn thing was so heave I could not carry it by myself. I figured that I did not have to worry about anyone stealing it.

[MsBell2018]

For the picture, a flat screen. For stress relief, a box. When it acted up, you could give it a good smack!🤣🤣

[Oliverlogan263]

Haha no way, you could smack the old box TVs? That's too funny. I definitely wouldn't wanna try that with one of the new flat screens or the tv says fuck you lol. But I can totally see how whacking the side of one of those bulky CRT TVs might actually help sometimes. Those things were tanks. Bet it felt satisfying to give it a good wap when the picture started acting up. I even recall Fred Sanford on Sanford and Son doing that which was funny 😂😂 Sometimes you just gotta let out a little frustration right? Probably wouldn't fly these days though. But yeah stress relief is a good reason to stick with the old tech! Sometimes you just need to whack something and not worry about breaking an expensive flat screen. Good point 😂

[FunkyMonkee]

Old style. In the first place, flats take up way too much space, secondly, they have cameras and mics built into them that allow others to spy on you.

[Oliverlogan263]

But even wit the old tvs you would have to get up to change the channels with your hand every time and I heard were heavy to lift while the new tvs you can change it with by mic with the remote now and don’t have to get up.

[FunkyMonkee]

There were remotes in the late `60's.
I was always lying on the floor in front of the t. v. so, all I had to do was sit up and twist the knob.
We got a remote back in the mid `70's.
For that matter, we got our first remote back in 1960! It was my little sister!

[AngryCarl]

@FunkyMonkee Built into the screen? I don't think that's even possible.

[FunkyMonkee]

@AngryCarl Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's in the frame, somewhere. It LOOKS completely black but there's one section that's thin enough for the camera to see through it.

[AngryCarl]

I don't know man, mine looks the same all over.

[FunkyMonkee]

@AngryCarl Exactly. Somewhere behind that frame, there's probably a camera. I don't think ALL of them have that but, lots of them do.

[DryGermanGuy]

Depends on the content. Old VHS tapes, 240p 4:3 video and old computer games (Amiga, Atari, C-64) don't look good on most flatscreen monitors. They need a CRT.

[lightbulb27]

new stuff is amazing, but it's also "different". I prefer the old stuff. but it was miserable to movearound unless flat/ projector.

[Nikki1989]

I am always told the newer TVs might be lighter to carry around, but the old TVs lasted 10 times longer.

[Massageman]

While I like the size of our flat screen (55"), it makes the fake-ness of shows SO much more obvious since everything IS so very clear. Reflections in cars are now definitely identifiable as klieg lights, explosions are now so obviously rigged since it's easy to see they came from a place other than where the rocket/bomb/shell hit, etc.

[Iron_Man]

I have a 2002 TV set but I would prefer a flatscreen TV 85 inch high definition 4K Samsung

[Oliverlogan263]

Damnnn an 85 inch 4K Samsung? That thing must look insane. I'd totally trade in that old 2002 TV for one of those huge flatscreens. The picture must be crazy crisp and vibrant on something that big in 4K. And having it take up like the whole wall is definitely way cooler than trying to watch something small on an old boxy TV. Plus all the apps and streaming stuff would be so much smoother. I'd be hooked watching movies and playing games on a display that massive. Bet everything just pops too. You'd never wanna go back to the old set after seeing how next level the picture is in 4K on an 85 inch. I don't blame you for wanting to upgrade, dude. A Samsung that size would be totally sick to have. I'd be all over Netflix if I rocked something like that in my room, haha.

[Iron_Man]

I have a big wall for it

https://postimg.cc/gallery/brszPXd

[slatyb]

The old TVs were relatively terrible -- heavy with a much poorer picture quality.

[OddBeMe]

Oh fuck no, new totally. We’ve been cool with like a 7 yr old flat screen. So none of the new gadgets and bobs now.

But I ain’t like those hipsters who think LPs sound better. Tube TVs suck….

[SotiCoto]

Where is the middle option for Late 90s 14 inch TVs?

[AngryCarl]

Love the new flat screen TVs but here's the problem. Too many channels, too little quality.

[Nice222]

TVs are one of the few things that have vastly improved.

[Siri137]

Is it true that the new TVs spy on you, or is that just another conspiracy theory?

[douride2]

I grew up with one of those old boxes in the house. The flat screen is way better.

[strateguy632]

flat has better picture

[Minahh]

Lmao I'm in my 20s and we had a box tv when I was young. Flat one is better but box brings nostalgia

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

New TV

[turnpost]

lol this question is a no brainer

[Sparkie460]

I hated the old picture tube tvs