Sony Television KV-36FS76U

The KV-36FS76U was a television receiver set with a conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) display, manufactured by the Sony Corporation in 2002. It was one of the largest CRT displays measuring 36-inches diagonally, and costing approximately £2000. It was a top-end receiver, which provided a home cinema experience.

Back in those days, Sony's Trinitron technology provided the sharpest and best-defined display consisting of 625 lines at 100 Hz. The audio technology was NICAM stereo; however, the sound was through extremely narrow custom designed speakers, which provided average quality sound. This receiver had an analogue tuner; however, this was not usually a problem as the receiver had a wealth of SCART sockets, which could be used for connecting a digital set top box.

Faults and Problems

This was a robust television receiver set, and usually reliable. A very old one used for a shop display may have a burnt-out tube, or a faulty line-output transformer (LOPT). These components are usually difficult to source, and uneconomical to repair today.

This television has a microcomputer system, which can display the number of hours the tube has been operating, and that provides a very good indication of the useful life left in the television. Due to the large tube, this television produces extremely powerful electromagnetic fields from the deflection coils. The final anode also produces static, which as a result causes dust to settle on the set.

Cost / Price

It is still a very desirable retro television; however, people usually consider the size and weight when buying it. It will occupy a large corner of the living room space, and its mass is 90 kg, thus requiring four bodybuilders to carry it. If you have the space and the muscle power to carry it, then you could get a bargain on eBay, as they usually sell very cheaply.

LED vs. Trinitron CRT

I am still often amazed with the picture quality of these old Trinitron tubes compared to plasma and LCD technologies. The contrast and sharpness on this tube is still the best compared to plasma and LCD. However, with the emergence of LED technology, the balance tips in favour of these new displays, which have excellent contrast and sharpness.

If you are still watching an old TV like this, and you cannot decide whether you should buy the latest LED television set, then this article might help you decide. The price of televisions has dropped sharply due to inflation, and you can now get a 42-inch high definition (HD) television for less than £500. If you look around online on Google, you could end up with a real bargain from as little as £400 and even less!

Buy the Latest

It is a common occurrence to see old televisions left on the pavement when people upgrade to the latest LED screens. Nobody likes to look at an old 50 Hz flickering screen with 625 lines when you could have a glossy smooth 100 Hz HD screen for the same price as a cheap holiday. Holiday lasts only two weeks and then it is back to the old flickering screen for the whole year, so why not buy the latest TV that you can enjoy all year round.

I managed to buy a couple of screens for my firm from an online shop that had overstocked the previous year. With the current economic climate, warehouses are full and it is possible to grab a bargain at vastly reduced prices. Many shops are selling at cost price just to keep the turnover going, so they are the best places to buy. I do not know how long it will last though, but I suspect it will not be for long.

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