Does the brightness on your CRT have to "warm up"?

[mbd30]

The picture is dark on my CRT when I first turn it on and gradually becomes brighter when I leave it on. It's noticeable in some games. When I first turn on the TV, the first stage in "Battletoads" is brown. Only after the TV has been on for some time does it appear green like it should.

 

[fiddlepaddle]

Usually that tends to happen more and more as the picture tube gets older. Also, early model tubes took longer to warm up...same thing with old radios, or anything based on vacuum tubes.

[Osgeld]

old CRT, even soild state ones took a good few moments to warm up, modern ones are pretty much instant on and may point to something starting to fail (like a cap or a fet)

 

edit: and even on the old CRT's it wouldnt just be one color it would be the whole tube

Edited November 28, 2015 by Osgeld

[CatPix]

It's normal on earlier TV, mostly the ones with most or all-analog circuitry. Because they are getting old mainly, but it's also normal.

It's also what make them more durable, as they put less stress on the components.

If you start to see colors that take more time to warm up, it's probably because some capas are getting off.

[MotoRacer]

Yeah, they don't just "come on" like modern HDTVs. Typically just about 3-4 seconds before they come on strong, though I have an old Sony Trinitron that must be on it's last legs as it takes much longer than that, and even when it comes on isn't full bright.

 

I'd throw it away, but I can't bring myself to.

[BillyHW]

Yeah, CRTs always took a bit to warm up. Older LCDs too. Only when they switched to to LED backlights was it practically instant on.

[MotoRacer]

Yeah, CRTs always took a bit to warm up. Older LCDs too. Only when they switched to to LED backlights was it practically instant on.

 

I still remember our family's first LCD screen. It was a 4:3 ratio unit, with a casing that made it look like a perfect match to a Compaq Presario 7000 series from 1997, haha. Took forever to "warm up", even when new, and the brightness level was laughable at best. I think it was made by Dell, but I can't be sure. It was white/beige with the largest base and thickest bezel you ever did see.

[Eltigro]

Could the older LCDs taking a while to brighten up be because they were lit by older fluorescent bulbs/lights? I know those older light bulbs (like used in table lamps or whatever) can take some time to come up to full brightness sometimes. (Don't know too much about construction of LCDs, but know that some are fluorescent, some plasma, and some LED...)

[BillyHW]

Could the older LCDs taking a while to brighten up be because they were lit by older fluorescent bulbs/lights? I know those older light bulbs (like used in table lamps or whatever) can take some time to come up to full brightness sometimes. (Don't know too much about construction of LCDs, but know that some are fluorescent, some plasma, and some LED...)

 

Yes, that's exactly it.

[Osgeld]

dunno I have a year 2000 NEC LCD monitor, still fires directly up even though being used tens of hours a day for over 14 years

[MotoRacer]

dunno I have a year 2000 NEC LCD monitor, still fires directly up even though being used tens of hours a day for over 14 years

 

That's awesome. NEC made some good stuff back then. Doesn't surprise me.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

That was typical for CRT televisions. I remembered back in the 80's we had a Sony tv. Once it was turned on the colors on the screen looked inverted but after a few minutes they went to normal. I had an Emerson 13" tv long ago and there was a small green dot on the screen and after a few minutes, that went away.