The CRT – cathode ray tube – has been used in most televisions sets since their invention. Remember the older televisions? How big and how heavy they were! They are fast disappearing from the electronic market place and are being replaced by thin, small, lightweight LCD, plasma, and MDL television sets. This market is most prevalent in the major developed nations in the world. Many research and development leaders and manufacturing companies are limiting their inventories with the goal being to stop all sales of CRT televisions. Many CRT manufacturers have discovered markets for the CRT by advancing technology to develop a slimmer tube with a much shallower depth than the old CRT. The depth of a 32-inch CRT is now a slim 13.8 inches (approximately 350 millimeters) as compared to the older depth of 19.8 inches (500 millimeters). This decrease of about 6 inches allows competition in the marketplace with DPL sets at a lesser cost. The Cathode Ray Tube technology and market has not disappeared quite yet because there are new designs being produced in this field.

The combined advanced technologies of digital and high definition signaling as well as the research and development of plasma, LCD, and DLP televisions have caused shifts in the manufacturer and sales of CRT television sets in Europe and the United States. For example, the United States has established Federal mandates requiring national transition from analog to digital signaling by 2007, with the goal being to eventually eliminate CRT technology. The profit margin has decreased simply because there is less and less demand for CRT TVs. The areas in the world where Cathode Ray Tube technology is being implemented more are developing nations like India, China, and Middle Eastern countries. These areas show increased sales of CRT sets with slimmer models with small screens selling better than traditional larger sets. CRTs are now available in 2l, 32, and 29 inch sizes. The decreased depth makes them cheaper than flat-panel sets.

The disadvantages of CRT TVs are their size and weight. An example of this disadvantage is that the 36 inch CRT screen size weighs several hundred pounds. Although technology provides a slimmer 32-inch CRT, with no reduction in weight, at a lower price, the display has a more decreased output than a fixed-panel display with a light falloff occurring when the screen edges are approached. The CRT TVs produce very good contrasts in imaging but does not perform as well as Plasma, LCD, and DLP.

In conclusion, we find that the Cathode Ray Tube is indeed not diminished from use, and it is unlikely that it will any time soon. The smaller, slimmer CRT TVs are doing very well in market places of developing nations because of their availability at lower prices. CRT sales are diminishing in the United States and Europe because of the differences in economies and average annual incomes.