The quest to save the world's largest CRT TV from demolition

[Daniel Sims]

WTF?! Most people consider CRTs obsolete – and for most purposes, they are – but retro gamers favor them because they offer a few advantages over modern panels. Although technical constraints limit the maximum size of CRT displays, Sony defied those boundaries in the late 1980s with a model so rare that it eventually passed into legend – until a YouTuber rescued what may be the last remaining unit days before its scheduled disposal.

Modder and YouTuber Shank Mods recently announced that he had acquired the largest cathode ray tube (CRT) television ever sold. The 43-inch, 440lb behemoth had not appeared publicly for years, leading many enthusiasts to doubt its existence. Even after the YouTuber confirmed that the myth was real, the mission to obtain it quickly transformed into a race against time.

Old-school TVs and CRT monitors remain ideal for playing some games due to superior motion clarity, absence of input lag, and their ability to process low-resolution signals from retro game consoles and other devices. However, larger tubes require additional shielding, making CRT screens larger than roughly 30 inches impractically thick and heavy.

However, amid Japan's late 1980s bubble economy, Sony didn't care. Enter the PVM-4300.

According to the Console Mods Wiki, Sony released the PVM-4300 as a limited-edition flagship device in 1989 to celebrate Trinitron's 20th anniversary. The 60Hz, 480p progressive scan set sold for around $18,000 in Japan (over $45,000 in 2024 dollars) and $40,000 in the US (over $96,000 today).

Due to its high cost, the total number of units built was likely extremely low, and CRT communities never spotted one in the wild. Before Shank Mods' discovery, only two images of the PVM-4300 from outside of Sony's PR materials existed online, causing some to question whether it ever actually entered production.

After much internet sleuthing, one of the YouTuber's sources traced one of the photos to the second floor of a 300-year-old ramen shop in Osaka. Unfortunately, the shop's owners planned to move in a few weeks, after which the old building would be demolished and the TV would likely be thrown away.

With help from Osaka-based game developer Abebe Tinari and sponsorship funds from Shopify, Shank Mods had the PVM-4300 shipped to his parents' garage with only days to spare. Following testing and minor repairs, the modder confirmed that the CRT features zero input lag and uses an advanced 480p conversion method for its time.

Shank Mods is currently attempting to schedule an interview with Sony regarding the TV, digitize its service manual, and acquire its design documents.

Permalink to story:

The quest to save the world's largest CRT TV from demolition

 

[madboyv1]

I watched this video a couple days ago when it came out, thank you YT algorithm for once... it was such a fun story and it was a nice touch to have that short interview with the previous owner of the TV, and a shame he was not able to make the second interview with the Trinitron engineer happen (Corporate Sony doing Corporate Sony things).

 

[Skully]

I had a 36" Sony Wega back in the day that was 275lbs. I can only imagine trying to move this monstrosity.

 

[Rocky4040]

It might be sony's largest tube TV but back when tube TV's were a thing I had a buddy that had a very large Tube TV and it was bigger than 43 inch more like 52 inch or 53 inch. It looked like a bubble at the front and took up a huge amount of space. No it was not a projection TV it was a huge tube TV.

 

[JohnRambo4]

Pretty cool. I never even heard of this. I thought 36" was the biggest. I'd probably collect CRT's if it weren't for the pesky wife and kids.

 

[HardReset]

Main reason for heavy weight is not shielding but fact that CRT requires vacuum. Therefore glass must be very thick and heavy.

 

[p51d007]

I worked on CRT televisions back in the 70's-80's. Those things weighed a ton!
Only good thing was you didn't have to worry about someone stealing them. Especially
if they have to move it up and down stairs LOL.
I always carried a VERY insulated long screwdriver, and a heavy 2 foot wire with alligator
clips on both ends to ground out the 2nd anode when changing them, since those big tubed
had anywhere from 20-35KV to make them work. (you'd get a nice ZAP if you forgot!)

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

So good to see these nostalgic tv sets. These were built like tanks and lasted for decades. I always remembered the HV danger do not open back cover labels but who could not resist? (Me) to see what it looks like inside and a lot of neat parts.

 

[captaincranky]

So good to see these nostalgic tv sets. These were built like tanks and lasted for decades. I always remembered the HV danger do not open back cover labels but who could not resist? (Me) to see what it looks like inside and a lot of neat parts.

The transformer inside the cage that supplied the high voltage , was commonly called, "the fly back transformer". The output voltage it supplied was about 17 to 19K on black & white sets. When color TV arrived, that voltage was upped to about 23 to 26K. The frequency syncing the screen scan was (IIRC) 15, 750 Hz

Whether, I'm correct or not, I believe that the longer the throw from the guns to the screens became, that voltage had to be increased to compensate.

In any case, my daddy was a TV repairman. He came home one night with a hole going in one side of his hand and out the other, after forgetting to discharge the capacitors inside the HV cage. Oops. It seems HV travels in a straight line, as opposed low voltage, low frequency, (IE house current), tends to wrap around whatever it contacts.

 

[captaincranky]

would likely be thrown away. With help from Osaka-based game developer Abebe Tinari and sponsorship funds from Shopify, Shank Mods had the PVM-4300 shipped to his parents' garage with only days to spare. Following testing and minor repairs, the modder confirmed that the CRT features zero input lag and uses an advanced 480p conversion method for its time. Shank Mods is currently attempting to schedule an interview with Sony regarding the TV, digitize its service manual, and acquire its design documents.

If any electronic device deserves to be donated to, or acquired by, a museum, this certainly does. Whether that be Sony's, (if they have one), a Japanese national museum, or our own Smithsonian

 

[Antias]

LOL Back in the day, I had a Philips 36PW (36" wide-flat screen CRT) and thought I was the coolest in my circle of friends for VHS & Laser Disc movie night... (yep, I had one of those too...)
Yet here I am now, contemplating upgrading my 75" to an 85" simply because I can (and they are so damn cheap now days)...
Yeah, we got things soooo bad now...

 

[captaincranky]

LOL Back in the day, I had a Philips 36PW (36" wide-flat screen CRT) and thought I was the coolest in my circle of friends for VHS & Laser Disc movie night... (yep, I had one of those too...)
Yet here I am now, contemplating upgrading my 75" to an 85" simply because I can (and they are so damn cheap now days)...
Yeah, we got things soooo bad now...

TVs used to be "furniture". I had a 26" color "console" TV, 40+ years ago. It was solid maple, IIRC, and set me back $600,00..! Finally, they went to plastic cases, and to the point where it generally only took two people to lift them.

Way back in those "dark ages", TVs could actually be repaired. Although nobody could afford to have it done then either. This led to a fixture in many homes, known as the "TV stack". You had the huge console which broke. Since we all had a major "TV Jones", a 19" (usually B & W), portable was purchased to sit on top of it. When that quit, a 13" portable sat on top of that.

One upside was that TV repairmen actually made house calls. Even further back, so did doctors But then again, they practically had to. Otherwise, it meant you had to rent a U-Haul, and bribe 4 or 5 of your friends with cases of beer to somehow manage to get it to the shop. (The 5th was heeded to hold the front door open.

I donated a 32" CRT to my kid (now 56), with the admonishment that he, "just heave it", when the prices came down to the point where he could replace it with a flat screen. I was "blessed enough" to have a 34" flat screen, Best Buy house brand at the time. The damned thing cost me $500,00, or was it $550.00. .

I hope you're not blasphemously implying that we're "spoiled" nowadays. Everybody here knows that a GTX-4090 isn't worth much more then say "$500.00", if that. Goodness knows, we're entitled to as much as possible, for as little as possible. Hell, it's practically our "birthright".

 

[Vulcanproject]

Sony for you. They had plenty of flops but they also had the chops to dream and then go through with it. Some of their flops were also still fantastic tech. Personally I love their minidisc systems. They were expensive but fantastic bits of kit back in the day.

 

[captaincranky]

Sony for you. They had plenty of flops but they also had the chops to dream and then go through with it. Some of their flops were also still fantastic tech. Personally I love their minidisc systems. They were expensive but fantastic bits of kit back in the day.

I have one of their 50 CD changers that's pushing 25, (and hopefully I don't jinx it by saying this), but it still works like a charm.

However, I also have a STVR-800 (hope that's the right number), which was the first digital stereo receiver on the consumer market. The damned thing has an uptick 60 Hz hum when the volume control hits the first tone tap on the pot. Oh well, I guess it sort of a collectors item, in addition to being a dust collecting item as well.

 

[Antias]

TVs used to be "furniture". I had a 26" color "console" TV, 40+ years ago. It was solid maple, IIRC, and set me back $600,00..! Finally, they went to plastic cases, and to the point where it generally only took two people to lift them.

Way back in those "dark ages", TVs could actually be repaired. Although nobody could afford to have it done then either. This led to a fixture in many homes, known as the "TV stack". You had the huge console which broke. Since we all had a major "TV Jones", a 19" (usually B & W), portable was purchased to sit on top of it. When that quit, a 13" portable sat on top of that.

One upside was that TV repairmen actually made house calls. Even further back, so did doctors But then again, they practically had to. Otherwise, it meant you had to rent a U-Haul, and bribe 4 or 5 of your friends with cases of beer to somehow manage to get it to the shop. (The 5th was heeded to hold the front door open.

I donated a 32" CRT to my kid (now 56), with the admonishment that he, "just heave it", when the prices came down to the point where he could replace it with a flat screen. I was "blessed enough" to have a 34" flat screen, Best Buy house brand at the time. The damned thing cost me $500,00, or was it $550.00. .

I hope you're not blasphemously implying that we're "spoiled" nowadays. Everybody here knows that a GTX-4090 isn't worth much more then say "$500.00", if that. Goodness knows, we're entitled to as much as possible, for as little as possible. Hell, it's practically our "birthright".

I would never suggest that
Of course when it comes to my PC graphics, I'm forced by the stupid Aussie prices to be more "realistic" in my purchases. 2025 is my upgrade year for my 3060Ti, so I'm going to be patient and wait and see what the new releases are like and make an informed decision then looking for the sweet spot with 16GB VRAM... (and I'm not cemented to either Red or Green camps, I'll see who has the best rasterisation for the money, forget Ray Tracing, my games generally dont have that or dont need it... Elder Scrolls Online, Heavily modded Skyrim - neeed more VRAM, Heavily modded Fallout 4 - need more VRAM, slowly modding Starfield)

 

[Antias]

PS...
I'm old enough to remember...
My earliest childhood memory (I was born in 65 so I was 4 years old) was the excitement of everyone in the street coming over to my Grandmother's house to watch the Moon Landing live on her behemoth HMV Colour TV.... It looked like this one...

1968 HMV 2700 Colourmaster -

Model: HMV 2700

www.radios-tv.co.uk

The irony being the moon landing was televised in black and white!!!
LMAO

 

[Nintenboy01]

Hopefully they can get that cataract fixed one day

 

[Bozworth]

I bought one of these new in 1989. It came with a very sleek cabinet on which to mount it. I had a matching Sony laserdisc (those LP-sized things) player down there, together with my Sony Mavica colour printer to print those horribly fuzzy images saved on the analogue floppy disc in the camera. The screen was the best thing you could do in those days to get a cinematic experience because projection TV quality was poor. It drew oohs and aahs at dinner parties. I wasn't the only one in my neighbourhood with one, so your article makes them out to be some sort of mythological thing which it wasn't. Then along came flat screens ... goodbye behemoth.

 

[jeffbert]

Main reason for heavy weight is not shielding but fact that CRT requires vacuum. Therefore glass must be very thick and heavy.

& convex.


I learned TV repair at vocational rehabilitation in 1978 or '79. I recall the instructor clipping the nipple on a CRT, and allowing air to enter. As I recall, this was the last thing to do before scrapping it. Made sense, though. It was a very delicate procedure, though, as clipping too much, & it implodes.