Far from being "stuck" with a CRT, I actually still prefer them for watching anything but HD, as anything but true HD TV looks totally unacceptable to me on the new flat panels, regardless of what type. I couldn't image how bad a VHS tape would look on one, as most regular programing and non-HD stuff I've seen on the things already looks worse than a VHS!
I also still use a CRT CPU monitor as well. Although not nearly as drastic as large flat panel TV's, non-HD photos and videos look softer, more natural and less artificially bright then most flat panel CPU monitors. To put it in a nut-shell, CRTs just simply just look better to me with non HD programming.
I must be one of the few human beings who notices this, considering how many people have been duped into buying LCD/Plasmas lock stock and barrel without question. Although my non-enthusiast friend also agrees with me on the image problems with flat panels, and he uses both flat panel (high quality programming only) and CRT TVs for everything else.
People are also practically just throwing away their beautiful and expensive Sony Trinitron and WEGA CRT's for next to nothing, which I'm somewhat thankful for, as I can now easily buy and enjoy them. I wonder if anybody regrets it?
Although true HD TV is an awesome wonder to behold, around 90% of the stuff I might watch and care about at this time is not in true HD, and all the great stuff from the past shot in non-HD will never be in true HD, just as my old mono only audio recordings can never be in true stereo.
I will continue to keep an open mind about Plasma/LCD TV's, and I might buy one some day just to use for HD only. But until somebody finds out a way to make older non-HD and regular TV programming look good on a flat panel, I will be standing at the back of the line.
