Every legend and every myth has a true basis and in the world of technology and image that is no exception, as a group of retro lovers have proven, upon finding a copy of the cathode ray tube television (CRT) Sony’s PVM-4300, the largest of its kind ever built.
The Tube televisions were the norm in the 80s and 90scharacterized by its glass screen and its depth, where the tube with phosphorus was housed, which, stimulated by electrical impulses, generated the images.
Among the drawbacks was the weight and volume they occupied, so They were quickly overtaken by flat screens in the 2000s which also had greater definition.
But before that happened, Sony launched the PVM-4300 in 1988, the television largest marketed to date and the largest ever manufactured for salewith a 108 cm picture tube. Its screen was 45 inches, when the largest TV at the time was 30 inches and the usual size was about 20.
But despite its spectacular nature, it had some drawbacks: it was very heavy, requiring a special structure to be transported with a wheelbarrowin addition to the fact that handles could be screwed on for transportation, which was recommended to be done by at least six people.
Furthermore, its price was exorbitant. When launched in Japan, it cost about 2,430,000 Japanese yen (about $17,500 at the 1988 exchange rate, according to OddityCentral) and In the US it had a price of $40,000 (about $100,000 today). That meant that few units were sold and few people saw it, beyond a few promotional images.
Until Shank Mods, a collector and fan of retro games and renowned manufacturer of portable versions of non-portable consoles, found a Japanese blog post from 7 years ago that included a photo of the TV in a waiting room at a restaurant and noodle factory called Chikuma Soba in Osaka, Japan.
Immediately the youtuber He contacted the owner and some fellow retro enthusiasts to recover the device, which was also in use. The owner of the restaurant, which was to be demolished, He agreed to donate it with only one condition: that the American take care of the transfer crossing the ocean.
Thus, thanks to local contacts They managed to get the 200 kilos of the television down from the premises, on the second floor. and the 78 kilos of the special support, and then package it with all the protections and send it by boat.
Once in the United States it was found that It worked correctly and they even used it to play video games with consoles from the same era.
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