LG launches retro CRT TV

Hate HD? Missing the old days of cathode ray tube televisions? Still stuck in the 60s? LG plans to scratch your itch.

The LG Serie 1 Retro Classic, out now in Korea, is a 14-inch tube television inspired by the rounded look of yesteryear. It looks to include a remote, but you can also change channels by twisting the dials on the front of the set. There’s a retractable antenna for receiving over-the-air broadcasts, and you can even switch the display between color, sepia and black and white.

I dig the case in which this TV ships. TechnaBob has more pictures, my favorite of which is a shot of the Retro Classic hooked up to a Famicom (the Japanese equivalent of a Nintendo Entertainment System). That’s just too much retro for me to handle.

CRT televisions are getting harder to find. The big companies have all moved exclusively into HDTVs, though you can still order CRT televisions online, from smaller brands such as Haier and Dynex. Panasonic pulled out of the CRT business last year, recognizing that emerging markets such as China and Southeast Asia are more interested in flat-panel LCD and plasma displays.

LG is selling the Serie 1 Retro Classic in Korea in orange and dark brown for roughly $216, for which you could certainly find an HDTV of comparable or larger size. Plans for western markets aren’t clear, but I suspect the television would have to be fitted with a DTV converter if it’s not built-in.