The biggest CRT ever made: Sony's PVM-4300

Videos & backstory of the PVM‑4300

• Many commenters say the YouTube restoration videos are the “real story,” showing the hunt, shipping, hardware details, and restoration.
• Discussion notes the set was ultra‑rare, not mass‑produced, and extremely expensive to ship; some speculate it may have been used for marketing photos, though this is disputed.
• Prior HN threads about the same TV and video were referenced.

Size, weight, and real‑world use

• People compare the 43" PVM to their own “huge” CRTs (32–40") that already required 3–6 people or special furniture to move.
• Stories include TVs abandoned in apartments, left in basements, or effectively becoming part of the building structure because of weight.
• Several reminisce about big Trinitrons, early HD CRTs, and rare widescreen/1080i “SlimFit” style tubes.
• Some joking about “wife acceptance factor” and movers hating arcade cabs and giant CRTs.

Image quality, refresh, and CRT tech

• Commenters marvel that the “largest CRT ever” is only 43"—small by today’s flat‑panel standards—but note it made sense when content was SD and viewers sat far away.
• A deep subthread debates interlacing vs real refresh rate, flicker at 50/60 Hz, PAL vs NTSC, phosphor decay, and horizontal scan limits.
• Others recall pushing PC CRTs to 85–100+ Hz at low resolutions for games, and contrast that with modern LCD/OLED motion.

Dangers & high voltage

• Multiple anecdotes of shocks from CRT internals, melted screwdrivers, and being literally thrown across a room; others mention implosions and flying glass from smashed tubes.
• Warnings that CRTs and even microwaves hold lethal charges long after unplugging, and that large sets can also be crushing hazards.

Can we still build CRTs?

• Consensus: the basic physics are simple, but industrial CRT manufacturing is essentially a lost art; production lines and expertise are gone.
• Remaining work is niche: small or monochrome tubes for military/aerospace and one or two specialist repair/rebuild outfits.
• Regulations and materials (especially leaded glass for X‑ray shielding) make new consumer CRT production unlikely.

CRTs vs other tech & modern retro solutions

• Comparisons with rear‑projection CRT systems and projectors: bigger images but worse contrast, geometry, brightness in lit rooms, and complex setup.
• Some still love CRT “glow” and analog characteristics, others say the weight and flicker killed any nostalgia.
• Retro gamers mention shaders and scalers (e.g., RetroTINK 4K) to approximate CRT look on modern TVs.

Miscellany

• Complaints about intrusive cookie banners on the linked article; alternative coverage at another site is shared.
• Side tangents include Apple stock vs TV purchase, planetary limits to growth, and a call for official Sony permission to interview a retired CRT engineer.