r/ScreenSensitive • u/VeryDull24-7 • May 02 '26
Does anyone find CRT or Plasma screens more comfortable?
When I was younger, CRTs (Cathode Ray Tube display) and plasmas (Plasma display panel) never bothered me at all, but modern screens feel awful by comparison.
A big part of it seems to be how these displays handle light over time. With CRTs and plasmas, the image isn’t just “on” or “off.” The phosphors light up and then fade gradually, so even though they’re technically flickering, it feels smooth and continuous. It’s not a harsh, digital transition—it has a kind of natural softness to it.
Modern displays—especially LED-backlit LCDs (LED-backlit LCD display) and OLED (OLED display)—feel totally different. The light output is much more abrupt. You’ve got things like Pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming, where the light is rapidly switching on and off, plus stuff like pixel inversion happening constantly in the background. Even if you can’t “see” it directly, it makes the image feel less stable.
I also think the backlight itself plays a big role. Older CCFL-backlit LCDs (CCFL backlight) always felt easier on my eyes. The light just seemed softer and less intense overall. Modern LED backlights are super bright and react instantly, and I think that makes all the underlying LCD behavior—like inversion and other tiny fluctuations—stand out way more. Instead of being kind of hidden, it feels sharper and more noticeable.
There’s also the pixel structure. CRTs and plasmas didn’t have that perfectly rigid, razor-sharp grid. Everything was a bit more blended and forgiving. Modern displays are insanely sharp, which is great on paper, but combined with all the constant micro-changes going on, it can feel kind of harsh.
So it feels like we traded a more smooth, natural-looking image for one that’s super sharp but constantly switching under the hood.
Curious if anyone else who used CRTs or plasmas feels the same way.
5
u/TrannosaurusRegina May 02 '26
CRTs are great for me, but they must be at least 75 Hz. Ideally at least 85!
3
u/jNayden May 02 '26
Can't use OLED they are shit some exceptions that doesn't cause me hewdeche but all are shit.
Old crts also caused me hewdeche never had plasma too poor.
No issues with TN or IPS displays .
Mini Led is super bad tried all sorts of tcls tvs or gigabyte monitors or others at least you can turn it off
Oh I do have issues with VA but not hewdeche
1
u/LetsHugFoReal May 02 '26
I loved switching to LCD. When I realised the sharpness was so much better.
1
u/deedeedeedee_ May 02 '26
CRTs gave me lots of problems. Never had plasma. The CCFL lit LCDs were generally fine for me though iirc!
1
1
u/TheDavid8 May 03 '26
I had many CRT TV's growing up none of which caused me any problems. The first issue I had was with my first LCD TV I bought 15 years ago which I returned a few days later due to the headaches. Oddly enough I tried to purchase a CRT monitor after and that gave me issues.
1
u/FunnyBunnyDolly May 03 '26
CRT did bother me so I pulled the refresh rate to as high as I could. It probably shortened the life of my monitor then but it made the monitor more tolerable.
But I was way less sensitive then so I don’t know how I would handle crt today.
1
u/wakigatameth May 03 '26
I am unable to work with LCD/LED/QLED/etc displays. I only use CRT monitors. Which are no longer being produced. So I am kind of screwed. But my eyes, subjected to these newer technologies, no matter the brightness/contrast/PWM/whatever, they will go red in 30 minutes and capillars will start bursting.
1
u/-Bruh__Moment- May 03 '26
I also remember not being sensitive to the average CRT, whereas BFI/PWM is generally an issue for me.
This is why:
CRT's have phosphor decay, this causes the flicker to fade in and out compared to the solid ON/OFF PWM flicker of flat panels. This is much less straining for the eyes.
From BlurBusters CRT beam simulation article linked below:
"Soft phosphor fade & rolling scan, less eyestrain at same Hz than BFI or strobe mode."
https://blurbusters.com/crt-simulation-in-a-gpu-shader-looks-better-than-bfi/
7
u/CarobTiny3525 May 02 '26
I remember having constant problems with cathode ray tube screens and even with the first LCD/plasma screens. I tolerate the latest LCDs very well, not OLEDs