Many people didn't think twice when they had the chance to get rid of their CRT televisions. They were huge, heavy, energy-hungry, and unable to play high-definition video. However, there was a time when the "gigantic CRT TV" was a symbol of hi-end, and among the most notable examples is the Toshiba 3787DB. Nostalgia Nerd explains that this model was the largest available to consumers in the United Kingdom, and with a weight exceeding 75 kilograms, let's say the user had to prepare before receiving it…
All I can say about my last CRT TV is that it left the house in parts. It had been off for more than half a decade (so no danger of electric shock), and honestly, moving the tube one way and the rest of the TV another made things easier.
Now, while there are scalers designed to reproduce the "CRT effect" on modern screens with great precision, there are many retrogaming enthusiasts who still swear by those light cannons pointing directly into their eyes, and they try to rescue every CRT TV within reach, also looking for more exotic models. Today we are going to meet one of them, the Toshiba 3787DB, courtesy of Nostalgia Nerd:
Toshiba 3787DB: The "home cinema" that weighs almost 80 kilograms
This Toshiba tank arrived in stores in 1998, a year when we could already see the transition to widescreen format, but the 3787DB stayed with the classic 4:3, with a price of £1,999, more than £3,600 (or €4,300) adjusted for inflation. A quick measurement confirms that the screen size falls just short of 37 inches, not bad back then. However, this model is not the largest CRT TV, since 40-inch units were seen in the United States, and Sony offered at the time the KX-45ED1, a 43-inch monster intended for commercial use.
Nostalgia Nerd reports that the final measurements are 100 by 78 by 65 centimeters, with a weight that exceeds 80 kilograms, but the official manual indicates 76.5 kilograms. Something similar happens with energy consumption: While the video mentions 218 watts, the manual puts it at 170. Perhaps Toshiba was too optimistic with its specifications...? In any case, the TV is a beast, to such an extent that it comes with its own table to support it. A modern TV table would simply collapse.
The connections on the back are still impressive, with outputs for its Surround system (that's right, the 3787DB has surround speakers), three bidirectional SCART ports, an S-Video port, an RCA audio input (shared with the front connectors), a standard RCA audio output, and an optical audio input for Dolby Digital and PCM. As if that weren't enough, Toshiba implemented some technologies that allow the 3787DB to achieve more vibrant whites, and up to 18 percent additional contrast compared to other Toshiba TVs of the time.
Of course, to achieve the "perfect" image, the user had to fully master the remote control. Almost half the manual focuses on its controls, and there are many parameters to modify, including a service mode. Everything looks great. From a Super Nintendo with RCA connection to a Megadrive with real RGB, the Toshiba 3787DB is a dream for any enthusiast, and its sound is not far behind.
