Sony CRT showdown - Color Watchman versus Mega Watchman

[@RetroTechUSA]

Thanks for watching today. Please check the description for more details. I hope to see you soon LIVE in "The Bunker!" Check out SupraGuyCRT: www.youtube.com/@SupraguyCRT

[@makarovvladislav2790]

hi steve. I bought a pvm 20m4e monitor. it shows fine, but I want to do a recap. please tell me which positions need to be replaced and which capacitors to use?

[@8bitwarrior]

I have the black version of the color watchman. They sometimes need to be refocused. But it’s accessible from through the rear grill with a trimmer pot tool

[@RetroTechUSA]

Cool, thanks for the info.

[@scapegh0st]

I lucked out a couple years ago and scored the same white FDT-5BX5 Color Watchman off eBay, complete in box with the Montgomery Wards pickup receipt inside! I love the design of it, in spite of the Samsung tube inside... great sound for its size, too! I paired it with a Retroflag mini SNES Pi3 case, which fits great on top inside the handle, via composite output. I've got that loaded up with RecalBox for games and Kodi to stream ATSC TV from my HDHomeRun, dragging it kicking and screaming into the modern broadcast TV era! It makes a great little desktop TV, and sees as much use as my PVMs!

[@_BELMONT_]

Great video Steve! these are great little tubes! I order a RF reflex adapter and i can't wait to use some of my RF only tubes!

[@RetroTechUSA]

Thanks dude! Yeah, the Reflex is so darn handy. It saves me a lot of time and space for demos like this.

[@kermitclassified]

Thank you for the great deal on the CRT! Works great for all my retro gaming needs.

[@grigoris.7732]

These old toys are just the coolest. I miss those monsters.

[@1977Bonishow-man]

love those small crts, great video

[@RetroTechUSA]

Me too, thanks!

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Oh man! I have the same white Color Sony Watchman in the collection Steve. What a great unit it is and those babies last forever. So glad to see you have one in your collection as well bro. 8^) Anthony..

[@b_wtangible_moments]

Another cool crt, you can plug a vcr or game console to. Is The Original Singing Machine (karaoke machine) It has a tny black and white crt. Do it all the time. I play vhs music videos and kids sing to them. Very Cool. They don't make them like that anymore . I've been keeping my eyes out for one of those color sony watchmen.

[@tookeydookey]

That Color Watchman is the best! But I still love both - even though I have none of them sadly.

[@RobiticDuck]

Picking up a Watchman Mega hopefully soon. Cant wait to do silly things with mine. 😂

[@jeff15]

Fantastic video. 👍 these tubes look great 😊

[@derektheclerk5093]

im loving the background music man

[@ITGuyinaction]

🔥🤪😉😀😀👍👍🥳🥳🙋‍♂👍 Those tv-set's are amazing! I have plans to buy them for my videeos however in Europe they were not too popular and it's quite challenging to get one in a reasonable state and price...

[@jacknjill3000]

They are cheap in the US and I just got the FD 500 for $22. with including shipping. But i could see buying one from the US and shipping would be a lot.

[@ITGuyinaction]

@@jacknjill3000 Yeah, shipping would be terribly expensive...

[@jacknjill3000]

I just got the Sony FD 500 cheap off eBay and I think the first Mega Watchman from 1989. It was listed with just the radio working and the tv when turned on had just a blue center line. It came with an after market ac/dc cord and when turning it on with that, the radio came on fine, but the tv just had a line as the seller stated. Then I happened to have the right shape cord that fit and when I plugged it in , the tv turned on to show static vs just a thin line as before. So it seems like that port/plug was for travel use to just use the radio or not the correct voltage adapter? I don’t know and all i know is that it works with the main cord and not the adapter. I’m older and loved all Sony stuff and had many Sony stuff since the 80’s. So for me I love re living my youth and now you can get these older items for a fraction of what they cost when they were new. The only thing that’s bad design is the handle and how it mostly make the whole tv tilt one way. I think with the next model FD -510 they changed it to like the luggage handle style and slide up on the back. So most ppl. will say these don’t work bc the tv won’t get channels, but they’re actually still working if you get static and the tv turns on. So meaning you can get these for cheap and if you buy from eBay, the shipping is what can be costly. Still haven’t tried with batteries and I’m wondering if the tv will work. I’m also glad many are getting into collecting these vintage electronics and saving these units from being dumped. I’m sure for a few decades, many of these were ending up in landfills bc either they were worth fixing or they became obsolete. I think even of you didn’t used them and just to display them can be very cool. Anyway, thanks for making this video and keep it up!

[@jacknjill3000]

Oh and my first Sony Trinitron was a 13” and I loved that tv. I got it around 88 and had for about 7 years and ended up getting this Sony Trinitron that was 20” stereo and I think was the Sony Brava higher series. Then when the 27” became the thing everyone wanted, I found open box clean one of the same model. Even the remote was super high tech fir back then and you had more controls by flipping open like a flip phone. Btw. I learned a few years ago, when Steve Jobs first started Apple computers, he wanted that company to have concepts as Sony and Issey Miyake. And tye design esthetics as those 2 companies and other Japanese companies. He even wore that signature black turtle neck that was designed by Issey Miyake and he had like 20 of the same turtle neck. He even wanted Issey Miyake to design the company uniform by Miyake, but that didn’t go off well. But a few have survived and now a collectors item or something like that. Or that Miyake had work uniforms bc someone I know did some research after I told him and he found one online.

[@usa_retro]

Coal!!!!

[@willosfloppydrive]

Did you broadcast over the air to get video over to the CRTs or did you use a special wiring, and if so, could you give me instructions?

[@willosfloppydrive]

Oh, sorry. You explained it in the video. Thanks!

[@shodan6401]

Man, I wanted that Color Watchman more than crack cocaine when I was growing up. Now that I'm approaching 60, maybe I should treat myself to the extraordinary luxury - if I can find one. I DO have a line on a Panasonic Travelvision, which I would be incredibly psyched to get. It's the B&W version, but they are pretty rare, and this one works! Here's to hoping getting those sweet, sweet 1.5 inches of CRT goodness....

[@jacknjill3000]

I just got the black one off eBay and they said the tv part only had a thin blue line when turning on. So when I got it with the ac/dc adapter, the tv only turned on to have a thin blue line as the seller said. Which is fine bc I only bought for the radio working bc i figured i wasn’t going to get any tv signals. But then I happened to have a plug that had the same plug in shape and when I used it, the tv came on with static vs the thin line. So I was happy to find out the tv sorta worked. I think many of these are sold not working bc of the tv no longer getting the signals and being sold cheap. I’m 60 and turning 61 in August. So I love these gadgets from the past and my youth. Back then I would look through the stereo store ads and look for the latest electronics and see what I wanted but couldn’t afford or didn’t need. Back then Girls were into clothes and make up, while most guys were into electronics and stereo equipment. Lol! So I’ve been trying to buy much of what I either had or always wanted now and having a great time collecting. Especially since much of the vintage electronic stuff now.cost only a fraction of what it cost new. Well, that’s if it’s not super rare. Also I love getting this vintage stuff before everyone gets into collecting and it becomes harder to find and becomes expensive. One of these days, they’re gonna have a tv show on vintage electronics. Like they do now with old cars and gas station signs in old barns and storage units. Lol!

[@sutherlandgalleries3717]

Have you ever had a 2730? Do they have the same H.Stat red box unit that can fail like the 2530? If you could do a video on that model that would be great. Love the channel!!

[@CodyClark-w4f]

Where did you get the little silver adapter for coax?

[@Bak-o4k]

Hi Retro Tech I have a question, what do you say, Sony BVM 14F5E have standby Mode and Power Off, what should you do? Power Off or standby?

[@infinity2z3r07]

are these 5" screens? the mega seems late 80s and the color late 90s. either way I've never seen one before! cool stuff haha

[@clappinmonkey0944]

Hello, i have a kv-27fs120 with a flashing standby light, 5x, the picture goes on then off then the light blinks 5x again. Its picture when on is reddish... any tips on where i should look?

[@soulfinger8171]

Do you think its worth buying on ebay the black and white ones are pretty cheap

[@voltare2amstereo]

that is either a tiny trinitron or a big indextron. thinkings the former - though you say it;s a shadow mask, =hmm

[@willosfloppydrive]

These CRTs look very blue. They appear B+W in real life.

[@Hawk_Eye_Retro]

I sent you a private message on Twitter/X, CRT question! Thanks for all the great videos.