I've recently acquired a Brazilian-manufactured Philips 20PT4331 (Latin American variant of the 19PS50) in decent condition, with acceptable geometry and convergence. It is one of the few sets that has a curved tube and component inputs from the factory.
Given its functional state, I wondered if this tv had low mileage compared to other sets of this age (>20 years).
To my surprise, when I entered the service menu, I was blown away by the number of hours this tv has after all these years.
Despite the shock, it’s running fine, and I’ve already planned and bought new capacitors to recap it, hoping it will add a few more years of longevity to my CRT.
My main concern resides in components I have no way to replace. Specifically, the electron gun and the phosphorus phosphor coating.
Can the phosphorus phosphor burn in the long-term and wash out my image? Much more concerning than that, for how long can an electron gun keep working well before it gets weak and dies?
Am I cooked in the medium to short term? What can I do to improve the longevity of my tube?
Game and console in the pictures:
Nekketsu Oyako (PS1) running through component on my Sakura PS2.