Summary

One of the RCA's first flat HD CRT TVs. This is a higher-end model compared to the D34W20 in that it has a built-in DVD player. Made by Thomson in Mexico, in 2002. Uses a special 34" Toshiba Microfilter tube made in Japan.

Manuals

• Spec Sheet
• User Manual
• Service Manual

Notes

Both the standard menu and service menu have lots of adjustability. The official stand model number is RTF34SS. Has a dual tuner for digital NTSC broadcasting.

The set can accept 480p and 1080i over component and DVI input. While those signals are natively scanned, 240p/480i are processed and converted to 480p, which likely adds some latency.

Originally intended to have swappable "picture frame" bezels in a variety of colors

Toshiba Microfilter Technology

This CRT uses Microfilter, a technology innovation by Toshiba that aimed to optimize both brightness and contrast without darkening the glass with tint.

Conventionally, most tubes have a dark tint layer in the glass to reduce the amount of light reflection or absorption of the glass, thereby increasing contrast performance - a trade that costs an average 30% loss of overall brightness in all ambient light conditions (including near-darkness). In comparison, clear glass on a tube has the advantage of maximum brightness emission - but at a huge loss of contrast in normal ambient light conditions due to increased reflection. Typically you'll only find clear glass on professional broadcast monitors (aka BVM) that are intended to be used in near-darkness where ambient light is not an concern.

Microfilter aimed to be the best of both worlds by achieving the necessary amount of ambient light filtering at a per-phosphor (micro) level without sacrificing brightness, while still providing the vivid contrast you could typically only expect from a dark-tinted lower-brightness tube. On a Microfilter tube, the glass itself remains clear for maximum light transmission, while still taking a darkened grey-purple appearance from a combination of both the AR coatings and Microfilter over the phosphors.

You can learn more about Microfilter in our full article.