The world's largest 43-inch Sony CRT TV, weighing 200kg, was salvaged from a soba restaurant in Osaka.
Sony's
The Journey to Save the Last Known 43-Inch Sony CRT
https://obsoletesony.substack.com/p/the-journey-to-save-the-last-known
Console modder hunts down world's largest CRT TV — saves it from noodle restaurant demolition death half the way around the globe | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/console-modder-hunts-down-worlds-largest-crt-tv-saves-it-from-noodle-restaurant-demolition-death-half-the-way-around-the-globe
The KX-45ED1's body size is 105cm wide x 92.5cm high x 76.7cm deep, the screen size is 86.4cm wide x 64.8cm high (108.0cm diagonal), weighs about 200kg, and the price was 2.73 million yen excluding tax. Not only is it expensive, but the KX-45ED1 is so huge and heavy that even several adults have difficulty carrying it, making it very rare. Although several units were sold at retail stores in the United States, they were all broken and discarded. For this reason, the KX-45ED1 was called the 'Bigfoot of CRT TVs' among overseas collectors.
However, in 2022, a sighting was posted on an internet forum stating, 'When I visited Japan as a tourist, I saw a KX-45ED1 (PVM-4300) on the second floor of a restaurant.' Later, a photo of the KX-45ED1 that was actually on the second floor of the restaurant was discovered on
After Shank Mods' investigation, he found out that the restaurant was a soba restaurant called 'Chikuman' in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. Furthermore, just as Shank Mods was finding the restaurant, he learned that Chikuman was moving to a new store due to earthquake resistance issues, and that the old store was being demolished and turned into a parking lot.
Shank Mods, who thought he had no time to waste, asked for help on Twitter (now X), where a user named abebe from Osaka visited Chikuman on the last day of business at the old store and checked the condition of the KX-45ED1. The result was that it was in perfect working order and in great condition. Shank Mods then sent a letter to the store owner, who replied that he would give it to him for free.
Abebe plays ' R-TYPE ' to check the operation of the KX-45ED1.
It was quite difficult to transport the KX-45ED1 to the U.S. However, a friend of Abebe's worked for a company that shipped industrial machinery overseas, so a plan was made to airfreight the KX-45ED1 to the U.S.
The KX-45ED1 is being transported from the old store in Chikuman on November 18, 2022. It weighs 200kg, so even six men have a hard time carrying it.
Finally, we are taken down to the first floor.
The goods are then sent to a warehouse owned by a local partner and packed into wooden boxes.
This KX-45ED1 was airlifted to the United States on January 16, 2023.
The wooden box for the KX-45ED1 arrived in Shank Mods' garage.
Shank Mods hosts crate unboxing events for friends and acquaintances.
Introducing the KX-45ED1.
We placed it on top of the TV stand and connected the GameCube. Since it had been transported a long distance, we checked that the old CRT TV was working properly to make sure it wasn't broken.
After successfully confirming that it was working, Shank Mods and his team played 'Super Smash Bros. Melee.'
Shank Mods has also rounded up some online gaming friends, forum acquaintances, and electronics professionals to spend days recalibrating and repairing the KX-45ED1.
The reason why Shank Mods pursued the KX-45ED1 so far is because 'there is very little lag when playing games on the KX-45ED1.' The KX-45ED1 has a 480p VGA input, so the input signal is displayed directly on the CRT without any delay or processing.
As for why the KX-45ED1 was placed in Chikuman, Shank Mods conducted a video interview with the store owner. According to this, the previous store owner was trying to put a TV on the second floor, but was having trouble finding one that was the right size, and then a Sony employee he knew at the time told him about the release of the KX-45ED1. The previous store owner, who liked new things, immediately purchased the KX-45ED1 and installed it on the second floor.
After that, the current owner of the store had seen on the Internet that the KX-45ED1 installed on the second floor was a hot topic among overseas users. When the store was about to be relocated, he was wondering 'What should I do with this big TV? I'd be happy to give it to someone who wanted it,' and then Abebe happened to be visiting.
The store owner said, 'If we can find something and recycle it, it would be better for it to go to somewhere that's needed rather than being thrown away.'
Abebe, who was the key person in the KX-45ED1 acquisition project, was the director of the game ' Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Devil .'
Shank Mods talks about various other hardships in a movie he uploaded to his YouTube channel, so if you're interested, please take a look.
What Happened to the World's Largest Tube TV? - YouTube
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