The internet is a mix of good, bad, and everything in between. However, one of its greatest strengths is its ability to connect people, like enabling them achieve things collectively that would be difficult or impossible to accomplish alone.
One of the examples, is how the internet helped a retro gamer and enthusiast save a classic, bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) TV from destruction.
This TV however, is not some ordinary TV.
It's none other than a Sony's KX-45ED1 model (PVM-4300), a gargantuan TV with 45" picture tube (43" visible), and weighs in at enormous 200 kilograms.
The last known unit was about to be demolished, until the internet stepped in.
The journey began when an enthusiast, known online as Shank Mods, was informed about a rare PVM-4300 sighting in October 2022.
A photo of this massive TV was found on a 7-year-old blog post from Japan.
After tracing it, Shank Mods found that the unit was put on display at a waiting room in Chikuma Soba, a noodle restaurant and factory in Osaka.
But before he knew what to do, he discovered that Chikuma Soba had announced an imminent relocation, and that the old restaurant was slated for demolition.
Not knowing what to do, the desperate Shank Mods took his issue to Twitter, and asked for anyone who is willing to help him.
He was particularly seeking help from anyone who happens to be in Osaka, to rescue the TV because he couldn't get there in time.
Local game developer Bebe Tinari answered the call.
The person visited the restaurant as a patron, and confirmed that the TV was there—and working.
He was absolutely thrilled because the photo he was sent, not only was one of the only two known real-life photos of the PVM-4300 in working order, but also one of the possibly last PVM-4300 in existence.
Shank Mods then tried to contact the restaurant owner and gave him an offer.
The two parties came into an agreement, but Shank Mods had to handle the logistics himself, and this was yet another issue.
Shank Mods only had two weeks before the demolition, and that he had to find a way to move the humongous 200 kilogram TV and its 80 kilogram stand from the second floor to safety.
Fortunately for Shank Mods, Bebe Tinari was willing to help.
The person contacted a friend working for an industrial shipping company, who then stepped in to assist with the task.
Shank Mods then had the TV shipped to the U.S..
When it arrived, it was cleaned, repaired, and calibrated.
Shank Mods and his team also acquired the original Sony service manual for the PVM-4300, as well as additional documentation.
While the enthusiast didn't disclose how much did it cost him, he only said that it's equivalent to the price of a used car.
But since the attempt was publicly discussed on the internet, a video sponsor covered much, if not all of the expense.
So here, literally, the internet helped preserve a rare piece of television history.
It saved an endangered TV from being extinct.
The Sony PVM-4300, also known as the KX-45ED1 in Japan, holds the distinction of being the largest direct-view CRT display ever produced.
Its massive 43" display dwarfs other CRT TVs, most of which are only 20" to 30" in size.
Manufactured between 1989 and 1990, it was a luxurious state-of-the art technology, made-to-order, and was priced at around $40,000 at the time. Due to its exorbitant cost and substantial size, the PVM-4300 was produced in extremely limited quantities, with very few units were ever sold.
The unit that Shank Mods acquired has a serial number of 2000103, which indicates that it was likely the 103rd unit produced.
It is unknown how many units Sony had ever produced, or how many others still in existence. But what's certain, PVM-4300 is already a rare item to begin with.
Its rarity has turned it into a legendary artifact among technology enthusiasts and collectors, symbolizing the pinnacle of CRT technology.
The PVM-4300 that predates the era of flat-panel TVs, provided the absolute largest CRT experience possible, ever, and because of this, it has become the stuff of legends.