Fudoh wrote:so they are definitely higher resolution than 480i PVM and BVM tubes in that regard
BVM tubes easily do 720 lines vertically. After all the FW900 uses the same tube as the 24" BVM D/A series, and they have no problem displaying 1440p or even higher.
That's true, but the question mentioned TVL, and that's not exactly interchangeable with resolution. That's only multiformat monitors using the tube's capability to actually display higher resolution than 480i; there's no way a 15KHz set is going to resolve 720 lines vertically, though I agree it can be sharper in definition due to the better tube even with a 480i signal. For a 480i BVM or PVM, which is what I was talking about, the 1080i TV is going to display a higher resolution (i.e., 480p, 1080i, 720p), regardless of its TVL spec.
I see I made a mistake in forgetting that the question was originally in reference to a PVM 14L5, though. That's a good example of a set that supports high resolutions up to 45KHz, but its 600 TVL spec means the actual clarity won't be as good as the 20" version.
For consumer sets I would assume a 1:1 square TVL rating, so about 500 TVL max for a 1080i set.
For what the question refers to (and I don't know the source, it's not given), the list
states SFP and Hi-Scan are listed with 1440 and 853 lines "physical resolution (aperture grille)." To display HD resolutions, a SFP tube-equipped TV is going to have to have a much higher TVL spec than 500.
Did they really lie that badly?
.
) but I referenced TVL because to me, at least, that seems like a characteristic of possible sharpness. From my limited exposure to the PVM it also seems like it might have to do with smoothness of scrolling. 
