UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 4th Mar 2016, 6:55 pm   #81
G6Tanuki
Dekatron
 
G6Tanuki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Ah yes - the early 1970s. The era that Good Taste wishes it could forget. Orange melamine tableware, "Avocado" bathroom-suites and peppermint-green or purple Ford Capris anybody?

There again, if you think the UK had it bad, the US at the same time had an equally horrid "Faux-wood-finish-plastered-everywhere" thing going on. Some of their early VCRs (and associated pull-out drawers for storing your tapes) are just too horrible to contemplate. Thankfully the UK was spared the grosser manifestations of these.

[Look away now...] http://bp3.blogger.com/_TkYIJ66Ci8A/...pplemental.jpg
G6Tanuki is offline  
Old 4th Mar 2016, 7:40 pm   #82
TonyDuell
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,188
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

The middle section of the case of the Philips N1500 VCR was wood (well, veneered chipboard)...

For me, the most beautiful TV set is the B&O 3200. That clever line output stage that has a valve EHT rectifier but no shunt stabiliser. The wooden cabinet with a sliding roll front over the CRT and controls. The little 'pop out' controls each with 2 thumbwheels inside (this is one of the few old TVs to have tone controls). The panel on the left of the front that can be removed revealing the dynamic convergence controls. And so on.

I must find time to restore mine...
TonyDuell is online now  
Old 4th Mar 2016, 8:20 pm   #83
Guest
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

We had black and white TVs in all sorts of colours, now colour sets only in black
 
Old 5th Mar 2016, 12:27 am   #84
McMurdo
Dekatron
 
McMurdo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

The Baird Townsman/Countryman range surely?
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	baird.jpg
Views:	248
Size:	35.7 KB
ID:	121052  
__________________
Kevin
McMurdo is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 12:03 pm   #85
Peter.N.
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Charmouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 3,601
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

I remember those, mains lead used as an aerial, had a few customers with the table model. They were an unusual shape.

Peter
Peter.N. is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 2:20 pm   #86
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Re #83 - if only that were true! A year or so ago I reluctantly took a sky blue Bush 32" LCD set in part exchange and half-heartedly put it on display. You've guessed it - it was snapped up the same day. Taste?
I have a white Murphy Acoustic (A640) that's a bit tatty - I didn't realise how wide they were. The rage carried on till well into the Seventies - I remember a customer's tomato coloured Acoustic with a Z718 chassis which must have been the last of Rank's foray into colourful cabinets. It took pride of place in a room with tomato and black walls, black leather sofa and captain's chair, red cushions and a shaggy black rug. A set designer's dream now!
B&O sets were always a matter of taste - Tony's 3200 spells quality from the way the door rolls to the click-click of the metal-fronted control doors - eat your heart out G11! However the unloved 32-2 I have with the detachable screen surround (available in several colours!) was perhaps not quite such a success.
I think the eye of the beholder comes to the fore in this thread!
Glyn
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 7:15 pm   #87
dtvmcdonald
Pentode
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Posts: 227
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

I've been reading this forum a long time but never posted. I just saw this old thread. On the first page of it somebody suggested the prewar American RCA TRK-12. They only posted a picture of an ad for it. I own one of them, which is beautiful, but refinished.

But I have to share this! Yes folks, its a NEW one-owner one, first "owner owned" in the year 2016! And its beautiful.

http://www.videokarma.https://www.vi...d.php?t=266467
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	NEW_TRK12.jpg
Views:	310
Size:	50.9 KB
ID:	121113  
dtvmcdonald is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 9:03 pm   #88
Nicklyons2
Octode
 
Nicklyons2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

For me in the small sets the Perdio Portarama and Sony TV 306 for their looks if not ease of repair!

For the big B/W the Bush TV 109 - 21" nearly round tube but slim; the white plastic front made it look like a US set the sort that were in hotel rooms in 'Perry Mason', 'The Invaders' etc. runner up the Murphy V659 with that 'cake segment' tuner.

Colour sets - small; the sony KV 1300-30 series for looks and going on & on.
Large; for looks The Murphy Acoustics (Revolution Red or Outrageous Orange preferred)
for reliability, ease of repair and decent looks the ITT-KB CVC5-8
Nicklyons2 is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 11:07 pm   #89
FERNSEH
Dekatron
 
FERNSEH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 7,444
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

The pre-war RCA models were really stylish. Models TRK5 through to the huge TRK12 were styled by John Vassos.
Link to the ETF showing the 9" model.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_trk-9.html

DFWB.
FERNSEH is offline  
Old 5th Mar 2016, 11:50 pm   #90
German Dalek
Hexode
 
German Dalek's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany.
Posts: 367
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

@ dtvmcdonald

Great set you own!
But why did you wait so long to enter this forum?
We don`t bite, we only drink!

German Dalek
__________________
And now something completly different:

MARC BOLAN, he was/is the real king of Pop Music!
German Dalek is offline  
Old 6th Mar 2016, 1:04 pm   #91
ENGLISH VICTOR
Hexode
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 356
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

For me there is only one set that stands out as being well engineered, ahead of its time, looked good and had a 13 channel tuner that really worked well. It is the Pye VT4. What other set of its time could boast Excellent interlace, excellent vertical and horizontal linearity, true black level gated AGC and maintained black level on the screen, not common with anti aircraft flutter circuitry.
Victor.
ENGLISH VICTOR is offline  
Old 6th Mar 2016, 8:42 pm   #92
Lloyd 1985
Nonode
 
Lloyd 1985's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,814
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Ekco TMB272, what does anyone think to the design of that?

Regards,
Lloyd.
Lloyd 1985 is offline  
Old 6th Mar 2016, 10:18 pm   #93
mark pirate
Dekatron
 
mark pirate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

I am looking at mine right now, it is quite cute I suppose
The front panel reminds me of a car dashboard from it's era, I think it is more remarkable for it's internal design though, being the first portable valve TV that could be powered from a car battery.

Mark
mark pirate is offline  
Old 18th Mar 2016, 6:56 pm   #94
vts1134
Triode
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Posts: 14
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Quote:
Originally Posted by German Dalek View Post
@ dtvmcdonald
Great set you own!
The set dtvmcdonald posted about is actually my RCA Victor TRK-12. Well, to be more precise it's a TRK-120 which was released in 1940 and made a few minor changes to the TRK-12. I didn't think it would end up here on this forum though .
vts1134 is offline  
Old 20th Mar 2016, 2:02 am   #95
Zelandeth
Heptode
 
Zelandeth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 931
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Think my vote would go for the Kolster Brandes KV024.

Not entirely sure if the word beautiful would describe it in a lot of people's eyes - but to me the simple elegance of it really appeals.

Must have looked extremely modern (if not downright futuristic) at the time.

Mine sadly is still out of commission with a clapped out CRT.
Zelandeth is offline  
Old 20th Mar 2016, 6:00 pm   #96
Studio263
Octode
 
Studio263's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,574
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Beovision 3500, white and on the accessory trumpet stand:
http://beocentral.com/beovision3500

Lovely, and so compact for a 22" delta set which was made at the same time as the boxy old G8 (etc). Auto greyscale too, way back then. You could also get them in "aubergine", which I assume is another word for purple. I've never even seen a picture of one of those though.

Runner up: Sony KV-1400UB, perfectly styled from all angles.
Studio263 is offline  
Old 21st Mar 2016, 7:47 pm   #97
Brigham
Octode
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Co. Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,111
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

The RCA TRK-9 cabinet has a remarkable resemblance to the Wurlitzer 412 juke box. I wonder if John Vassos designed that too?

My favourite set style-wise remains the EKCO-Scophony 'Teddy Tail' set, mentioned hereabouts. The Western Television Model 41, and its big-brother 'Empire State' run it a close second.
Brigham is offline  
Old 22nd Mar 2016, 12:59 pm   #98
Peter.N.
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Charmouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 3,601
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lloyd 1985 View Post
Ekco TMB272, what does anyone think to the design of that?
It was certainly a different use of an early technology, vibrator power supply. I remember seeing a news item on it, someone had it working in the back of their car, it was definitely an improvement on the rotary converter but was still very power hungry, you had to have a pretty big battery if you were to be able to start the car when you had finished viewing.

We took one to Devon on our honeymoon in 1963 to use in the caravan but sadly the aerial came into contact with the metal of the van which was was obviously connected to the wrong side of the battery, and it burnt out the input coil in the tuner, so we didn't have our TV after all.

Peter
Peter.N. is offline  
Old 22nd Mar 2016, 2:43 pm   #99
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

Hi
I must agree with Tim about the B&O 3500. It came out when I was at school and I remember being so impressed with it compared with the huge orange boxes from Philips and Thorn that I cut a picture of it out and pasted it in my diary. Needless to say this caused much merriment from school friends who had pictures of scantily clad females in their books! I was weird even then.
Glyn
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 23rd Mar 2016, 11:00 pm   #100
McMurdo
Dekatron
 
McMurdo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
Default Re: The Most Beautiful TV Set

I had one of those lovely B&O 3500s in white; they looked nice from the back as well! I needed the room so it went on ebay and sold for 50p
__________________
Kevin
McMurdo is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 1:25 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.