The first proper TV sold - Cossor ?

[Radio Wrangler]

Impressive glass, but of course A C Cossor started as a glassworks.

David

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

The words used in the document are:

" Ordered at the Exhibition, the first television receiver actually sold in this country was supplied to the Brent Bridge Hotel. which thus became the first establishment of its kind to offer the new attraction to its patrons"

It is quite possibly true that the owner of the Brent Bridge Hotel was the first to buy, but, EMI was a rather secretive organisation. Would EMI necessarily have revealed how many television receiver sales, if any, they had made?

I think it would be safe to assume that much of the equipment installed at AP and at Radiolympia would have been on loan until after the trial period so the 702 monitor at the Olympia site had probably not been purchased by the BBC.

As to the Baird set installed in a Welwyn home it's certainly not easy to say for sure whether the home owner was a wealthy enthusiast keen to witness the start of television broadcasting or whether other motives were in play. The permanent installation of the aerial suggests that the T5 was destined to remain. Of course the home owner may have been on the payroll of Baird Television or possible Bush or perhaps more likely he may have been a regular journalist for the Wireless World and could gain a significant discount on his purchase in exchange for a favourable article.

What we probably can say of the first purchaser is that they were either wealthy enough to acquire expensive toys or they had a good commercial motive or perhaps a combination of both.

Peter

[Panrock]

On the subject of pre-war Cossor, here's an ad from 1939 I don't see on Jon's site. A console set for only 27 guineas!

A large version, big enough to read, is at http://www.radiocraft.co.uk/39cossor.jpg

Steve

[FERNSEH]

Model 65. Evidently similar in design to the model 54. Cossor always offered value for your money.

DFWB.

[Heatercathodeshort]

I doubt if the Cossor was the first TV actually sold. At RadioOlympia 1936 a number of different receiver manufacturers displayed their models. Cossor were of course very early with television production but I would have thought it was an EMI receiver that was an early contender. It may have been the first COSSOR receiver to be sold. I wonder how long it took to install it?
Cossor took many publicity shots, one showing television receivers roped down on a flatbed lorry with just a tarpaulin to cover them. The boxes are placed so the text and logo can clearly be seen.
The picture of the hotel is amazing! It looks a very smart building. I want those lamps either side of the entrance..
The attached scan shows the Baird T5 as the first receiver offered for sale. It is in a book 'Television To-day and Tomorrow' published in 1940 by Pitman. [It is a bit Baird biased in my opinion]
Was it the first television to be installed in an hotel rather than a private house?
Regards, John

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by peter_scott

It is quite possibly true that the owner of the Brent Bridge Hotel was the first to buy, but, EMI was a rather secretive organisation. Would EMI necessarily have revealed how many television receiver sales,

Secretive yes but there does not appear to be any contemporary evidence to suggest anyone challenged the assertion and also if you were the first wouldn't you trumpet the fact?

Cossor certainly had some pretty average products but trumpeting what they had was something they did rather well.

Interestingly enough Cossor also won the Wireless Trader cup for best exhibit for its stand at Radiolympia 1936.

Maybe Cossor caught the competition snoozing

Cheers

Mike T

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

Secretive yes but there does not appear to be any contemporary evidence to suggest anyone challenged the assertion and also if you were the first wouldn't you trumpet the fact?

Perhaps EMI did sell receivers to the BBC but didn't wish to broadcast the fact for fear of claims of favouritism.

Peter

[Brigham]

'Television To-day and Tomorrow' was written by Sydney Moseley, so is likely (!) to exhibit 'Baird Bias'.
The Baird Model B was offered for sale to the public in '29. Whether anyone bought one is as yet unclear.

[peter_scott]

Quote from "Television and Short-Wave World" October 1936:

"Although we have information of a considerable number of orders having been placed for television receivers, the point needs no stressing that the number that will be in the hands of the public for some time to come will by no means warrant the vast expenditure that is being made for the new service.

In view of the Radiolympia demonstrations we can, we suppose, assume that the direct opposition which television has faced in the past is at an end. Obviously then, the next step in the development of television is to popularise it with the public, and to this end it would seem desirable that there should be a co-ordinated effort by the concerns which are engaged in the manufacture of television receivers. At present prices the "man in-the-street" cannot afford a television receiver, but obviously there are many other outlets. The simple fact must be kept in mind that a television public must be created, otherwise there is the danger of the huge effort that has been made being wasted."

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by peter_scott

Perhaps EMI did sell receivers to the BBC but didn't wish to broadcast the fact for fear of claims of favouritism.

I think you can discount any sales to the BBC after all EMI and the BBC were developing TV in a joint venture so you would expect a commercial arrangement.

Is there any in house EMI documentation that suggests that the Cossor claim is false?.

I must admit this is an interesting discussion the sheer lack of information is hopefully making people dive into their archives.

After all we can't have Cossor the low cost supplier of their day taking any firsts.

I think Jon's original intention was just that start debate locate evidence nice one Jon

Cheers

Mike T

[peter_scott]

The gentleman with the T5 from Welwyn wrote a further article in the next month's Wireless World but this time in his real name, Ernest Herbert Robinson. He explains how his T5 "is a standard Baird Television which came straight from Radiolympia without any "vetting" or hotting-up."

He also wrote a book "Televiewing" that was published in 1935.

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi...9351130.2.33.1

Prior to that he had written "The Boy's Book of Wireless" in 1925 and was a Fellow of the Television Society and G-5YM.

Peter

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by peter_scott

The gentleman with the T5 from Welwyn wrote a further article in the next month's Wireless World but this time in his real name, Ernest H. Robinson. He explains how his T5 "is a standard Baird Television which came straight from Radiolympia without any "vetting" or hotting-up."

Does he claim he bought it?

My problem with this claim is he is "in the industry" he is not a punter with no connection to the industry.

Cheers

Mike T

[peter_scott]

I haven't found any direct claim that he bought the set.

As far as I can tell he was a fairly prolific author but I haven't managed to find any connection to Bairds or Bush but I'll keep looking.

In January 1938 he still has the set.

Television Programmes
THE recent letters on the subject of television
in your pages seem to have come
in equal numbers from those who have possessed
receivers for six months or a year
and would not be without them and those
who have visited viewing rooms once or
twice and tell us exactly why the public is
not besieging retailers in mass waving
cheques for £6o or £80.
I have had a receiver here, thirty miles
from Alexandra Palace, since the programmes
started, and generally get an hour's
good entertainment every evening. Occasionally
I am " not amused," but I realis'
that at that time there are probably a lot of
other viewers who are.
The opinion of those who have television
receivers seems to be that they would not
be without them, and that ordinary broadcasting
seems a very dull affair after a
month or two of viewing.
With regard to screen size, I agree with
Mr. Gould's remarks, in your January r3th
issue, that even after having attended a
cinema performance and within an hour or
two switching on the television one quickly
loses all sense of looking on a small screen.
Woking. ERNEST H. ROBINSON.

Peter

[peter_scott]

Quote from Wireless World 11th September 1936:

"Demand for Television.
Receivers
ALTHOUGH regular public
transmissions from the
Alexandra Palace have not yet
commenced, there appears to be
no lack of demand for television
receivers ; one prominent manufacturer
had enquiries for a
hundred instruments during the
first five days of the Show. The
enquirer for the hundredth instrument
was Sir Thomas
Beecham, and we may, therefore,
hope that he will be as
candid in his criticisms of the
vision programmes as he has
been in the case of sound."

Peter