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Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc. |
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18th Feb 2018, 9:55 pm | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
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RGD 'Diadem' Range
Here's a good gimmick from the early 60s- a screen surround shaped to reduce eye strain. In case the brochure is illegible, the blurb reads:
"RGD's 19" television screens with 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 facets revolutionise television viewing. They spotlight the picture and make viewing easy by cutting eye strain and fatigue down to virtually nil. Heres how: Each of the eight facets of the frame acts as a trap preventing loss of light through diffusion, thus reducing what Eye Specialists call 'Specular Glare'. The octagonal frame optically increases the screen size, again reducing what the specialists call 'Fixity of Gaze'. It all adds up to a new dimension in television - viewing perfection" Surely one of the greatest pieces of sales puff of all time! Still, the sets look quite pretty although I don't think I've ever seen one of them in the flesh. Do any survive? Also what (or whose) chassis did they use? Steve |
18th Feb 2018, 11:34 pm | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ventnor, Isle of Wight, & Great Dunmow, Essex, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
I bet that took some time for the sales department to come up with that slickly written piece of pure nonsense
Would RGD have used ITT/KB (handwired in Footscray) chassis at that time? It's great to see these brochures- maybe we ought to have a sticky thread where they could all be collected together? Cheers Nick |
18th Feb 2018, 11:57 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 7,444
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
The 1961 Diadem range of TVs employed a 405 line chassis which looked in terms of construction like the 625/405 convertible chassis. A similar chassis was fitted in the Regentone models 191 and 192. Diadem is a silly concept but at the time manufactures were willing to try any gimmick to sell sets, 1961 was a bad year for the industry.
The big 723 employed a chassis similar to the Regentone model 17/18 which in turn was a development of the model Ten-Four. These sets were made in the Regentone works in Romford. DFWB. |
19th Feb 2018, 7:02 am | #4 |
Hexode
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ellesmere, Shropshire, UK & Co. Cork, Ireland.
Posts: 499
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
I take it the '1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 facets' were just some features in the bezel surrounding the screen?
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19th Feb 2018, 10:25 am | #5 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Quote:
A pretty far fetched piece of marketing BS Does anyone remember the KB 'Deep Scene' range with it's claims of picture quality? All the sets I ever came across had knackered CRT's due to the fact they were over run due to the black perspex screen, cool looking set though. Mark |
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19th Feb 2018, 10:43 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Fascinating! Marketeers were always seeking to baffle the customers with pseudoscience in the search for greater sales.
As well as this RGD thing and the Sylvania (US) 'Halolight' illuminated screen-surround, I'm sure there were other gimmicks. |
19th Feb 2018, 11:02 am | #7 |
Dekatron
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Mark Pirate wrote: "I actually owned one of these sets back in the 70's, I remember the odd screen bezel.
A pretty far fetched piece of marketing BS" I can remember these sets when they were new in 1961. Even then we questioned what the benefits of the "Diadem"eight facet screen were all about. Picture of the later version of the KB Deep Scene TV. DFWB. Last edited by FERNSEH; 19th Feb 2018 at 11:19 am. |
19th Feb 2018, 8:02 pm | #8 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Quote:
Much later, 80’s? Philips had different coloured lights shining on the wall behind the set.
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19th Feb 2018, 8:43 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Philips Ambilight. It's a current feature.
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19th Feb 2018, 8:48 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
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Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Picture of the later version of the KB Deep Scene TV.
Correction: it's the first version. The later model had a tidied up control panel. DFWB. |
19th Feb 2018, 9:57 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
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Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Black oroglass, Polaroid screen, 'Diadem', filter screen, pink screen, grey screen, Halolight. I've serviced them all! The 619 did look pretty. The push button tuner was an absolute horror but other than a NASTY video amp burn up, were quite reliable for their time. John.
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19th Feb 2018, 10:34 pm | #12 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 229
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Hello Gents,
Here's my RGD version of the 'Deep Scene', fortunately the CRT in mine has more life in it than many others I've seen or read about. I've never seen the 'Diadem' before! Regards Stu |
19th Feb 2018, 11:02 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
In 1958 RGD introduced the Deep 17 TV set. Again, just a marketing gimmick.
DFWB. Last edited by FERNSEH; 19th Feb 2018 at 11:11 pm. |
20th Feb 2018, 11:40 am | #14 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
Quote:
Going back a decade, I have a couple of the Pye & Ferguson models with the pink screen, this again was supposed to give better contrast by filtering out room lighting. I am sure that some of these different screen filters did make a difference, but some manufacturers never produced any such sets. Bush sets never seemed to have any added marketing gimmicks, but judging by how well they sold, did not need them! Mark |
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20th Feb 2018, 2:46 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
...unless you count the living fire gimmick of the Bush CTV25!
As said above, the Philips Ambilight was another silly idea with varying coloured tubes behind the TV. Last seen around 2010, though Maarten will surely be more informed. Glyn |
20th Feb 2018, 3:58 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
HKS wrote: The push button tuner was an absolute horror but other than a NASTY video amp burn up, were quite reliable for their time. John.
The push-button tuner was the horrible Cyldon PC80. It was used in earlier Regentone and RGD TVs. Regentone called the tuner "fingermatic" how about that for gimmicky name? Receivers with the rotary channel selection employed the reliable "fireball " tuner. The resistor that used to cause the burn-up was R35, a 27Kohm 2watt carbon resistor which was connected between the cathode of the PCL84 video amplifier and HT. The function of the resistor was to introduce a degree of DC stabilising into the cathode bias. A similar chassis was used in one Co-op Defiant TV, even in 625 convertible form. DFWB. |
20th Feb 2018, 4:52 pm | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2013
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Re: RGD 'Diadem' Range
The stabilising resistor was used in Ekco chassis, T368 and the like, that was a 27k 2 watt if I remember correctly and that burned up.
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