Vintage televisions, anyone? Post pics here!

I love the aesthetic of a vintage television, but I couldn't live with the technological limits full time. I wish someone would build a modern television with a more vintage aesthetic, but really my plan for my next television is to go for a large, flat item that can be closed away in a cupboard. I hate how a television become the default focal point in a room. I plan to hide it out of sight when not in use.

 

Here you go!


http://www.retrotogo.com/2009/05/m2...urn-your-modern-tv-into-a-vintage-design.html

 

The reason you don't see television sets in fine cabinetry anymore is simple: the average modern LCD set has a projected lifespan of about five years. They're built to be disposable, and ease of disposability is part of the design.

That cabinet above looks like it's intended to have the insides be interchangeable -- which is likely the only way to have a modern set in any kind of nice cabinet.

 

And this ever before the advent of LCD. The sets aren't projected to have such a long life.

There is que qustion of price, too. A fine wood cabinetry is expensive when compared with plastic. Why to put so much money in something that won't last?

A neighbour had a factory of really nice wood speakers' housing for sound sets (not those really high end, but those fine but affordable). He broke when the chinese small sound sets, made with plastic, appeared and destructed his market.

 

Modern TV manufacturers work pretty hard to make sure they adopt screen aspect ratio's that films were never shot in either.

 

These sets would really work with some Whitco furniture.

 

The price is $3,600 . . . a little too much.

 

Oh that's so nice that you can use an antique like a modern one.

Yea the wood working is the most beautiful part of them, you can really tell someone put thought and care into the design of them.

 

Agreed. I always hope, one day, to have the money and the free time to convert the old consoles to LCD's to sell (for cheaper than $3,600) and perhaps make a business of it.

 

Not quite sure how to take that one lol

 

Haha we have our flat screen sitting on top of our 50's admiral.

 

That is a very vintage thing to do. When I was little we had an old Philco console that finally died after many years of faithful service, and rather than get rid of it we set a secondhand G-E portable on top of it and used it as a table.

 

For a graphic demonstration of the voltages in an early 1950s TV, watch the movie "Suddenly" starring Sterling Hayden and Frank Sinatra. lol

 

My dad often talks about how his great-grandpa had about 4 or 5 TV sets on top of eachother. As one would go out, he'd just put a new one on top of it.

 

lol This reminds me of an eyewitness description I once read of the squat the Clash shared during the Olympics of 1976. Apparently they had about six televisions going at any one time. All junk shop bargain,s one would give a good picture on some channels, but no sound, another would give good sond on the BBC, but no picture... and so on.

 

I see a great need for a "murder by television" story taking place in the comfy suburban home of an RCA executive in the late 30s.

One of these girls is an industrial spy for an upstart electronics firm.
One will end up crosswise of 7,000 volts before the evening is over.
Major Dilworth must choose correctly...and that's the easy part.

 

While going through some of my Dad's old papers today (I've got boxes and boxes of them), I found a canceled check written 3 November 1951 for $390 for a "T.V. Set". I suppose the check was payment for the old DuMont TV that is still in the house. The old TV doesn't work now (the picture tube went out years ago), The last time it was turned on the radio worked, but I'd be afraid to plug it in now.

The price of $390 was a lot of money in 1951 (heck, it's a lot of money to me NOW). Does that sound about right for the price of this kind of TV in 1951?

Here's the canceled check from 1951.




Here's the only "old" picture I have of the TV. This picture was taken in 1958.





And here it is now (picture taken about a year ago), still in the same corner of the same room.

 

Yep, that's about right. DuMont was the top of the line in television in the late forties/early fifties, and they carried price tags reflective of their quality.

 

I guess since it was so expensive that explained why they never got rid of it even after it stopped working.