Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronic M
In the 60's I would not think that mounting a set on the wall was sci fi. There were large deflection angle monochrome CRT sets coming out in the last couple of years of the 50's that were VERY thin. Infact I have an ad for a compact GE monochrome TV stereo console where they say that it can be set on a table, on the floor (with optional legs), or HUNG ON A WALL.
Infact I seem to recall reading a vintage article where an industry man is asked about what he thinks TVs will be like in the future, and he says that he envisions that eventually Tvs will be thin enough to hang on a wall.
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Mounting television receivers on walls may not have been science fiction in the 1950s-'60s, but, IMHO, it wouldn't have been practical for large sets (21 inches on up, as I will explain below). The reason is that most sets of that era, particularly table sets and the few portables available then, were in rather large, heavy metal cabinets with a cap on the back cover for the CRT neck. I doubt that such sets could be wall mounted because they were so heavy, and also because of the CRT cap. Any wall mounting arrangement for most '50s portable TVs would have to be made to support 50-60 pounds, as most of those sets weighed the proverbial ton. My aunt had a 1950s-vintage RCA Victor 17" portable (the same type of set as in VK member Adam's avatar) that must have weighed 40 pounds if it weighed an ounce; that set had a power transformer, 5U4 rectifier, and an all-metal chassis and cabinet. If this set were to be wall-mounted, the mount would have to be extremely sturdy; of course, any set larger than that would need a custom-made wall mount. I'd be extremely leery of wall-mounting a 23-inch 1950s table model B&W set because even the best and sturdiest mount made can fail -- and if a 23-inch or larger (!) CRT implodes when the set hits the ground .... I shudder to think of it. I would mount such a set
in the wall instead.
The idea in the 1950s-'60s of a combination TV/radio/phonograph that could be wall mounted sounds incredible. How on earth did GE build that set so light and compact that the whole thing could be mounted on a wall, without causing the heck of a safety hazard? How many of these combos were made, and for that matter, how many different manufacturers made sets like this? I would guess not very many, and of those that were sold, I don't think many of them wound up on walls -- I would imagine most folks who bought these also invested in the optional legs, and used the sets as consolettes. RCA offered some of its mid-'60s metal-cabinet color sets (I had one) that had threaded holes in the base for legs, sold separately from the TV itself.
BTW, the man in that vintage TV article you mention was right on, as today's flat panel TVs
are thin and light enough to hang on walls; in fact, a lot of folks do just that. I know someone who did this with a 70"(!) flat panel and turned one entire wall of his living room into a large-screen movie theater.