[Telecolor 3007]

Here, in Romania, they intended to introduce color television since the '70's. But due to pollitical reasons and the P.A.L. vs SECAM battle (all of the countryes in Eastern Europe, except former Yugoslavia used SECAM) we had color televison only in 1983. There where 2 reasons for introducing P.A.L. system in stad of SECAM:
1) Since SECAM was introduced by Soviet Union, by introducing P.A.L. Ceauşescu had one more reason to be anti-Soviet
2) West-Germany sayed that it'll reduce Romania forgein debt if we introduce P.A.L. (this may be true, since some one talled me that the 1st color televison cameras in Romania where "Bosch")

The 1st "Romanian" color tv set was Telecolor 3006 made by "Electronica" Plant from Bucharest. The 2nd was Telecolor 3007. Don't know what the difference between the 2 was. I sayed they where "Romanian" because most of the components where foreign made (most of the semiconductors where made in East-Germany, the picture tube where either: "Unitra" - Poland, "Videocolor" - Italy or "Toshiba" - Japan - these where 2nd qualty - special for Romania). The sets could work both in P.A.L. and SECAM. Since in the '80's from modnay to friday the Romanian televison broadcasted only 2 hours (later 3) - because of "comrades, make electricity economy!" + Ceauşescu alway apeared on tv - Romanaian watch forgein televisions. In Bucharest, people watch Bulgarian television; in Moldavia they watch even Soviet televison!
The price of an color tv was from 15,000 lei up to 17,000 lei (a sallary was then around 1,500-4,000 lei; bigger for other people, like those working for the secret police). Hoewer Romanians where mad to get them a color tv set
The "Telecolor" 3006 & 3007 wheren't the only color tv's salled on the Romanian market. Later version of Telecolor where made. For eg the 4.... had V.C.R. input via the same D.I.N. socket used for audio tape output (at the 3007 that socket was used only for audio output). Later camed the 5601, 5602 and 5603. This where the worsest Telecolors. They had an awfoul new programmer, the latest bad Romanian electronic components (in the '80's Romanian made electronic components becamed worser and worser)...
Other tv sets where the Cromatic (also asambled by "Electronica), and the Soviet "Elcrom" and "Alfa" (which where fitted by "Electonica" with P.A.L. - SECAM converter). With all the big prices of the color tv's, Romanians sometimes waited even 2-3 yrs. to get theyr hands on a color tv set. You couldn't test the tv before buying it. If it worked fine; if not, fine too. In 1989 about 10% of the Romanians got an color tv.
Some one talled me a story: Romanians tryed to manufacter color C.R.T'... The first one had an b & w image; the 2nd one just few colors; the 3rd one just blow up!