#16
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I think the TV industry decline was multi-faceted. In the 1970's, the American brands focused on gaudy, plastic-filled, pressboard console televisions and entertainment centers while the foreign brands tended towards modern styled table models and portables. By the 1980's, consumer tastes moved away from the cheap furniture models the American brands were pushing towards the sleek styling of the imports. In the 1980's, the import brands started innovating and were neck-and-neck with their American counterparts. Dumping hurt the small American players by the 70's, and we saw once proud brands like Motorola, Westinghouse, Admiral, and the like shrinking or selling out. Several import TV manufacturers also done a good job of improving their quality and dependability in the 1970's, which surely helped their sales improve. I also think evolving views on buying imported goods came about in the 60's and 70's. A good many of the older generation wouldn't have bought anything Japanese as long as there was an American made option. Lots of families who lost loved ones in WW2 would have never consider driving a Japanese or German car, but as they say, time heals all wounds. Somebody posted a youtube link about what part Nixon's trade policies played. That's an interesting angle I hadn't considered before, so I'll watch that. |
#17
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I think quite a few factors added up to kill the industry in the US. Some others: once, independent TV shops were where most folks would go to by a set, and they stuck to the domestic brands. (Something they could service easily.) As time went on more and more people would buy from department stores, especially discounters like Kmart. It was one thing if the price difference was small, or the quality gap was wide, but in time it became more difficult to justify the cost. I was given a 19" Midland from about '77 that I think was from Korea (Gold Star? Can't remember for sure) I recall thinking that, while it might not have put out quite as good a picture as a new Zenith CC or System III, for the cost savings it would have been worthwhile. By that time pretty much anybody could crank out a color set with a decent picture.
The American electronics industry really needed a "next big thing" to stay alive once solid state color TV became a commodity in late 70's. That should have been the VCR but RCA/Ampex sold the technology to Japan. RCA tried to make the next big thing the CED and Zenith tried home computers & HDTV but the world had passed them by.
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Bryan |
#18
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We threw a decent amount of shit at the wall on video recording tech, and so did the Japanese, but they made it stick.
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Tom C. Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off! What I want. --> http://www.videokarma.org/showpost.p...62&postcount=4 |
#19
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The picture was better than the PortaColor , larger and less expensive. They were rather trouble-prone as they got older. |
#20
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One of the few things the Porta Potty had going for it was that you couldn't kill one. I'm sure the parts WEREN'T Mil-Spec, but my dad got ours the 1st year they were out it lasted til '72 or '73 & had been to the local TV shop ONCE, after being on virtually 18 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Benevolent Despot |
Audiokarma |
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