Why the color tv sets where so expensive at the beging?

[KentTeffeteller]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Yeah, I can understeand the thing with debt. During the economic bubble a lot of Romanians bought a lot of stuff (some necesary, some not) and after that...
But I think I would have had bought me a set around 1966 if I had money for the loan (teorethical ideea, since I'm borned in 1982).
When sets started to become more relaible?

In the USA, 1975 roughly was when Color TV sets became reasonably reliable if you bought the right one. Zenith Chromacolor II and the Sony Trinitron were good stable, reliable sets.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by KentTeffeteller

In the USA, 1975 roughly was when Color TV sets became reasonably reliable if you bought the right one. Zenith Chromacolor II and the Sony Trinitron were good stable, reliable sets.

Push back the color TV reliability date to 1968 and 1969. In those years, Sony introduced first the KV 7010UA 7 inch Trinitron followed by the 12 inch KV 1210U. Both sets were were rock solid. We purchased both models as new in those two years and both sets worked perfectly without a single service call until my wife mistakenly gave both away by mistake. That was in 2006. We were able to find replacement recently.

I still have my original purchase 1973 Sony KV 1722 17'inch Trinitron. Still works today, never had a service done to it. 43 years of service free operation. I call that fantastic reliability.

[Telecolor 3007]

But there where any 100% tube or hybrid sets that where relaible?

[N2IXK]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

But there where any 100% tube or hybrid sets that where relaible?

Compared to other tube or hybrid sets, some brands were certainly more reliable than others. But compared to 100% solid state sets, none of the tube sets were anywhere near as reliable.

In the days of tubes, it was expected to have a TV repair person out to service a set at least a couple times a year, if only to replace worn out tubes. The heat from the tubes took its toll on other set components, as well.

Once semiconductors were advanced enough that 100% solid state TVs were available, you got rid of tube wearout/burnout and a lot of excess heat baking the other components and circuit boards, giving a HUGE boost in reliability overall. Sure, individual models would have their own reliability issues (like safety caps in Zeniths, or bad "griplets" in GE sets), but overall, TV sets got much more reliable after the transition away from tubes.

[Telecolor 3007]

But if nothing was broken, except a valve, you could replace the valve yourself, no?

[N2IXK]

Sure. And many people did just that. Probably a lot of the same people who did their own oil changes and tuneups on their cars. Or their own home repairs.

Everybody else called the TV repair shop, of which there were 2 or 3 in any decent sized town. Their numbers began to decline shortly after the switch to solid state began, and nosedived after cheap foreign made sets started being dumped in the US, shifting the "repair vs. replace" economics dramatically...

[Phil Nelson]

Many US drugstores had tube testers, so you could bring in your tubes for testing and buy replacements on the spot. Here's one for sale on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950...-/391365679772

In the 1950s, many pamphlets and short books were published describing how you could fix your TV by replacing tubes. They included photos and descriptions to guide you in which tubes to check.

TVs can have many other problems, of course, but tube replacement was probably the most common service procedure.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

But there where any 100% tube or hybrid sets that where relaible?

Zenith hybrids can be extremely reliable, case in point my 16" chromacolor from '73

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Zenith hybrids can be extremely reliable, case in point my 16" chromacolor from '73

I'll second that! Heat was a major fail factor in most all tube sets and IIRC, Zenith, Sylvania and Motorola (mostly 19-inchers) were about the only good hybrids.
RCA went from sets loaded with tubes straight to SS in 1972 as did Philco and some other domestic sets.

The RCA's from 1965 to 1969 had many fails of flyback transformers, giving Zenith even more momentum as the new leader in quality. RCA did not recover until the XL-100s came out in 1972 or so.

Since late 1965, GE portacolor sets were affordable and repairable, becoming the first color set for many folks.

[KentTeffeteller]

Originally Posted by etype2

Push back the color TV reliability date to 1968 and 1969. In those years, Sony introduced first the KV 7010UA 7 inch Trinitron followed by the 12 inch KV 1210U. Both sets were were rock solid. We purchased both models as new in those two years and both sets worked perfectly without a single service call until my wife mistakenly gave both away by mistake. That was in 2006. We were able to find replacement recently.

I still have my original purchase 1973 Sony KV 1722 17'inch Trinitron. Still works today, never had a service done to it. 43 years of service free operation. I call that fantastic reliability.

1968-1969 Sony Trinitrons were also the exception. And really as good as they were in 1976, Zenith hybrids also the exception, RCA's XL-100 was also a pioneering uber reliable RCA set in the 1971-1972 time frame. Zenith's ChromaColor and ChromaColor II were far and away the finest, most reliable US built Color TV receiver ever made. And yes, the KV 1722 was Sony's very finest set.

[Telecolor 3007]

I guess "R.C.A." color sets from 1965-1966 wheren't so reliable (but the did need more then tubes replacement?).

[oldtvman]

The 6GH8 became very popular around that time, shops stocked lots of them, then came the 5gh8 for portables which was even worse.

[Eric H]

What "Miniature" color sets were available in 1965? The Portacolor doesn't go back that far does it?

Edit: this article came out in November of 65 so the Portacolor may have been available or soon to be available.

[etype2]

Originally Posted by Eric H

What "Miniature" color sets were available in 1965? The Portacolor doesn't go back that far does it?

Edit: this article came out in November of 65 so the Portacolor may have been available or soon to be available.

Yes, you could see the Portacolor in stores in late 1965. I was shopping for my first color set at the time. I passed on it because of the poor resolution.