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PIP is certainly possible with HD TVs, just no demand to justify including this fad any more. I think my Dish receiver has some similar capability, but I have never tried to find out or use it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffhs (Post 3207026)

Forty-odd years ago, Popular Science magazine had an article on a TV called the "Showcase 70". This set was made in 1970 (hence the "70" in the name) and had four monochrome screens plus a large 21" color screen, with a remote that could switch the image from any one of those screens to the large one on a moment's notice; the set also had a digital channel readout, again rather unusual for a TV made in 1970. IIRC, the set was housed in a clear plastic cabinet, which I found unusual, although I guess it makes sense when one considers this was an experimental model.

I don't think the Showcase 70 was ever meant to be mass-produced, as it was simply a prototype that never made it past the developmental stage. However, it could have given other TV manufacturers (Sony, Nordmende, et al.) the idea to produce similar sets under their own branding.

I don't see the practicality of a set like this anyway, except perhaps for TV stations so that they could keep tabs on what the other stations/networks were showing at any given time during the stations' broadcast day (this TV is from the era when television stations would sign off for the night around one or two a. m. local time).

I can't see anyone actually owning a TV like this except for the novelty factor. I had a great-uncle (now long since deceased) who couldn't see the sense, either, in having a TV with more than one screen. He used to say "you can watch only one channel at a time", which makes sense. Even picture-in-picture (PIP) systems, which were popular before DTV and flat screen TVs and showed a small picture from a second channel in one corner of the main TV screen while another was being watched, were useful (IMHO) only for the novelty of them as, again, no one can watch more than one TV program at a time. The PIP functionality only worked when the TV was connected to a VCR with its own tuner.

BTW, no flat-screen TV I have ever seen has had PIP capability. I wonder if this would be possible with HD televisions, or is there some technical or other reason why PIP never caught on in the digital-TV era? :scratch2:

I always thought PIP was an interesting concept. I never used it bacuse I've always had more than one TV at my disposal...It is not rare for me to have multiple sets in a room and run more than one at a time* and often I'd tune them to different shows I wanted to watch at the same time (though if both were really good I'd record and watch one later). It is easy for me to watch multiple shows at once, but not to listen to them. 1-2 people talikng I can follow, but beyond that it just becomes background crowd noise...Hell until they shut off analog cable atleast one of my TV display rooms could display 6 different cable programs at once (though the breaker for that room would not support that for long)...That room can still sort of do that but I'd need to grab every cable box in the house or use the two boxes and fill in the gaps with OTA DTV boxes internet and recorded media.

I've always had good visual attention span for media multitasking....Hell I can put 2-3 VHS EP tapes 6-8 hours long in separate decks on high speed visual search fast forward simultaneously with the sets they are connected to clustered and pickout the show I want to find from the 3 rapidly moving images...Also I've probably written a books worth of posts on this forum while also watching TV.

*Another thing that is common is to watch the same show on two sets at once. The reasons being every set is a bit different and some excell on different image content and fill in for eachother, and also if one tube set craps out mid program on something I'm watching live (which has happened more than once) I can just switch it off and let the other set soldier on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by etype2 (Post 3206999)

On sale at Neiman-Marcus 1969.

https://visions4netjournal.com/wp-co...11217DD4A.jpeg

I have the portable version of those 1969 Sony B&W's, they are good sets. Got it for $10 30 years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffhs (Post 3207026)

I think these multi screen sets would be popular among sports enthusiasts who enjoy more than one sport. I remember when Mom was still alive, there were times I dragged out my 1969 Sony B&W set (same model as one of those three in the pics) and we'd have NASCAR on one TV and NFL football (or NHL hockey depending on the time of the year) going all at once. One of my father's buddies always had two or three sets going watching various NFL games at once especially when playoffs are near. He had the Pittsburgh Steelers on the main color and other teams who one or two B&W sets sitting on top of the color console.

In that era, the TV sports nut is who these sets were really marketed to. The post above, goes into detail why.

Beside the ideea of an P.i.P., you could the small screens for C.C.T.V. In one old image from an catalogue an lady was watching tv and on one of the small screens appeared an baby sleeping - so she could watch tv while kept an eye on the baby that was sleeping in another room.

Philips Video-Centre 8078

Very few people used PIP. MGA sets had a PIP module that always failed.
You could change all the surface mount caps on it or remove it & add 2 caps.
Given a choice NOBODY ever wanted the PIP.
Baby monitors were one useful thing. Zenith made security kits you could
use with PIP or a monitor. I never sold one but they were there.
Radio monitors go back to at least the 30's & I think Zenith called them
radio nurses. Trouble is most people put the babies crib in there bedroom.
In the 70's baby monitor listening became a very popular hobby. I think
you could imagine the content:banana:

enuf fer now
73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007 (Post 3208099)

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeno (Post 3208113)

In the 70's baby monitor listening became a very popular hobby. I think
you could imagine the content:banana:

enuf fer now
73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

One example, loosely translated: "Rubber Duck, this is Pig Pen. Mercy sakes, I'm haulin' a loaded nappy here. Got your respirator on? This mess could close up your sinuses in nothin' flat.

I just realized what the quote is actually implying. Nevertheless, I'll stick with what I already have.