When were rectangular colour TV sets first on the market?
 

Hi all. I have a question. When were rectangular colour TV sets first put on the market?????

I know experimental rectangular colour TVs were made in the 50s, but the majority of the rectangular sets I've seen in old ads on Ebay and National Geographic mags don't date any earlier than 1965 though I've seen a couple from the early 60s that's if the dates are correct.

Also wondering was the reason why colour sets were round til the mid 60s was because the dynamic convergence had to be developed/corrected? I've learnt in my TV course that there is static convergence and dynamic convergence which static is takes up most of the area of the TV in a circular form and the dynamic is around near the corners of the screen.

Cheers
Troy

Late 1965, wasn't it?

I suspect that early sets had round tubes for perhaps the convergence reasons you mentioned, but it also may have originally due to ease of manufacture (or cost as well).

Another thing to consider is that a rectangular set has more viewing area so that could be a marketing consideration too.
Anthony

I would have to agree on 1965 as well, and am pretty sure Motorola was the first with everyone else following pretty close behind.

Motorola did lead the rectangular parade with the TS-908 chassis in 1964. It used a 23EGP22 picture tube. Once the engineering bugs were worked out as far as convergence and pin cushioning effect, the rec.tubes were a big hit. bigger screens with better aspect ratio and less depth on the cabinets. Also a better choice of screen sizes, 19-23-25" ect. ment that color sets could be used in rooms other then the living room. This at the very time the networks were expending their color schedules.

Don't forget the Westinghouse 22 inch set of 1957 using the 22EP22!

Steve

glass issues
 

One of the primary reasons for circular CRTs is that form is structurally stronger and easier to create. I imagine for early colour CRTs this was an issue

The Germans developed rectangular screens in the 1930s. I think Telefunken was the first. They were to be used in the German sets due for release in 1940. But WWII got in the way.

Absolutely correct Steve.
But, while being technically first, the Westinghouse color set was a marketing failure. I also believe that Westinghouse and Hytron who developed the tube never solved the convergence and other circuit problems. Never the less, I would give my eye teeth (what are eye teeth?) to have one of those 22" sets. :rolleyes:

Yes, Steve, your response regarding the 1964 Motorolas is the answer that I believe Troy was looking for. I just had to throw in the Westinghouse set. Your eye teeth are your canines. With today's marvels of dentisty they would be a small price to pay for one of those TVs!

Another failure
 

Then there is the Philco "Apple" project from the early 50's, with a tube design that goes back to the 40's. Their attempt at a rectangular tube with phosphor stripes using a secondary reflective "indexing" signal to plot the beam across the face to regulate beam emission.

I came across a mountain of their research documents that Chuck A is posting on his web site as he can scan them. Some of the documents are now available for .pdf viewing at this time. More to come.

It appears that they built about 12 sets...all gone now...and many attempts at the tube itself. Failures galore. Some of the schematics and documents acknowledge their copying of the CTC7 for most of the circuits with mods for the indexing system where needed.

One of the posted documents casually mentions an attempt at a dot-phosphor set being developed that would turn out to be the rare TV123 roundie. There was even a TV122 and TV121. This set appears to be completely Philco's own design. No borrowing here.

I have a Radio-Electronics magazine cover from January 1957 that shows the set on the cover...probably with a pasted-up color image which I will scan and post later. For that matter, it is a very good paste-up which may be an actual photo of it working. The dial and control arrangement is what ended up in the TV123, but turned on it's side.

You can follow this trip down memory lane...although quite engineering oriented...at;

http://www.myvintagetv.com/philco_apple_tube.htm

Here is the scan of the Apple set.

1965 Admiral advert ....rectangular screen
 

On ebay at the moment is an advertisement for a 1965 Admiral LG5511 ....showing off it's new rectangular tube.

Nice looking set ....don't know what the this model was like.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

1965 rectangular Motorola
 

This advertisement announces the new rectangular tube in Motorola Tvs....the advert comes from a Novemeber 1965 magazine.


Who made these new tubes ???? Who actually sorted out the issues? RCA? Motorola???

Perhaps this link will help...

http://www.motorola.com/content/0,,120-285,00.html

Looks like Motor was working with National Video Corp. It looks like there are other interesting tidbits of information here as well.

Thanks guys for answering my question, you all have been really helpful :) . Also interesting to learn of that Philco "Apple" colour set, nice looking set too. Pity none of those sets exist, would be bonza to see one of those up and crankin' again.

Cheers
Troy

apple?
 

wots in a name?

I wonder if Philco ever trademarked the term "Apple"....they might have a case against both Apple Records (of Beatle fame) and Apple Computer ...who are currently in court over the iPod which Apple records claims breaches an 1990 agreement on the use of the name Apple.

As for the Apple tube ....it is an interesting concept ...pity it never got into production!

In all the documents to scan I have read through, no where is there any comment about a trademark. I'm pretty sure the term "Apple" was the in-house project name, and was used in the early press releases for a lack of a better name.

Here's another model set from mid 1956.

ChuckA

Re: apple?
 

It sorta kinda did get into production..........Sony Trinitron.

Anthony

Actually the Trinitron is a very very very distant cousin to the "Apple". The closest was the Sony Indextron, which was similar to the perpendicular scanned "Apple" that Philco abandoned very early in the project.

ChuckA

Would that make it a Apple Dumpling? LOL

Anthony

According to this article, "Apple" was a code name used by Philco while the tube was under development.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/apple_crt.html

Here is a color picture of a set with the Apple tube:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/apple_crt2.html

I know this is an older post but I have a 1964 Magnavox with a rectangular tube. I think It was manufactured in May or June of 1964.

Hi Steve. Thanks for the link. Great picture, is this a photo as the person looks photographic but the TV screen looks sort of like artwork?

Also I noticed a lot of the scans on your site (including that Apple pic) and tons of other sites have moiring in them especially when they are dot prints. Just thought I'd let you know this can be fixed by scanning them in at about 300dpi or higher and resample the size down to a suitable size for the site and also antialias it too so the results are nice and smooth. You probably already know this but thought I'd mention it anyway.

Cheers
Troy

Hi Troy,

I've had mixed results doing that. It seems to depend on the dots/inch in the original. On some pictures I've scanned at 1200 and still can't get rid of the moiring. Others are fine scanned at 300.

wasnt the chromatron the closest apple clone?

Hi Steve. Yeah that can be true. I think I've had the problem when resampling some 300dpi scans to 150dpi. I normally resample 300dpi down to 100dpi which usually yields great results even with 1950s colour scans from National Geographic mags. Only downer is the picture isn't as big as you like it.

Cheers
Troy

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That magazine(Jan of 1957) has a great article on the Apple
 

I got that issue(along with the rest of the issues for '57) at the last Estes auction, in Dec. It IS a real shame, there are none of the sets still around(or... who knows.. that Philco prototype survived, maybe, 1 or more of the old Apple sets, is in a long-forgotten warehouse, too, waiting for its chance to be discovered, and brought to life again. )

BTW-- the Sony indextron is a LOT closer to the Apple, than the Trinitron(I have a vidimagic projector, with an indextron, and it is neat to watch. it has a green glow, from the index phospor, at the rear of the phospor screen, and a normal color picture, up front.)

The picture is an off-screen shot shown in an early color TV book by Morton and Zworykin. Don't know if it was lifted for this mag cover, or if Philco had a copy of the slide and a flying spot scanner. If the picture was cut in, it appears to have been distorted for the correct perspective. I would rather suspect it was actually taken off the screen, but perhaps a second exposure with the lights out that was then cut in. This was a trick used to get "actual off screen pictures" without glare from lights reflecting off the tube.

The Chromatron switched the beam from one phosphor to another with a grid near the screen. The Apple actually tried to hit the correct phosphor from way back at the deflection yoke.

Could you check the exact date code? (should be on a label on the cabinet when you remove the back). Rectangular tubes started to be advertised by Motorola in '64 for the '65 model year. You can see the progression from round to rectangular in the RCA ads in following years - first ads with mostly round, and later with mostly rectangular, then all rectangular.

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