1965 Zenith Roundie on Youtube

[compucat]

Originally Posted by classicradios

I finally own a Zenith roundie and WOW am I impressed with the quality. This set is an unrestored original and still works great. I planned to do a full restoration but it works so well as is I'll work on other projects first. I posted a short clip of the TV playing the color 1957 TV special with Bing and Frank.
Check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFzSW1vMCxo
Jim

That looks like the same chassis that is in mine. I can tell you from experience that is a good set. I restored mine in June and it is doing well in regular service. The color is simply amazing. I like the cabinet on yours too. Just yesterday I was thinking of posting a video of mine on YouTube. You beat me to it.

[classicradios]

Originally Posted by compucat

That looks like the same chassis that is in mine. I can tell you from experience that is a good set. I restored mine in June and it is doing well in regular service. The color is simply amazing. I like the cabinet on yours too. Just yesterday I was thinking of posting a video of mine on YouTube. You beat me to it.

It's a 25MC33 chassis, I followed the posts and progress on your 65 Zenith, great set! Please post a video, I would like to see a restored one in action. It is difficult to get an accurate reproduction of color with a camcorder, compressions etc.. I had the best luck using a bright light directly above the tv, Dim lights in the room and knocking down the exposure slightly on the digital camcorder.
Jim

[classicradios]

I've updated the youtube video and link above.
The original video was squashed because I had the wrong video dimensions. The new video is longer and has various date appropriate clips.
Jim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfG3Z8xEG0

[Tony V]

What an awesome picture! Great subject matter on it also. I hope the Zenith roundie i just got will play as nice when i'm done with it.
-Tony

[compucat]

Originally Posted by classicradios

It's a 25MC33 chassis, I followed the posts and progress on your 65 Zenith, great set! Please post a video, I would like to see a restored one in action. It is difficult to get an accurate reproduction of color with a camcorder, compressions etc.. I had the best luck using a bright light directly above the tv, Dim lights in the room and knocking down the exposure slightly on the digital camcorder.
Jim

I really enjoyed the revised video. I watch Star Trek on my roundie too as well as Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, etc. I will have to set up my video camera and try to get a good video of it working. The problem I have is that any attempt to film or photograph a color tv picture always turns out too blue. I can't properly capture the warm color tones these round sets naturally have. I will try to work on it though. Was your picture tube rebuilt or original? I had Hawkeye rebuild mine.

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by compucat

The problem I have is that any attempt to film or photograph a color tv picture always turns out too blue.

Me too, for B/W as well as color.

When I was still using a 35mm film camera to take photos for my website, I got a blue filter to compensate for shooting under indoor lights using daylight (i.e., "outdoor") film. That worked for the overall picture. Maybe it would help the blue-screen problem, too.

Now most of us are using digital cameras, which may not accept filters or have appropriate color adjustments. It's worth poking around your camera's user guide, or experimenting with whatever settings it has, anyhow.

Oh -- and I just remembered that I have a powerful (250W) blue photographer's light bulb that gives the same effect indoors as using a blue filter. I haven't used it in ages because it throws off a fierce amount of heat and I don't have a good lighting stand for it.

If you bring your camera to a decent camera store and explain your goal, maybe they can fix you up with something.

For still pictures of B/W sets, in some cases I have said, "The heck with it," and just copied the screen portion of the digital photo, changed it to monochrome, then pasted it back into the photo. Maybe that's cheating, but the result looks like the TV set when you actually view it.

A similar trick is to put the camera on a tripod and take two photos -- one with the TV turned off, to get the right cabinet colors, and another with the TV turned on. Paste the screen shot into the cabinet photo, and voila!

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