Blue RCA TK-41 camera

[Aussie Bloke]

Interesting reading all of these facts. It's sad that CBS held a hateful grudge against RCA just because RCA's NTSC was adopted over the CBS system. Because of this stupid grudge, many great shows on the network were deprived of being presented in regular colour especially the famous Ed Sullivan Show which had more stars on it than the stars in the sky at night!!! Still CBS could of purchased the early General Electric PE-15s that were much like the TK-41s.

[W.B.]

Originally Posted by Aussie Bloke

Still CBS could of purchased the early General Electric PE-15s that were much like the TK-41s.

Only one problem: The color tubes were RCA's I-O's. The only reason, as I said, why CBS went color beginning in 1965 was, in essence, due to the development of Philips/Norelco's PC-60 camera - and that company's Plumbicon tubes, thus ending RCA's de facto monopoly on the color TV equipment market. (And beyond cameras, once other RCA equipment - such as 44BX and 77DX microphones - came up for replacement, they purchased mics from "other" companies as well.) ABC was another kettle o' fish - they didn't even have the money to upgrade to color, and when they finally did, they were in a financial hole for nearly a decade, with only well-rated sitcoms from the early 1970's period sustaining them.

Surprised Mr. Ellerbee didn't catch the erroneous assertion of Dragnet having been on CBS . . .

[Aussie Bloke]

Originally Posted by W.B.

Only one problem: The color tubes were RCA's I-O's.

General Electric also made IO tubes and I have one in my collection which can be seen on my site http://www.troysvintagevideo.741.com/orthicon.html . Surely GE would use their own tubes? Or were the B&W IOs made for colour cameras a different type of IO to the standard IOs used in B&W cameras and only RCA made the specialized IOs for colour cameras?

[W.B.]

Originally Posted by Aussie Bloke

General Electric also made IO tubes and I have one in my collection which can be seen on my site http://www.troysvintagevideo.741.com/orthicon.html . Surely GE would use their own tubes? Or were the B&W IOs made for colour cameras a different type of IO to the standard IOs used in B&W cameras and only RCA made the specialized IOs for colour cameras?

I have to wonder . . . maybe the specialized color IO tubes were exclusively RCA's domain.