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

[Eric H]

I didn't get a color set until 1979 or 80.

[Telecolor 3007]

Wow. In just 2 years the number of color tv sets sold increased 3 times.
The number of color sets sold overcome the number of black and white set sold in 1972 as far as I know.
In Western Europe it took about 10-12 years for the number of color sets to outnumber the numer of b & w sets. But Europeanens got a little bit less costly production methodes and where closer to more modern tehcnologies (solid state sets, in line picture tubes). In Eastern-Europe the number of color sets increased only after 1989.
Yes, a lot of old set where expensive, but the people got jobs manufacturing/assembling them... now in a lot of countries those jobs are gone
As we get close to modern times, the time of adopting new techology is decreasing. But it's strange how modern technology is not uniting people... it's making them become lonlier. Oh, it's a pitty that isn't like in the old days when you invited people to you in order to see movies on V.H.S., L.D., D.V.D.

@ EricH : why it took so long for your family to get a color set?
In Romania... but that's another story.

[N2IXK]

We got color TV as soon as our area got Cable, because the OTA reception was just barely adequate for B&W (down in a valley, in an apartment complex that forbid outdoor antennas). In the early/mid 70s, when CATV came to town, almost everyone bought new color sets to enjoy all the new channels and snow-free pictures.

Was a boom time for a young kid trashpicking parts from discarded sets to build electronic projects...

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by N2IXK

We got color TV as soon as our area got Cable, because the OTA reception was just barely adequate for B&W (down in a valley, in an apartment complex that forbid outdoor antennas). In the early/mid 70s, when CATV came to town, almost everyone bought new color sets to enjoy all the new channels and snow-free pictures.

Was a boom time for a young kid trashpicking parts from discarded sets to build electronic projects...

I lived in a flight plan to the airport, heck, the planes flew directly over my house a few hundred feet up. Mom said that when we get our first color TV, we are going cable, that was in 1971.

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

@ EricH : why it took so long for your family to get a color set?
In Romania... but that's another story.

Basically because we were poor. Well not super poor but my folks weren't going to go out and drop $400 or more on a Color TV.

We only had a B&W set after 1970 because my Mom won it in a Raffle, when that died we got a used Bradford B&W set for $35.

I bought our first color set myself, it was a 19" GE and cost around $400. it was the model without VIR or remote and had a knob tuned electronic tuner.

Must have been 1980 because the set was built in late 79 as I recall.

One of the features I liked about it was it had full DC restoration, that was actually mentioned in the sales literature as I recall. I had it about 10 years and it was only repaired once.

[Telecolor 3007]

Well, I think you where almost like me.
But loans wheren't avaible? Payed 15-25% in advance, and then loan rates for about 10-20 Dollars per month. You payed for 1-3 years, but the set would have had work for more then 10 years.

Gosh, those old tv sets where very good looking!

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

Wow. In just 2 years the number of color tv sets sold increased 3 times.
The number of color sets sold overcome the number of black and white set sold in 1972 as far as I know.
In Western Europe it took about 10-12 years for the number of color sets to outnumber the numer of b & w sets. But Europeanens got a little bit less costly production methodes and where closer to more modern tehcnologies (solid state sets, in line picture tubes). In Eastern-Europe the number of color sets increased only after 1989.
Yes, a lot of old set where expensive, but the people got jobs manufacturing/assembling them... now in a lot of countries those jobs are gone
As we get close to modern times, the time of adopting new techology is decreasing. But it's strange how modern technology is not uniting people... it's making them become lonlier. Oh, it's a pitty that isn't like in the old days when you invited people to you in order to see movies on V.H.S., L.D., D.V.D.

@ EricH : why it took so long for your family to get a color set?
In Romania... but that's another story.

Yeah, we did not get color until 1971, around the time when 50% of U.S. homes had color sets. My aunt had a color set since the early 1960's. As to technology and society, I do remember hearing a commentary form the old NBC radio program "Monitor" where John Chancellor (IIRC), a famous newscaster, made the point where radio and later, TV, helped unite the country and society. It is like where the Ed Sullivan Show for example usually had acts for everyone like circus type performers and so on, but it also provided acts for people who like comedy (George Carlin and Bob Newhart), then the next act was an opera piece or concert for those who are into classical music, after that, the teens and young adults would be treated to the Beatles, The Doors, Rolling Stones and so on. The young kids would be treated to Topo Gigio, Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog and other muppets (pre-Sesame Street). Things like that bring people of different tastes together and helps unite the country. Chancellor made the point where it made all of us feel more America and not just a Chicagoan or wherever one was from.

Cable TV and now the internet changed that where we are able to break apart into different tribes of different tastes and so on. In some ways, that is good if you are like a sci-fi or anime junky but still it can make us more apart.