Toshiba 27" CRT TV (27A33, 2003) bowed in at sides

[vol.2]

Originally Posted by CRTguy

Another similarity between the tubes is that both tubes have a bold "M" at the top of the label with a square around it. This is the symbol that Matsushita used on their tubes to indicate that they manufactured the tube. This is the symbol I'm referring to, https://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Br...(IE139097).svg.

So, I am not saying that I know for sure here one way or the other, but none of those observations are a "smoking gun" for the actual manufacturer of the tube.

In fact, by the time this TV was made, Panasonic had long since already started to farm out the manufacturing of their own devices to Taiwan, Singapore and other places in the Far East.

It is entirely possible and would not be weird that the tube is the same tube used by Panasonic in their own sets AND also made by Orion, specifically for Panasonic (thus the "M").

[CRTguy]

Originally Posted by vol.2

So, I am not saying that I know for sure here one way or the other, but none of those observations are a "smoking gun" for the actual manufacturer of the tube.

In fact, by the time this TV was made, Panasonic had long since already started to farm out the manufacturing of their own devices to Taiwan, Singapore and other places in the Far East.

It is entirely possible and would not be weird that the tube is the same tube used by Panasonic in their own sets AND also made by Orion, specifically for Panasonic (thus the "M").

Maybe. One thing that is odd is the tube in my Toshiba 27A33 having the Matsushita logo on the label. When considering the theory that it was a tube made by Orion for Panasonic, wouldn't the label have a Toshiba logo on it because it would be a tube made by Orion for Toshiba? If Panasonic tubes really were made in an Orion factory, did Orion or Panasonic design the tube? If Panasonic designed a tube that was built in an Orion factory, I would still say it's a Panasonic tube because Orion didn't design it. I will note that the tube in my Panasonic CT27D11E was made in the U.S. I'm not sure if Orion had CRT factories in the U.S. Do you have any official sources that mention when Panasonic outsourced production of their CRTs? Based on what I've seen, the Orion that worked with Panasonic did not make their own picture tubes. My guess is that Panasonic built their own factories overseas because it was cheaper than making CRTs in Japan and allowed Orion to put their label on the tube because they designed the other parts of the TV. I used to own a Panasonic Superflat (GAOO) set from 1999. The tube in that set was made in Japan by Matsushita so they were still making (at least some of) their own tubes very close to the date that my CT27D11DE was manufactured. I could be wrong but that is just my opinion. It doesn't really matter I guess. I just want people to know that the Toshiba A series CRTs like the 27A33 still have an excellent picture, in spite of having Orion branded tubes.