Vintage Television sets

[PC66]

Re: Vintage Television sets

As mentioned in another thread recently, remote controls of sorts appeared in the U.S. during the 1950's, initially just hardwired on long cords, but then arrangements which were basically just a concentrated flashlight beam aimed at different sensors at the four corners of the screen to select different basic functions. Ultrasonic units appeared during the 1960's before giving way to the infra-red controls of the 1970's onward, which then gained a lot more functions.

Britain, as is often the case, was a little slower to adopt "new fangled gadgets," but the introduction of Teletext in the 1970's probably did a lot to promote remote control use here, and infra-red remote controls were certainly widely available in the late 1970's, just not as standard on all sets as they would pretty much become a decade or so later for most sets.

As for TV cabinets, they used to be designed to be attractive pieces of furniture. For years into the 1970's we still had a Decca single-standard set from the early 1960's which had a beautiful wooden cabinet, with slatted sliding doors which could be closed across the front when not in use. As was done on several models of that time, it also incorporated a VHF-FM radio receiver, using three extra positions on the channel selector.

[Richard1978]

Re: Vintage Television sets

One earlyish remote control can be seen in The Good Life when Tom & Barbra go to stay in London for a weekend, at a flaw owned by a friend of Margot & Jerry.

[the fox]

I have learnt something here. I really didn't realise IR remotes were quite so mainstream as early as the late seventies. I suppose I grew up in a working class area, and didn't come across one until well into the 80's, probably Cos no-one could afford to rent a TV posh or new enough !

[Shado66]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Hi,
I spotted a baird televisor in my local museum recently. It got me thinking if it would be possible to rig one up to recieve digital tv. Im guessing it would involve loads of electronics to convert the picture code to a signal that a primitive photocell could read. Am I right in saying that the baird system just employed one main photo sensor?

[PC66]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Am I right in saying that the baird system just employed one main photo sensor?

Essentially. One early camera arrangement had a single photocell sensor placed behind the spinning Nipkow disc, the latter having lenses mounted in spirals in order to provide the basic 30-line scan for the image. But there was also a "reversed" arrangement employed in which the lenses in the disc directed a light source onto the subject, causing a spot of light to scan the subject rapidly (the so-called "flying spot" method). A bank of photocell sensors were then used to pick up the reflected light. That arrangement used multiple photocells, but they were operating in parallel in order to increase sensitivity, so essentially operating as one. At the receiving end, a single light source was modulated by the incoming signal and the lenses in the disc then directed the light to the screen in order to scan out the original image (the receiving disc having to be synchronized with the scanning disc at the other end, of course).

It would certainly be possible to convert a modern TV signal into one which could be displayed by an old 30-line Baird Televisor, just as electronic standards converters convert between other TV systems which are still in use in various parts of the world. But there would be a couple of extra things to consider. First, the Baird 30-line system used vertical scan lines (or very nearly vertical - actually slightly curved due to the disc arrangement), versus all modern TV systems which use horizontal lines. Second, the aspect ratio of the 30-line system was 3:7 - Not so much widescreen as tallscreen, if the tiny images which were produced could be considered as such! You'd either have to have greatly reduced picture height, or crop off the sides of a modern 4:3 picture (or even worse with 16:9, obviously). Although given the low resolution and reproduction quality, I don't think that would be considered too much of a hardship - After all it would just be a project to show that it could be done rather than a serious attempt at getting what anyone would regard as a "good" picture!

[Trickyvee]

Re: Vintage Television sets

I have learnt something here. I really didn't realise IR remotes were quite so mainstream as early as the late seventies. I suppose I grew up in a working class area, and didn't come across one until well into the 80's, probably Cos no-one could afford to rent a TV posh or new enough !

indeed! We didn't get a remote control until the very late 80's. For most of the 80's we actually had a portable tv in the living room. It was the first tv my parents bought and had no remote. Before that we had a big rented telly with push buttons. Most people I knew also had push button TVs. If I came across one with a remote I was fascinated by it. And teletext. I didn't get to enjoy teletext at home until about 1994!

[Sammy]

Re: Vintage Television sets

I didn't know that about remote controls either, I didn't see one.
My mum and dad have still got an old telly in what used to be my bedroom, no idea what make it is, I'll have to ask them. It was wooden and made a great sound when you switched it on and you had to wait for it to warm up!
They've got a betamax video player in there too, still some films lying around somewhere.
Happy days.

[spuggybridge]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Got a Ferguson TX portable still use it for my old computers and consoles (works great).

[Fab]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Just a question on remotes. does anyone recall a type of remote that only changed channel. The one we had was in late 70s early 80s and was a bit like a chunky shaver with one long button on. It had a black mesh front and behind the mesh what looked like a round plain ended metal rod. You pressed thesinlge long button that was spring loaded and it made an odd srpring type "boing" sound and scrolled though the 3 channels in order. My mates had never seen anything like this.

[Fab]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Just a question on remotes. does anyone recall a type of remote that only changed channel. The one we had was in late 70s early 80s and was a bit like a chunky shaver with one long button on. It had a black mesh front and behind the mesh what looked like a round plain ended metal rod. You pressed thesinlge long button that was spring loaded and it made an odd srpring type "boing" sound and scrolled though the 3 channels in order. My mates had never seen anything like this.

I have just been researching my own post and it looks like this type of remote was an ultrasound type that may have been based upon a type used in the 1950's

http://gajitz.com/the-mother-of-couc...m_medium=other

[Shado66]

Re: Vintage Television sets

My electronics lecturer at college used to be a TV repair guy. He said some of the old valve sets were notorious for going up in flames. They used to call certain models "Ronsons" or "Curtain burners". I'm guessing this was before the Japs got in on the scene and improved the thermal reliability of the electronics.

[xmark1234]

Re: Vintage Television sets

tellys so thin these days i remember haven one you couldnt pick the dam thing up it was huge big backs to them

[Richard1978]

Re: Vintage Television sets

I have just been researching my own post and it looks like this type of remote was an ultrasound type that may have been based upon a type used in the 1950's

http://gajitz.com/the-mother-of-couc...m_medium=other

As the feature mentioned one problem with them was picking up sounds from other sources. I read someone had one which could be effected by someone clapping too loudly close to the set.

[darren]

Re: Vintage Television sets

ive a few of them mark.

two big bush tellies and a portable that has just one button the front it must be like at least 20 yrs old.
ill never get shot of them.
and they work perfectly.

tellys so thin these days i remember haven one you couldnt pick the dam thing up it was huge big backs to them

[PC66]

Re: Vintage Television sets

Modern infra-red controls can be susceptible to false triggering as well - Just had a problem with a neighbour's set-up where pressing the menu button on the remote control for his new satellite receiver caused the volume on the TV to be turned down as well.