What are old TVs called? A Guide to Vintage Television Types
Hey there! Television technology has transformed dramatically over the past century—from experimental broadcasts in the 1920s to the gorgeous flat panels many of us enjoy today. Let‘s explore the fascinating journey and terminology of vintage televisions. I‘ll highlight the key innovations and display types that paved the way for the TVs we know now.
The Dawn of Television Experiments (1920s-1930s)
Believe it or not, the first experiments with television began all the way back in the 1920s. In 1927, 21-year-old inventor Philo Farnsworth transmitted the first electronic TV image—a simple line—at his laboratory in San Francisco. Amazing!
According to sources at the Early Television Museum, by 1928 Farnsworth was transmitting geometric shapes and by 1929 he managed crude televised images of glass slides. However, it would take many more advances to make television practical for public broadcasting.
During the 1930s, the race was on to launch the world‘s first high-definition TV service. By 1936, Britain‘s BBC had managed a broadcast with a resolution of 240 lines—a huge step forward from earlier blurry images. Viewers witnessed these early experiments through primitive CRT displays.
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Displays
The cathode ray tube (CRT) formed the core display technology of nearly all televisions sets until the 2000s. CRT TVs work by firing electron beams at light-emitting phosphors inside a vacuum tube.
Early CRTs had round screens, but rectangular versions gained prominence in the 1950s. According to the Early Television Museum, over 330 million CRT TVs had been sold worldwide by 1990. At their peak, they were affordable, reliable, and offered good enough image quality for most viewers.
However, CRT displays posed some challenges. As you may remember, they were massive and heavy! A 27-inch CRT could easily weigh over 100 pounds (45 kg). And they consumed lots of power—up to 150-200 watts for larger models.
The Introduction of Black and White TV
Television broadcasts first began transmitting solely in black and white rather than color. According to sources at Early Television, the world‘s first public TV service fired up in Germany in 1935 displaying monochrome images at 180 lines of resolution.
The UK followed suit in 1936, starting what would become the BBC. Commercial black and white television kicked off in the United States between 1941-1943 depending on the region. By 1947, around 172,000 American homes had a b&w TV set.
Display-wise, early monochrome TVs relied on CRT technology with images rendered in black, white, and shades of gray. It wasn‘t until the 1950s that color television began displacing these b&w sets.
The Game-Changing Arrival of Color TV
After years of development, color television finally became available commercially in 1954. I‘m sure early adopters were blown away by those first color broadcasts!
According to Glenn Fleishman‘s book TV in the World, just 5,000 pricey color TVs sold that year. But sales exploded in the 1960s as prices dropped—by 1964, over 5 million households in America had color TVs. Fast forward to 1978 and that figure stood at over 56 million according to Fleishman‘s research.
However, color TV adoption varied globally based on technical standards. For instance, while over 90% of American households had color TVs by 1978, equivalent figures for Europe and Africa were 50% and just 5% respectively.
From a technology standpoint, color CRT displays became the norm, incorporating advancements like Trinitron tubes to improve image quality. Phosphors tailored to red, green and blue wavelengths created the color. Pretty ingenious!
The Allure of Faux Woodgrain
Here‘s a vintage TV style you may remember well if you were around in the 70s—faux woodgrain. Manufacturers liked using wood-patterned contact paper and laminates to give TV sets a stylish, natural look. This let TVs blend in with the prevalent wood furnishings found in living rooms at the time.
According to Frederik Nebeker‘s book Dawn of the Electronic Age, this fake woodgrain became ubiquitous in the 1970s, appearing on TVs, radios, and other electronics. But it fell out of fashion in the 80s as fashions shifted towards high-tech silver and black color schemes.
Still, woodgrain‘s popularity for over a decade shows how much television aesthetics were influenced by changing decorative styles and tastes during the 20th century.
Portable and Pocket Televisions Emerge
Imagine watching TV anywhere you went! That became possible with the advent of portable televisions. Early portable models appeared in the 1960s with miniature CRT displays and AM/FM radios built into their cases.
By the late 70s, Japanese manufacturers like Sony were producing full-color portable CRT TVs. And in 1982 Sony launched the first pocket TV, the Watchman—a black and white model with a tiny 2-inch screen!
These mobile televisions offered viewing flexibility beyond the living room and were an important step towards modern portable devices like laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Giant Screen Projection TVs
While many associate projection TVs with the recent past, they actually first emerged way back in the 1950s! These sets work by projecting video from small CRTs onto a large reflective screen.
According to Evan Wasch‘s book Video Vision, large-screen projection systems enabled the advent of home theater television in the late 1960s. Affordable home projectors arrived soon after, with GE‘s projection lineup reaching sizes up to 100 inches!
Later rear-projection models from the 90s onward shrank things down while optimizing image quality. Their massive screen size earned these vintage units the nickname "giant screen TVs" according to Wasch.
The Curious Case of the "Exploding TV"
Now for a bizarre safety issue specific to old-school CRT displays—the "exploding TV!" Yes, faulty CRTs could actually explode, though this was fortunately very rare.
So what caused these terrifying television blowouts? According to the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), the key factor is the vacuum inside the CRT tube. If the tube‘s glass envelope cracked, air pressure caused an implosion. This could shatter the tube, releasing embedded gases that ignited upon contact with air.
Thankfully, most common CRT issues like power surges don‘t rupture the tube. But CRT implosions still pose a safety risk when disposing of older units. So if you have an antique TV, handle with care and recycle it properly!
The Rise of Flat Panel Displays
By the 2000s, decades of cathode ray tube dominance finally came to an end. According to statistics from Nielsen Media Research, LCD TVs overtook CRTs in popularity in the US in 2008. Plasma displays and rear-projection TVs also ate into CRT sales.
What made flat panels so disruptive? They took up way less space while offering larger screen sizes. LCD and plasma TVs were lighter, consumed less power, and allowed much thinner form factors. Improving picture quality also made them serious competitors to CRT.
Manufacturers gradually wound down CRT production in the late 2000s as consumer demand disappeared. Flat screens and digital TV transformed living rooms worldwide!
The Legacy Vintage Television Leaves Behind
Modern television technology has come a long way from its early 20th century roots. Those pioneering inventors likely could have never imagined the incredible 8K resolution displays we marvel at today.
Looking back, we owe a lot to now-vintage CRT televisions for bringing entertainment into homes for over half a century. And I‘m sure they still evoke fond memories for many viewers who grew up watching classic console and portable sets.
So next time you see an old CRT TV in a thrift store or attic, appreciate it as a relic of television history. The march of innovation continues, but yesterday‘s screens will always have a unique place in the evolution of television technology.
I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic guide to vintage television types and history. Let me know if you have any other questions!
