What are old TVs called?

Old televisions went by several names over the years as technology evolved. The most common types of old TVs include:

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs

CRT TVs were the mainstream television technology from the 1950s up until the early 2000s when flat screen TVs started taking over. CRT stands for cathode ray tube, which refers to the large glass tube in these TVs that the image was projected on.

Some key features of CRT TVs:

– Large, heavy and bulky with a deep body to accommodate the CRT tube
– Low resolution and lower picture quality compared to modern TVs
– Prone to screen glare
– Curved screen design
– Made a high-pitched whining noise when turned on

Early CRT TVs had very small screens, but by the 1990s screen sizes of 27” and larger became common.

Console TVs

Console TVs were a popular CRT television design that incorporated the TV tube into a large wooden cabinet. These TV cabinets served both form and function – the wooden cabinet housed the TV components while also acting as a stand and speaker system.

Console TV cabinets were often made of quality hardwoods like oak and walnut, giving them a classic furniture look. Very large console TVs were referred to as “giant consoles.”

Projection TVs

Projection TVs were an early attempt at large screen, flat panel TVs. They used a projector to beam the TV image onto a screen. The main types included:

– CRT projection TVs – Used small CRTs to project the image
– LCD projection TVs – Used LCD panels and lamps to project
– DLP projection TVs – Used a digital light processing chip to project

Projection TVs allowed for much larger screen sizes (50-100”) compared to CRTs, but they had lower image quality and were prone to color degradation over time. Their large cabinets made them bulky.

Rear Projection TVs

Rear projection TVs placed the projector behind the screen rather than in front. This made the cabinet much slimmer so the TV resembled a flat panel when viewed from the front. They were an interim step before large flat panels like plasma and LCD became affordable.

Portable TVs

Portable CRT TVs with small screens were a popular way to add TVs to kitchens, bedrooms, and for travel use in the 1960s-1980s. Early portable models had very small black and white screens. Portable color TVs arrived in the late 60s and continued improving in size and picture quality into the 90s.

Early Experimental TVs

The earliest experimental television sets in the 1920s-1930s used a variety of primitive technologies before cathode ray tubes matured as the standard. These very rare TV sets included:

– Mechanical TVs – Used a spinning disc with holes to scan an image
– Electronic TVs – Used early camera tubes like the Iconoscope tube
– LCD TVs – Some early passive LCD televisions were created

Once commercially broadcasted television began in the late 1930s, cathode ray tube televisions quickly took over the market.

Brief History of Television Technology

– 1884 – Early mechanical TV prototypes and cathode ray tubes developed
– 1920s – Experimental electromechanical TVs broadcast simple images
– 1927 – First electronic TV system demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth
– 1930s – Refined all-electronic CRT TVs become commercially viable
– 1939 – Regular TV broadcasting begins at World Fair in New York
– 1950s – Black and white TV sales boom in post-war years
– 1960s – Color television rapidly gains popularity
– 1970s – Portable CRT models proliferate
– 1980s – Projection and rear projection TVs enter the market
– 1990s – CRTs peak in popularity with larger screens before decline
– 2000s – Flat panel LCD, plasma and OLED TVs take overHi friend! As a long-time TV enthusiast, let me walk you through the evolution of vintage television sets. If you‘ve ever wondered what those large, boxy TVs are called or how early TVs worked, you‘ve come to the right place.

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs

The most common type of television for over half a century was the cathode ray tube or CRT TV. According to the Consumer Technology Association, CRT TV sales in the U.S. peaked in 1985 at 26 million units sold.

CRT TVs work by firing electrons at phosphors coated on the back of a large glass picture tube. This excites the phosphors to create a visible image pixel by pixel. Early CRTs only displayed black and white, but the addition of red, green and blue color phosphors let CRTs show color images.

Key features of CRT televisions:

– Bulky, deep chassis to house CRT tube – early TVs weighed up to 300 pounds!
– Low resolution images and poorer picture quality vs modern TVs
– Large power consumption – some used up to 300 watts
– Pronounced curve to CRT screens
– High-pitched whining noise when powered on
– Prone to glare from room lighting on glass screen

According to John F. Rider publisher, the average TV screen size in 1950 was just 10 inches diagonally. But rapid improvements in technology allowed CRT TV sizes to grow substantially over the decades:

1950s	10-12 inches
1960s	17-19 inches
1970s	22-25 inches
1980s	25-32 inches
1990s	Up to 40 inches

By the year 2000, even projection CRTs offered screen sizes approaching 60 inches according to HDTVtest!

Console TVs

Many CRT television sets were housed inside large wooden cabinets to create "console TVs". These handsome vintage TV consoles concealed the inner workings while acting as an entertainment center.

According to Electronic House, console cabinets served multiple functions:

– Added decorative appeal with quality wood finishes
– Provided storage space for TV components
– Incorporated built-in speakers for audio
– Made CRT TVs resemble furniture

Popular hardwoods used were mahogany, oak, walnut and more. Larger console cabinets were dubbed "giant consoles" and could measure up to 10 feet long!

Projection TVs

To achieve extra large screen sizes, various projection TV technologies were created between the 1950s-1990s. Instead of a single massive CRT, projection TVs used lenses to enlarge and project the image onto a large screen.

Main projection TV types according to Home Cinema Choice:

– CRT projection – Used small CRTs as image source
– LCD projection – Used LCD panels and projection bulbs
– DLP projection – Based on digital light processing chips

While allowing bigger screen sizes like 60 to 100 inches, projection TVs suffered from lower resolution and image fade over time. They were also very heavy and bulky.

Fun fact: Some of the earliest projection TV prototypes in the late 1940s weighed a hefty 1200 pounds according to ieee!

Rear Projection TVs

Rear projection TVs took a major leap in making large screens more compact. By placing the projector behind the screen rather than in front, the overall cabinet depth was greatly reduced.

According to CNET, benefits of rear projection TVs included:

– Mimicked a flat panel TV when viewed from front
– Much slimmer and lighter than front projectors
– Allowed for massive 80 to 100 inch screen sizes
– Reduced glare issues by enclosing projector

However, picture quality and cost prevented rear projection from competing long-term with modern flat panels.

Portable TVs

In the 1960s, portable transistor-based TVs emerged that could operate on battery power. These vintage portable TVs opened up watching television anywhere, not just at home in the living room.

Based on aveleyman.com, milestones in portable television history include:

– 1961 – First portable TV under 10 pounds
– 1967 – First pocket-sized portable TV with 2-inch screen
– 1970 – Introduction of color portable TVs
– 1977 – Sony creates the first all-in-one portable TV/VCR combination

Early portable TV models were black and white with screens measuring just 9 to 12 inches. But portables eventually offered rich color pictures and larger 19 to 25 inch screens by the 1990s.

Early Television Technology (1900s-1930s)

Believe it or not, research shows the origins of television technology go back as far as the late 1800s according to the Washington Post. Early pioneers laid the groundwork for modern CRT televisions through their inventions.

Some key developments include:

– 1884 – Paul Nipkow patents the scanning disc to transmit images
– 1907 – Cathode ray tube created by Karl Braun
– 1923 – Vladimir Zworykin designs the iconoscope camera tube
– 1927 – Philo Farnsworth transmits first electronic TV image
– 1928 – John Logie Baird creates early mechanical color TV system

It wasn‘t until the 1930s that all-electronic television using cathode ray tubes was ready for public broadcast. The first regular TV programming began with the historic World Fair in 1939.

The Rise and Fall of CRT Television

CRT TVs dominated the market for over 50 years since commercial television kicked off in the 1940s. Prices steadily dropped while screen sizes grew, fueling mass adoption of CRTs in the US:

1945	10,000 units sold	$300 average price
1955	5 million units sold	$150 average price
1965	32 million units sold	$150 average price
1977	25 million color units sold	$310 average price

But by the 2000s, flat screen TVs utilizing LCD and plasma display panels offered an attractive new option for consumers. As flat screens improved, CRT demand began plunging according to reviews.org:

– 2007 – LCD TV sales overtake CRTs for the first time
– 2009 – 86% of TVs sold are flat panels, only 14% CRT
– 2011 – CRTs take up less than 6% of the TV market
– 2015 – Last CRT manufacturer shuts down

And with that, an era in television history drew to a close nearly 100 years after it began. Flat panels cleared the way for even more advancements like 4K and 8K Ultra HD, ushering in the modern digital age of television.

I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic walk through vintage TV history! Let me know if you have any other questions.