Video technology progress

Nothing demonstrates the progress we have made in technology more than video and TV. This unit was a third generation set. Just think how far we have come. From the old round vacuum tube (cathode ray tube - CRT) to LCD, plasma and beyond.


This is a 1948 Philco. Round picture tube. This generation of TV design started to square off the screen as you can see. Also, the screen is about 1 inch thick - it has a huge magnifying lens over the tube to enlarge the picture. Notice how many channels were available. I remember growing up in the 1960's with only two or three channels to watch (in black and white). Some fringe channels like WGN out of Chicago would come in on a perfect day. I still remember watching Felix the Cat on our old B&W set at home.

Notice the rolling screen. For you younger folks this was a common problem in the early days if TV. This set actually works pretty well and the screen is stable once it warms up (about 10 minutes). But you still have to fiddle with the the knobs once in a while to get a stable picture. It is the nature of vacuum tubes and aging components.

At the risk of sounding preachy, while we have made incredible progress in the technology of TV, we all know that we have gone the other way in the content. Would you agree?

In my next blog, I will show you a even earlier and rare TV set.