CRT Spotlight - The RCA Console TV - The television that everyone's grandmother owned

[@BlakeHelms]

To be truly authentic, you need a more modern CRT sitting on top of it for when the one in the console dies. When the electronics go out, it reverts to being just a piece of furniture. Circle of life.

[@ThePolaroid669]

There's also the option of fixing it.

[@MKoldbern]

@@ThePolaroid669 Not so much in 1988. It was ubiquitous for people to have their new television sitting on top of the broken one for a shockingly long time before the old one was removed.

[@miaugato93]

UNLOCKED MEMORY omg my parents did the same when i was little

[@donborvio]

Or did as my dad did: gutted the old TV out put the new one in, balanced on some boards.

[@kingofcapp]

My grandma's RCA console was upgraded with a 25" flat screen in the mid 2000s!

[@tonyjones2612]

My favorite Christmas memory is a cold night at my family’s house in the year 2000, sitting on the floor in front of this tv watching Rudolph, wrapped in a blanket and the portable heater about 3 feet away from me keeping me nice and warm. Everyone was in the kitchen and I was alone in the dark living room enjoying fighting off the cold breeze coming through the back screen door and sitting comfortably in the glow of this tv. I think about that moment every holiday

[@JasonBratcher-n9p]

Herby doesn't like to make toys. I want to be a dentist. Ready Rudolph? Ready Santa. Okay Rudolph, full power!

[@scatpack68]

My mom still uses her 1984 RCA console she had since new. My dad was a self employed RCA technician since the mid '50's.

[@TrueLeft-n6j]

And your point is?

[@xrrrismickey]

That's how his parents got together

[@DustinZilbauer]

How when OTA is all digital now?

[@scatpack68]

​@xrrrismickey not how they got together, but "true-left" doesn't understand the difference between showing what people used to own and someone who still uses one every day for the last 40 years.

[@TrueLeft-n6j]

@@scatpack68 Ah, of course, because using something every day for 40 years is so much more meaningful than understanding the cultural and historical context behind it. I’m sure your well-worn token of pride screams “depth” louder than any nuanced perspective ever could. Truly groundbreaking stuff-how ever will humanity recover from being schooled by your daily routine? And why edit? Mistakes are expected from you.

[@cypherian2]

When I was very young, growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had a Zenith color TV from the early '70's that still relied on vacuum tubes to work! I have memories on a hot Saturday afternoon of my Dad taking the back off the set, finding the burned out tube, and then going with him in his old pickup to the hardware store. They had a tube testing machine there that would tell you if your tubes were good or bad. You'd then fill out a slip and give it to someone at the parts counter to fetch your replacement. We'd the go home, put the new tube in the TV and Mom would have dinner ready by then! We were lucky if we got 10 channels in clearly back then. We had an analog Antenna on the roof that was adjust by a motor controlled by a box we kept on top of the TV. In '78 (?) my Mother bought me an ATARI 2600 to help with my eye hand coordination and to sharpen my vision. In 1981, we got a brand new set that was a smaller cheaper variant of the one you have. That was the year we got Cable! HBO was the ONLY movie channel, Nickelodeon, MTV, were all on offer! Thank you for sharing this old set with us, and the stories that went with it, I just could not resist sharing a few of mine!

[@C0mfortCruise]

Your idea for self contained channel surfing is exactly what another KZbinr already accomplished, Wrongdog Reckons. I just ran across his video the other day and he basically created his own TV time capsule with a Rasberry Pi, complete with commericals and even automatically changing program selections depending on the season, i.e. Halloween programs in October, Christmas films in December, etc. It's a project that I'd love to recreate myself, and he goes over the whole process.

[@HD7100]

Fascinating.

[@Deraco1]

Same with clabretro!

[@Joniyah444]

Also add Play my Super Nintendo games on a Snowy day, go for a walk. Sounds like my childhood

[@MarvelDcImage]

OMG yes

[@JasonBratcher-n9p]

@@Joniyah444 DuckHunt, anyone?

[@MaestroSmoke]

I never thought I'd see my family's old TV again. Wow.

[@groovy1937]

We are still using daily our RCA colortrak 1980 console. It just turned 45 years old as the manufacture date was October 1979. We purchased it December 26, 1979. I still have all the original brochures, tags, receipts. It is the top of the line one of a few Limited Editions models that were offered - The Cherbourg. Beautiful wide oak cabinet with incredible sound - two speakers and it has simulated stereo sound which is still incredible. Ultrasonic remote control, just use for volume since hooked to box top. People always comment on the sound. Cabinet is perfect and Picture is still excellent. It is truly a time capsule and believe it our not - I like it so much better than any of the current flat screens. RCA invented color television and built incredible TV's.

[@WJCTechyman]

My Grandmother had an RCA television through all of the 1990s and it finally gave up the ghost 15 years ago? Maybe? I can't remember. It probably played for a good 10 hours a day or more and the thing that gave up in it was the image faded to a point you couldn't really watch it.

[@LotoTheHero]

That's awesome! :D

[@robertriley1569]

My 1993 sharp Linytron still has like new sound & picture. Made in New Jersey. When was the last time a tv was made in America?

[@robertriley1569]

Original Picture tube? Capacitors?

[@groovy1937]

@@robertriley1569 Yes and Yes. It did get a new flyback around 1983 and a new transformer for the on/off circuit around 1986 and a new color IC around 1983. Thats it. At some point, yes is will need recapped I'm sure and maybe some tired resistors. However, the picture is really still perfect. They only degradation that occurs rarely is due to the crappy verizon box top tuners. I do have a full schematic and acquired RCA service manuals for this set in the event of repair - so I am prepared. I also have a NOS flyback I was able to acquire a few years back just in case.

[@83Roboto]

It's great to see vintage technology being kept alive and enjoyed.

[@themagus5906]

My biggest old CRT was a Mitsubishi 35" floor TV; around 1990. I think it was the biggest CRT made at the time. It came with an optional base to set it on. That thing was a true monster, and I loved it. It was the centerpiece of my Dolby Surround theater system. It was so front-heavy, because of the enormous CRT, that it took three people to move it. I think I bought it for close to $3000; sold it for $50. Sometimes I wonder what that thing would be worth now to a retro-gamer.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

I remember getting our first color TV in 1967 in Downers Grove, Illinois. My Dad was so happy. It was a 25” RCA console.

[@nonenonnenopenonenomorefor5556]

Our was around 73 Crete IL zenith dad had cousin furniture store south Holland il

[@nonenonnenopenonenomorefor5556]

Was a remarkable day!!

[@DonLorenzo723]

Man...seeing those shots of the beginning of The Price is Right on that beautiful old TV are making me want to call out sick tomorrow 😅

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Just tell them you caught the chicken pox or something 😆

[@JasonBratcher-n9p]

Come on down; You're the next contestant on The Price Is Right!

[@diesegeties8918]

You have so many beautiful CRT'S😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@adamlee333]

I stumbled upon this after watching a 'Technology Connections' video, and I subscribed immediately. So many similarities in shared memories! Subject aside however, it's a very well edited and presented video. Excellent all around. Akin to 'Techmoan'; able to speak in depth about a niche subject, but still produce entertainment that is worth watching. Bravo! I was genuinely expecting millions of subscribers, when I looked.... Keep it up!

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Credit where credit is due- Technology Connections, Techmoan, and LGR are three of my absolute favorite KZbinrs so of course I take a lot of inspiration from them with the creation of my videos here. I find that there's a niche of content creators who are very information dense but not overly animated with their presentation style, so I aim to fit into that space as well because it's the kind of content that I personally enjoy the most!

[@brad3042]

The minute I saw the doily on top, brought back memories of my grandmother's house and watching "The Price is Right" from the kitchen table. My parents also had two console TVs.

[@sodiebergh]

I'm about a decade behind you, my childhood TV was an RCA XL-100 floor console, with cabinet doors! Your video (and passion for preservation) warms my heart. Also, the "tilted camera angle" trend in advertising starting at 8:52 made me literally laugh out loud 🤣

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

I would love to find one of those console TVs with the doors/blinds that you can slide over the face of the tube when not in use, I love that design feature so so much. Thank you for the kind words! And yes, the era of dutch angles just screams 1990s video production!

[@sodiebergh]

@@StevesAssortedStuff "dutch angles!" I never knew it had a name. Emailed you a pic of our TV!

[@SWMOWoodsman]

Our first TV was an RCA console TV, later replaced by a very large Toshiba CRT in 2002. I never knew why the console was replaced, all I know is that my dad and uncle had a very hard time getting it out of our house. The idea with the RF modulator and raspberry pi is genius, and when you were “channel surfing” with the DVD players, I was instantly thrown back to what I thought was a much simpler time.

[@ReallifeBambiDeerattheFarm1]

Granny and Grampa had a TV like this, but it was a Zenith, and it was from the mid 70's. Lasted until at least the late 90's. I don't remember what happened to it. My Grandma had a GTE Sylvania Superset from the early 80's. Lasted until 2002. Super receiver in that set, and nice sharp picture!

[@STDriver92]

We had this EXACT Tv as a kid. Excellent color and clear image. Was the best CRT we ever owned.

[@kennixox262]

Well, my Grandmother born in 1899, lived in a modern home built in 1960 and was not into the "granny" stuff. While there was a console TV probably late 1960's, I think a Zenith and had doors that swung around to the sides when using it and closed in front of it when not in use. Yes, one had to get up and change the channels or adjust the volume.

[@alanhumphrey4198]

My dad had one of these and I bought one myself!!😊😊 Back when a tv was part of the furniture.

[@Diskoboy1974]

I was raised in the 70's and 80's. Everyone and their mother had a wooden console TV. My dad bought one in 1976. He gave it to my grandparents in 1989. It outlasted them both. My uncle took it and used it until 2004. I could've replaced the caps and probably given it a few more years. But he knew digital was coming. So he just chucked it.

[@teamjesus7087]

It a strong TV. I remember in my socks and underwater dancing on top of one of these TVs. The TV Top never broke or cracked but I surely had one hell of a hangover the next day.

[@bennetfox]

My grandparents had two Zenith console TVs because my uncle worked for Zenith. I also remember watching the first days of MTV on that 19-in Zenith console TV in Granny and Granddaddy's living room.

[@dmcintosh1967]

I have an Magnavox 25" console from 1989. the TV still works well except for the tuner which is totally dead and is reason it was retired. However the tv has composite in so i just use that to hook stuff up to the TV. I currently have an late 80s JVC VCR, a Sony Blue Ray player, WII, and SNES.

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Glad to know there's more of these wooden beasts out there getting some love!

[@900Yugo]

Hey I still use a digital TV converter box with antenna for today's broadcasts on TVs like this! Better picture quality than streaming,since it's not compressed.

[@johneygd]

I hardly could believe it dates back from 1988. I trought it dates back to 1968. But yeah it’s 2 stereo composite input does makes it ahead for it’s time nontheless😁

[@greywolf7583]

The antique TV console cabinet is a cool throw back I've was thinking of finding on broken and pulling CRT out and modding the wood console cabinet by figuring away to put a smart led television inside the cabinet 🤔

[@christianelzey9703]

Yup my grandparents had this EXACT TV!

[@AbeStephan]

Back in the day you could tell how classy the TV owner was if they had the "clicker" remote control included with their TV .

[@ReallifeBambiDeerattheFarm1]

9:55 That little Panasonic in the background is the same model I had as a kid in the 80's! I still have it! Actually I own 2! Darn good set!

[@rantanamo]

Your project is exactly what I have wanted to do for years.

[@asasinz2]

This must have been more of a US thing, what was popular in New Zealand where I am from was the Phillips K9 TV in the 70s and 80s. These TV's were assembled in NZ and had the wooden casing but the speaker was below the screen. I am guessing prior to everything being made in China each country had quite unique TVs and other electronics. The Channel Plus I assume is what is used in motels and hotels to deliver TV programming to each unit. Here in New Zealand I have stayed at motels in recent years where the TV still receives an analogue signal to get our free to air channels and pay TV channels provided by Sky. Instead of having a set top box in each room the TV can receive certain channels from Sky or Freeview. Analogue TV was switched off in New Zealand in 2013.

[@kbhasi]

I was thinking so, as I remember a DrCassette video that suggested that in Germany, local brands, like Grundig and Telefunken, were popular at the time (probably around the 70s or so), but some people bought TVs from foreign brands. There were imports too, as that aforementioned video was of the host repairing a Sony TV, and in fhe case of Singapore, archival footage I saw in a CNA documentary about the early days of TV here showed a bit of archival footage of TV Singapura displayed on a retail demo Zenith TV. As far as I can tell, Philips K9 TVs were also sold here in around the 70s and 80s, as I had seen one for sale a while back. I think you're right, as earlier this year, I stayed in a hotel in Malaysia that I think was a 3 or 4 star hotel, and they had an old headend system that was entirely analogue. I think their setup involved a PC for their hotel info channel, external digital TV tuners for each channel on myFreeview, then proprietary receivers for Vision Four (a hotel-only TV network) on their original 2-channel system (hotels with modern IP-based systems could have up to 8 channels, IIRC), then some Astro Byond receivers to provide channels from their business subscription, all of which I think would've been in a rack with many Blonder Tongue analogue PAL RF modulators for a total of what I think was 12 channels. They used early 2010s Panasonic TVs, suggesting to me that their headend system dated from that time, and they fortunately didn't lock out the input menu so I could still use the HDMI input.

[@kevmorris3000]

Beautiful set.

[@marcparsons1726]

Our RCA lasted so long we bypassed a whole era. Got a Zenith CRT finally 1985 all plastic.

[@AlexanderDickerson-os7fg]

My Aunts in Nashville had a color console. I remember watching Bonanza when it was on Primetime on a Sunday night. I was about 2 or 3 years old at the time.

[@mark902]

i remember playing mario paint on a tv like this at a friends. the music to that fly swatting game was bumping on that tv. all that empty space makes for some thumping bass.

[@brantisonfire]

I was born in '88 so this TV was probably the one she watched the Duke Blue Devils on each season when my sister was over during the Spring breaks, that is until it clunked out and she just sat a newer, smaller TV sat on top the wooden console as a TV stand.

[@shaunny0208]

OMG we had the same exact one! It came with a wide wedge shaped rectangular remote control! I remember going with my Dad and Grandpa to pick it up from the new (at the time) Circuit City store!!!!

[@BigRobChicagoPL]

I have a 1986 Sears Console TV in my basement! Still works

[@Bagel-the-Beagle-1]

I have my grandparents tv from 1955-56? It’s a zenith with flash matic. It’s never been recapped yet! Picture is bright and clear. I got po’d when the government forced us to get digital ones . It was stuck by lightning way back in 62’ while I was watching the flintstons when they were prime time!

[@glennso47]

And the Flintstones were sponsored by Winston Cigarettes. 😮

[@devonvictor3210]

Love it, really nice old set!

[@WJCTechyman]

My grandparents didn't have a console while I was growing up but they did have an RCA monitor in their 80s era wall unit. If you remember consoles, you should also remember wall units, fancy A/V cabinets that held all of your A/V gear. My Grandmother used said wall unit up until recently and she's in her mid-90s now. Her wall unit was filled with knick-knacks up until recently as well. I knew that console televisions did exist as a number of friends and my baby sitter all used to have one. Actually, my Aunt and Uncle had one as well but was more modern than this with a pivoting base to rotate the TV left or right.

[@TorqueEffect]

My grandmother had one of these sets too. XP I didn't get to hook my Super Nintendo to it when I was visiting unfortunately, it was either always being used by my Grandfather, or my Grandmother to watch her "stories". Super Nintendo got hooked up to the RF only 13" TV in the guest bedroom, where I would spend most of my time while being baby sat during the summer, or on days where my folks still had to work but we didn't have any school.

[@ragekage209]

i just commented on your video with the wood panel knob tv about my grandma having something similar and now watching this i'm 99% sure my grandma literally had this exact one (she had a basement tv and a living room set, i think this console was her living room one). i remember the fake handles and the rectangle buttons on the right side. god i wish i was able to get it from there now

[@js6131979]

GRANDMA TV? My LATE MOM had a 1985 Curtis Mathes Stereo TV. With 2 long SPEAKER columns on both sides. it was awesome with the COLOR SCREEN. BIG DEAL for that time. Used to just hang around the TV to WATCH anything or hear MUSIC. So much FAMILY TIME then. Had it for TEN YEARS. 1985-1995

[@rustynail9007]

I loved the wooden cabinet with the crtv. I wanted one so bad even when they were completely out of style. Good ones had a working remote draw. And were works of art. No better way to vintage game, ports on widescreens don't give the same feeling.

[@cemmy410]

This is great! Looking forward to the next video

[@wyomingadventures]

My mom had this exactly console TV. We just talked about her old TV a little while ago. Wasn't but a couple years ago she had to replace her TV. I had one of the first RCA flat screen CRT.

[@solidpixel]

That reminds me of the TV we had in the 80's with a similar cabinet with the two handles on the bottom.

[@dmcintosh1967]

I have a JVC 20" table top from 88 and it has composite in and out, S-video, and audio out. I got the tv last year and it came with remote,manual, and the original sales slip of $440 which is around $800 dollars today. The TV works well and has a better picture then my much newer TVs.

[@robertriley1569]

A CRT in good condition will have better audio/video then a new high end flat whatever tv

[@jeremywj]

No doubt the picture quality today is better... but there was something special about sleeping on the floor and having the TV right down there with you as a kid. Oh, and of course playing Nintendo criss cross applesauce with the TV right there in front of your face.

[@carzak]

This thing was clearly meant to appeal to the old folks of the time who wanted it to match their old radio from the '30s. We had a more contemporary-styled RCA console TV of the time that while still woodgrain, had a much cleaner look. It also had a rotating base, which was a well-used feature. I always loved the remote, which is nothing like that aftermarket looking one you have. It was shaped like a cylinder with two flat sides if that makes sense. Very elegant, it only had 6 slim buttons. Somehow both the TV and remote survived my childhood, but sadly we had to give it away when we moved because it was such a boat anchor. Kids these days don't know the pleasure of laying on the floor a foot away from the screen as you play Nintendo, slowly becoming nearsighted.

[@jaygreentree4394]

We had these tvs growing up. Loved the heck out of them. The top of ours actually could be opened and revealed a record player and maybe even an 8-track player if I remember correctly.

[@ruthyputhy7498]

Living the dream! I know these sorts of tvs are looked down upon by CRT purists, but I for one always preferred these old consumer sets. Been looking to get one of these for my living room for a while now, just haven't been able to find one yet...

[@onelphil8832]

Awesome! I have an extremely similar one with the same tube inside. It's gonna need a recap in about a year probably, since it randomly turns off in the first few minutes its on; but afterwards stays on for good lol. The picture quality is insanely impressive, these tubes are slept on!

[@gregsnarke610]

My parents had that same exact tv 📺 back in the 80’s but it was a Zenith

[@ACBMemphis]

That's a great idea for a Raspberry Pi project! I had a ColorTrak from 87 without the console. It had a silver remote, the internal/external speaker switch was software driven and it had "Expand Stereo" which was some sort of simulated surround sound. That thing lasted forever..

[@neorandy]

What memories. Ours was a zenith with the space command (clicker) remote. My maternal grandmother’s console tv had a radio and turntable in it, as well.

[@Rossturnerphoto]

This takes me back to my childhood. When I was growing up, my parents had an RCA TV that looked similar to that, but ours was a few years older, didn’t have stereo speakers, or most of the input jacks on the back. It had a digital tuner but no remote control so you still had to get up to change the channels. We have that thing from sometime in the 80s whenever my parents bought it until I was in college in the late 90s. We ended up giving it to one of my friends when my parents upgraded their TV. I wonder if she still has it.

[@Godsrocker1970]

I remember when console TV quit working, it was used as a base for new much smaller tv. I also remember a console tv with a special feature, a soace phone. I remember calling a friend and heard him through the speakers.

[@SvennyMcG]

My grandma had a very similar TV console set, what was wild was it had a wired remote. It was literally tethered to the TV and therefore only had a limited range - you also had to make sure to not trip on it as it lay across the floor. Awesome video 📺

[@riseabove3082]

My mom and my grandmom had console TVs but they both were a Magnavox. Love it. Anyway, I think you have a really cool idea and am very interested in seeing it.

[@ViewpointProd]

God, this is EXACTLY what im looking for! ive been wanting to move out and dedicate my room to an 80s space, and a cabinet unit like this is the dream. A nice NES, Some way (like you brought up) to emulate multiple channels braodcasting ripped content from my PC, a direct link to my PC as well. Wanted to stream some of my own video edits on a TV for a while. Mainly i'd want cartoon running, The Transformers, G.I.Joe, He-Man, Robotech, Voltron, you name it. As well as have some of my vintage action figures surrounding my setup, keep everything tied together. Commercials would also be amazing!

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Thankfully these big consoles still seem to be out there and usually tend to avoid the markup that some of the more coveted CRTs end up getting, hopefully you'll be able to find one locally to you for a bargain and bring it home! Trust me when I say that there's no better way to transport yourself back to that era than viewing some of your favorite old content on a television like this. Best of luck to you on your hunt!

[@nonenonnenopenonenomorefor5556]

In a bedroom on bracket JVC 19" watching it this morning still going 👍

[@johndiloreto3738]

Fantastic video! Glad to see you on KZbin

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Thanks buddy! Yeah it's about time I actually started filming some content with all the various crap that I own lol

[@HD7100]

I have a Colortrak 2000. It is the model with the nearly flat CRT screen and S-video. I play it now and then running video from a laserdisc player, VHS Hi-Fi machine, and an RCA CED player. Your raspberry pi idea sounds intriguing. I use a popcorn hour media player.

[@HerosTheme]

I miss my great grandmother. So many good memories with this TV. The first video game I've ever seen and played was on this tv, Super Street Fighter II.

[@garydodson6737]

A CRT and dark-stained wood. Perfect combination

[@timothyweers8054]

My grandmother had a Magnavox console TV from 1978. All of the controls were hidden on the right side where the panel that matched the left side had. Even within the door, there was another door to control specific things, like tone, tint, vertical hold, color, etc. Yes it was stereo for the time of TV which was rare. It was deep on bass which filled the room.

[@chrisloUSA]

My grandparents had a RCA console TV, sadly by time they passed in 2015 the color was completely faded. Someday I am hoping to find an RCA console TV like this, with the composite ports, so I can hook up some retro video game consoles and perhaps a VCR. The raspberry pi video playback has me intrigued and I will be following to see how that goes.

[@stereomann83]

we had a Dumont console TV I'm guessing from 1984,85' it must be rare because i can't find anything about it except in an old newspaper site online. the TV had a remote & red channel display on the front i remember it was mono. i also have a 19" RCA from 1988 that has the same rca jacks as yours but mine doesn't have the speaker jacks.

[@EthantotheMax]

I used to sit directly in front of a TV like that at my grandma's house in the 90s and watch shows like Pingu. No wonder I need glasses these days.

[@pluggy86]

I remember a commercial with a couple visiting Grandma. She appears to have fallen asleep, and he whispers to his wife that now maybe he can sneak away and watch the game. Suddenly she springs to life and says, "You want to watch a game Sonny, I've got a television." He replies, "I'll wind it up for you." Naturally, it's a massive state of the art console TV by Zenith or some other presigous band. They're watching the game having a wonderful time, and a player runs into the the end zone and Grandma screams, "It's a home run!"

[@ZeroWind2014]

I miss my parents old tv, i remember in 05 to 07 that they used to had this at the living room

[@raulzavala9061]

OMG we had a similar TV like this in the living room probably lasted us 15-16 years and it was a beast replete with those faux cabinet handles, while it does feel nostalgic watching old programs in a 4.3 format but one advantage I found watching an old 4.3 TV show on a modern HDTV is that without the overscan you can actually see a full square picture I mean so what if the boom mic is in frame.

[@eupher2]

I had a console TV as a kid. It was bought in 1990 and lasted until we got a HDTV in 2006. It had composite input and stereo audio outputs. It was a RCA Color Trak as well, but don't remember the numbers.

[@davidfarrell7318]

your tv looks fantastic i hope it runs for many years to come i look forward to seeing your vcr in a future video.

[@Darkrift666]

dude your idea is amazing, i can never settle on actually watching something this is like my dream

[@SolitaryWolf]

Honestly. My grandmother owned a B&W TV. My parents however did own one of these. I used to sit right in front of it on Saturday mornings for several hours.

[@Montgomerygolfgator]

You could probably skip the converter box, and run an IR recever to the same window as the TVs, and teach the Pi the codes for the channel up and down. With the TV set with only the output channel as the only valid channel, it may still retune every time, but the Pi could flip to a different folder for each channel. This would let you group them too, so you can have a particular feeling. 1-10 being 70s 11-20 being 80s 21-30 being 90's 31-40 being 2000s. I believe Linux also has some noise libraries that apps like cool-retro-term and a few xscreensaver (Apple ][ and BSOD specifically) use that might help fine-tune simulated signal issues.

[@kbhasi]

Ooh! Your comment reminded me of hotel TV headend systems from the 2000s, as I remember staying in an Ibis hotel in Australia in around 2007 or so which had a "Movielink" headend system that had receivers with their own remotes and an IR box that sat in front of the IR window on the NEC CRT TV it was attached to. The headend system could only control power and volume on the TV, and other control commands went to the headend system receiver, which output over RF and was mapped to channel preset 0 on the TV.

[@LotoTheHero]

What a lovely TV. Great picture on that thing too! For me this was the TV at my friends house in the late 90's and early 2000's. I'm pretty sure theirs was an RCA very similar to this one. I do love these, but I don't currently have the space for one. I've got a more modern 27 inch CRT that I found on the curb on trash day a few years ago though. :)

[@williamwilson480]

I have a zenith floor model television and it was built October 1985 and the picture is beautiful on it I really love my TV😍

[@Benzona]

Passed one of these earlier the semester on my commute to school. Was heartbroken I couldn't get it into my Sedan.

[@ericwhitehead6451]

The first color TV my dad got was in 1979 (!) from Sears. It had little buttons that you touched to change the channels, and a little door that adjusted the picture. I was 12 at the time, and I remember that thing getting HOT!

[@theforgottenmovies3265]

It was the best looking vintage TV I have ever seen from the 80's. Thought it was much older at first. I wish they start making similar LCD televisions that are wood coloured. I would buy one straight away as long as there is scart and HDMI on the television. Should be perfect to play both vintage and retro consoles on. ;)

[@LowellMorgan]

My first apartment tv. It cut out every once in a while but a firm slap to the back would bring the image back. When we bought a new tv we turned the old one into a Guinea pig tank.

[@KC-kp4vh]

The watch is a nice touch to the vintage vibe of the video.

[@theforgottenmovies3265]

I’m so happy to see someone using the right word. A lot of people on internet today say retro instead of vintage. Sometimes I joke then and say: "I had no idea it was a copy" because retro means something that should resemble something older from a bygone era. :)

[@jckorn9148]

That set with those today's wireless controller adapters would be a dream. SNES, N64, and PS2 would be my setup.

[@frank1371]

I collect older consoles from the 1960s and early 70s, and man was that chassis size surprising! For my sets there is about 2 or 3 inches of empty space and then the rest of it is just the chassis with the electronics. Even my later solid state and hybrid consoles aren’t that small!

[@StevesAssortedStuff]

Yeah the board itself inside this thing is TINY compared to others I've seen in the past, the entire television itself isn't even all that heavy because of it. I've seen some of the RCA and Zenith sets from the late 90s with even smaller boards than this!

[@frank1371]

@@StevesAssortedStuff wow! yes, the later RCAs and Zeniths are nice because of the inputs, however I’ve always liked the styling and engineering of the earlier sets and some of the cabinet designs are great! I heard someone once say these later RCAs look as though a window maker designed it, and I can definitely see that, lol.

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

Oh man, my grandma and grandpa, when he was alive until 2017 they had a classical TV from 1975 until December 2021 that RCA was absolutely long-lived, lol and at my childhood home I had a living room 90's CRT TV that takes me back! in the 90's and mid 2000s

[@ab1dq593]

Great project idea... keep us updated.

[@americantadpole7162]

We had a console TV in our living room until December 2005, I was only 3.5, I do have small memories of it. You may wonder how I pinpointed the date, my mom made many home videos when I was growing up

[@adambeck8180]

Woah I didn't realize they made console TVs with the woven lattice speaker covers that late! My Grandma had a similar cabinet TV from the 70s with knobs and a small green rectangular button that glowed when you pressed to click the button in. I think it was labeled "RCA" and maybe boosted the color or something.

[@malcolmmurphy2924]

Beautiful tv love it . I loved everything 80s.

[@michaelpogue2032]

Ours was a rotary dialed quasar. Waiting for that tv to “warm up” and the picture to slowly come into view was something that even you are missing out on with your console. Also, watching the picture collapse into a single dot of the electron gun, and slowly disappear is something this generation will never understand. We respected the living room television as a piece of furniture in the house, and dude, props on the top loader. My stepdad gave me his for my room when I was little. Quasar again, with wood grain accent panels, but virtually identical to yours. Do you have the corded pause button for filtering commercials from your recordings? Yes, that was a feature. Gawd, it makes me miss analog.

[@teddine7366]

I don't know why in the title it's being referred to as a "grandma's" tv when half the people in the eighty's had a console tv. So many families had these types of tv's in their living rooms. The tv's built in the cheap plastic cases didn't get popular until the nineties sometime. And then we crammed them into entertainment centers.

[@TheMcGuireLife]

Hi. This is Jermey McGuire. I remember growing up in the ‘90s, i use to see these tv consoles. I remember having a Zenith 25” CRT TV In the late ‘90s The button layout on your 1988 RCA CRT TV reminds me of the Zenith CRT TV, I once had that sat on a swivel base. Unfortunately the CRT went out in the early 2000’s I prefer 16.9 widescreen HD over 4.3 SD you can’t get SD now these days.” I’d rather have my flatscreen tv mounted on the wall, and recliner In front of the tv and surround sound system !! I got that setup in my bedroom upstairs that’s the way I roll!!!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@inkey2]

A GOOD STORY.......around 1974 our neighbor across the street had a beautiful RCA color console "with remote control". The set must have been 10 years old. She asked me if i wanted it because it never got channel 7 very well and their favorite shows were on that channel. I almost didn't take it because it was as heavy as a bank vault. I ended up taking it with the help of a friend. The TV worked like new. My older brother was watching it with me and I mentioned that channel 7 doesn't come in well, He laughed and said "nobody in this part of the city gets 7 well",,,,it's our location. You need a roof antenna to get 7 well." So that ends the story how I got a beautiful large color RCA console. That TV lasted another 7 years.

[@c0ldsh0w3r]

That idea with the raspberry pi is pretty awesome

[@RobertKliethermes]

I have two RCA console TV's, one's a 1988 and the other a 1993 model. Love the look of those TVs and they have great picture quality. Though my 1988 model is not as fancy as yours is. It just has a single RCA connection and no fancy HIFI out stuff.

[@BanjoGate]

I believe that if Clint from Lazy Game Reviews saw this TV in person, he would really enjoy getting up close and personal with that authentic woodgrain. I had one of these... it was a rather poor TV (I don't think it even worked), but it was good as a desk to do homework on... In hindsight it wasn't that good of a desk, but when you're smol, it's a very big table.

[@923EON]

Fantastic video! Love the CRT. I still have my mid-80s 10" Philips 10-channel RF only Color TV! I too have a collection of modulators (2x single composite UHF mono modulators & 1x 4-ch stereo analog modulators) in addition to a selection of Digital TV MPEG2/4 HD modulators that connect in with my existing home coaxial wiring. The coax also carries the standard OTA channels and MoCA traffic. I am pretty sure that my simulated channels "leak" out via my external roof antenna also!! Yet to meet a neighbour sparking up a conversation on why they still get analog!! 😅