How RCA Changed the World - The History of RCA | Polara YT

[@TheOnlyRealMeo]

I thoroughly enjoyed your video. As an employee of RCA and then in its operations under GE and Thomson for almost 30 years I worked most of that time in the Equipment Engineering group, and then for a few more as a contractor assisting at some foreign operations for them. I am especially pleased that you highlighted the contributions of so many of my predecessors and peers and the many inventions and innovations that derived from RCA, many of which have been significant and many of which are still in use today. I am proud to have contributed a few patents and such as a member of that very large creative group. Thank you for presenting this in such a clear and interesting way, and I think that perhaps I can speak also for so many others that I mentioned to thank you on their behalf as well. Carl Farmer, E.E. Retired

[@PolaraYT]

So glad you enjoyed!

[@YesHi-n8g]

Ok

[@PaulHeffner]

That's a nice overview of RCA, I wish they had touched upon their computer development through the 60's until they sold it off in '72.

[@thomasparisi5333]

Great video, you hit all the highlights .....

[@veiledzorba]

They should have NEVER lost the "Lightening Bolt" logo...

[@PoliticalCineaste]

Good video. One minor quibble. The first videodisc system to come on the market was Laserdisc in 1978. The Selectavision disc system came out in 1981, but was not as high resolution as the Laserdisc system. Selectavision was first demonstrated in the early 1970s and might have had a following if it were released at that time. With an almost ten-year delay, it was already an outdated design. Selectavision's failure is one of the reasons RCA was nearly bankrupt by 1984.

[@PolaraYT]

Thank you for the information! It's a shame that SelectaVision was a disaster for RCA...

[@wapartist]

We had one alot like that ColorTrac 2000. Was a later model but very close

[@wawawis]

Of any of the American TV/Radio brands, RCA was probably the most diversified with only GE coming as close. Those 2 companies meddled in almost everything that had to do with electricity. RCA even had a video game console, Studio 2. Zenith, while not near as diversified, proved to be their toughest competitor when it came to both radio & television technology. Their mid-century radios were hard to beat and they invented the first 3 versions of the TV remote control. And in the 1970's, their Chromecolor I & II sets blew RCA sets out of the water. They were the brightest on the market and they lasted forever. They were succeeded by their Tri-Focus picture tubes with the EFL electron guns. And while not as long-lasting as the previous Chromecolor delta tubes, they had a picture quality that rivaled the Sony Trinitron. Sylvania GT also had a similar tube but it worn out faster. I also believe GE had released one set with a similar picture tube, but Zenith would use their tube extensively for a few years. It was very expensive to produce and the general public did not care enough about the extra picture quality for them to continue making them. Zenith also played a big role in the HDTV transmission system/standard. Magnavox was the first to produce a home video game console and a digital display. Magnavox and Zenith deserve to be covered also. Unfortunately, those names have completely disappeared from everyday electronics some time ago. Motorola/Quasar was another major American brand who's beset accomplishment was their "works in a drawer modular chassis but nothing else about their televisions stood out. It's amazing how much bigger RCA was though in comparison. And with that being said, it's crazy to see that any of their competitors were able to compete with them on anything as in the case of Zenith, who would struggle on another 13 years after RCA.

[@littlefacemitt_i]

Holy crap, this deserves more views! Keep up the good work my guy

[@CauserHostCH]

thank you so much for all the knowledge here. RCA really contributed a lot.

[@geralderdek282]

I came across a picture taken at RCAs semi conductor plant in Bridgewater n.j. in the mid 60s. I was really pleased and surprised to see my mother working at a microscope inspecting transistors. It was an archives photo. I remember when she got a bad acid burn on her left hand once and sure enough, there was a white bandage on her left hand in the photo!

[@PolaraYT]

Yikes for that acid burn! Thank you for sharing this story though!

[@williamoverly1617]

My father worked for RCA starting during World War Ii and into the 1960s. As a result, our family was one of the first in our neighborhood to have television. I remember when, as a kid, he took me to see an early prototype of commercial color television. Great memories!

[@PolaraYT]

That's so cool! Thank you for sharing!

[@susanconaty-buck909]

My Dad also worked for RCA in the computer division from the 50s until 1976 and we also were the first family in our town to have TV. My parents decided to raise our family in NJ and that wonderful man took the train to the subway to the bus to get to Rockefeller Center and then back again each evening - I went with him once and was wiped out from the travel. I teach AI and my students are amazed about the evolution of technology.

[@petrofilmeurope]

Excellent presentation with an optimistic beat to it. Thanks from Oslo.

[@ethanstayer262]

I’m very new to the history of rca but u feel as though I learned a lot! I became interested because I’m using an old rca color tv from 1995 I watched as a kid for an art project in college! Crazy to think how much they’ve changed the world.

[@ethanstayer262]

Thank you very much for the knowledge, I’m excited to see what you cover next!

[@jameshopper7840]

I remember a lttle of this. Thanks. Wow! We've come a long way!

[@edturentine5044]

Please show the stereo division please

[@eblackadder3]

@@edturentine5044 There was no "stereo division" it would have been part of a "consumer electronics" division, along with TV, radio, video, etc.

[@henrybrandt1057]

Thanks for the nice overview of the company's history. If you ever do a sequel or an edit of this I think in addition to PaulHeffner's excellent suggestion to include their computer products, you might also spend some time on Sarnoff Labs and the semiconductor business unit (which was the first to commercialize CMOS digital ICs). One more thing - RCA provided NASA with communications equipment on board the Apollo missions as well as crucial defense systems such as AGEIS and BMEWS.

[@PolaraYT]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@johneddy908]

@henrybrandt1057, I'm sure it is because of this that one of RCA's first internet tablets was named "Voyager."

[@robertogomez2791]

RCA , mantuvo calidad hasta mediados de los 90' . luego de esto la marca se prostituyo.ahora solo recuerdos de una marca excepcional.saludos cordiales desde el Salvador.

[@ljjackson7106]

Next do SERCO: The biggest company you never heard of yet runs the world.

[@PolaraYT]

I'll put that into consideration in the future.

[@JoshuaTDillard]

Go Andrew Stanfield!! Georgio himself,,, whoooo

[@jamesslick4790]

Oddly, RCA developed compatible color TV (codified as NTSC) and did have the first "mass produced" set, It was Westinghouse that sold the FIRST compatible (NTSC) TV set!

[@PolaraYT]

Thank you for the info!

[@OMVCVideo]

@@jamesslick4790 …although the color TV picture tube in the Westinghouse set was made by RCA

[@jamesslick4790]

@@OMVCVideo It's still a fun fact that Westinghouse had the the first set commercially available.

[@ImpetuouslyInsane]

Why does this sound like this was made with AI voice and script generation?

[@PolaraYT]

It was 100% scripted, but I did speak with my real voice :)

[@johneddy908]

The RCA trademarks are owned by Talisman Brands, Inc. these days. Talisman carries on the licensing of the RCA brand to various manufacturers that make televisions, internet tablets and major appliances. I own an RCA internet tablet.

[@PolaraYT]

Yes! I'm honestly shocked that Technicolor SA sold the trademark to Talisman within a few months after this video was published; that part of the video aged poorly relatively quickly haha

[@Embargoman]

Probably this would be to let Panasonic re enter the US, by releasing their TVs under the RCA brand for it renaissance for the brand to have more potential from back in the 1950s.

[@PolaraYT]

Panasonic doesn't release TVs under the RCA brand.

[@Embargoman]

@@PolaraYT Yeah I know that but for Panasonic to re-enter the US market is that by using the RCA name is to let the brand stand out of the others line LG, Samsung, and Sony but with Panasonic releasing the RCA name in the US will have a bigger impact than Vizio.

[@stanshelton923]

RCA made quality products. I have a 1952 21” RCA that I watch daily.

[@Embargoman]

@@stanshelton923 I am glad to have an RCA TV before when RCA was under Thomson Corporation or Thomson Electronics; yet RCA made quality color TVs, now I have Sony from Japan, yet RCA the brand should be under Panasonic these days, so RCA could be in it’s glory days.

[@YesHi-n8g]

I have a rca xl 100 tv in my room for my ti-99/4a

[@PolaraYT]

Nice!

[@ingenfestbrems]

Don’t think even 50% of rca products was made “in house “ guess they outsourced really much

[@PolaraYT]

All of RCA's products today are manufactured by third-party companies who just license the trademark.

[@georgecondrache5518]

Open rca radio corporation of america?

[@PolaraYT]

Yep, if that's what you mean

[@hamdiben8163]

Owners of geniuses patents, corporate thieves.... why not talking about semiconductors?? Did you know that taiwan has that technology because RCA transfered it to them?

[@PolaraYT]

When RCA's trademark was licensed to other companies, they became responsible for manufacturing technology under the RCA brand. I did talk about how starting in the 1990s, RCA's electronics division would be based off semiconductor manufacturing when they introduced Chipper the dog.

[@hamdiben8163]

@@PolaraYT aaah ok