17 Feb
2010
17 Feb
'10
1:32 a.m.
--- On Tue, 2/16/10, Brian Lanning <brianlanning at gmail.com> wrote:
The next question pertains to console televisions.?
I'd like to find (much
to my wife's dismay) a console television like the one my
parents had back
in the late 70s.? I'd like to use it to play old video
game consoles from
the 70s and 80s.? I believe these were all vacuum tube
sets though, is that
correct?? Is there a good source for these things (the
TVs and the tubes)
today??
Console TV's are easy to get. Just talk to your local flea market/junk shop, and let
them know you want them. They pretty routinely throw them away. Also check craigslist,
they show up for free pretty regularly.
I also collect old televisions. Repairing and maintaining tube type TV's isn't
that hard. The tubes are readily available and inexpensive. Primary failures are old
capacitors. Tubes are actually quite reliable. The only ones that are kinda hard to keep
running are the real early color sets, the ones with the round picture tubes. Convergence
is touchy and the power supply sections can be problematic. BTW, if you find one of these
and don't want it... let me know <grin>.
If you want a daily watcher, a solid state set will probably be easier to find and easier
to maintain. TV's used tubes up until the 60's and the very cheap sets of the
early 70's, later ones were solid state. In the 70's, Zenith made what is quite
possibly one of the best series of television sets ever - the Zenith Chromacolor II. They
came in tabletop and console models. They're solid state, extremely reliable, and have
a wonderful picture. Most console sets you'll find today are later ones from the
80's with digital controls, but you really will want an older one with knob tuners.
And don't sit so close to the screen! You'll go blind!
-Ian