Monday - April 04, 2011

The oldest TV set in Britain: Built in 1936…

Take a look at this. I think it has a high wow factor considering it still works and will work with modern attachments as described in the article.
But I’m not too impressed that few of them are still around as compared to a violin.  I don’t think too many ppl would have seen a future value in a TV set, and darn few would remain in very good condition anyway.  I think folks have a different view of a rare violin and a box that shows pictures in the home. Maybe people don’t have the same kind of attitude towards something mass produced or that comes from a production line, as opposed to something crafted by hand hundreds of years ago minus modern tools.
Having said all that .... I am impressed by this anyway.

I knew the Brits had a TV system in the late 1920’s and the war got in the way of commercial development. I also knew they were broadcasting something before we were. Or at least I read that.

Too bad our countries aren’t on the same TV system. Brits have something called PAL, USA I think is NTSC. RCA wanted to be first and so rushed out the first really successful units, the Brits wanted better quality with more dots per inch and so came in behind us.  I did notice a better picture on the sets here many years ago, but not enough I don’t think to bother complaining about with regard to our TV back home. It seemed good enough for me. But the pix here is sharper. Or it once was I should say.

Some tech advances are lost on me though. For example, I suppose in classical music there are many who have an ear I lack and so need all the extra stuff in audio to hear each and every little bitty thing that most people never hear anyway.  But my love of old Jazz starting in the teens as in, 1917 and running into the early 40’s doesn’t require any more then a speaker. And mono at that.  And that’s true too of the early R & R as well.  But that’s just my own personal choice.

The oldest TV set in Britain: Built in 1936… and it’s only had two careful owners

By Luke Salkeld

Last updated at 9:20 AM on 4th April 2011

* Only three hours of TV a day, and ONE channel in 1936
* Originally cost half the average British annual wage at £100

For £5,000 you might have expected a bigger, flatter screen.

But this television does come with 75 years of broadcasting history – and you can still hook it up to a Freeview box.

Built in 1936, the Marconi type-702 is the oldest working television set in Britain.

Classic: The 75-year-old set comes with a 12-inch screen and is contained in a walnut and mahogany case with the picture being reflected onto a mirror that opens from the top

It was bought for just under £100 only three weeks after transmissions in Britain began. And with just one channel broadcasting for two hours a day, there wasn’t much need for a remote control.

But what the television lacks in modern technology, it makes up for in reliability. Only 30 per cent of its components have been replaced during its lifetime, all with identical parts.
Rare: There are more 18th century Stradivarius violins in existence that pre-war TVs and this set has only had two owners

Rare: There are more 18th century Stradivarius violins in existence that pre-war TVs and this set has only had two owners

The 75-year-old set has a 12in screen contained in a walnut and mahogany case, with the picture reflected on to a mirror for the viewer to look at.

It is now being auctioned along with its original invoice, made out to a Mr G. B. Davis of Dulwich.

Unfortunately for Mr Davis, his viewing was cut short when the local transmitter burned down just three days after he bought the set on November 26, and his area could not receive pictures again for ten years.

Bonhams specialist Laurence Fisher said: ‘This is being sold by the late owner’s family and is the oldest working TV set in Britain.

‘Its case is made from walnut and mahogany to give a two-tone effect and doesn’t have wheels and is quite a big lump.

‘The picture is reflected on to its lid and at the time it was bought there was only one channel. Unfortunately for the original owner, three days after he bought it the Crystal Palace burned down and that was where the transmitter was.

‘His area did not receive pictures again until after the war. But at least people who visited him would know he had [a television], even if he couldn’t use it.

‘Most programmes at the time would be live and there were plays which were grand productions like you would have at the theatre.’

But as revealed by the listings above, from the day the television was purchased, the same programmes were often shown twice a day – proving that frequent repeats are not a recent invention.

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 04/04/2011 at 06:13 AM   
Filed Under: • Science-Technology • UK •  
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