What a wonderful tribute to American build quality - and from 1956 as well! Here in England we had to wait until 1967 for colour TV, and then it was only on one channel (BBC2) until 1971. Thank you drh4683 for uploading this. Bye!
Absolutely amazing and in such excellent condition. Do you restore these then sell them? Because I'm in the market for a vintage good working condition 1961-1965 "roundie" console to put in my 1958 "all original" ranch style suburban home. I'm working on making the living room all period correct vintage pre-65. just finished the kitchen which still has it's original turquoise and white "stardust" tiles. I had to strip all the old paint off the orig cabinets and refinish in it's orig oak color.
That is a spectacular picture. They really knew how to build these things back in the day. Just curous I only saw one channel knob was this set UHF capable or did it only get channels 2-13? (not that it metters now that analog TV is long gone, just being curous)
interesting oiut first color set was 50 yearssss ago to replace aten yeard adermal that served well it was a Sears I do not know who really made it ,the losest price$500 metle cabinet and a side oounted chassi that had 27 tubes I belie e who loved the cat he as always on the worm sideohm I wonder coud these old sets have a monior function instoled? we gave it 7yearslater tp some oneup the ally when I saw it I had to pat good by the admerial I gave t to some one for parts
cool tv set my mother told me a story about when she was little they had an old tv set like that but in B&W tube and she said they wanted to buy this film that gos over the other srceen and it would turn it into a color tv but my grandfather surprise the family with a brand new color tv instead but thet kept the B&W for the guess room but never did buy that film kit to make it a color tv have you ever seen that kit before? and how well did it work
According to SONY American shadow mask color TV's were awful before they invented the Trinitron. Looking at how well this early set performs I'd have to say RCA did a pretty good job. Of course you had to watch it with the shades drawn, but color TV technology was in its infancy. This TV says allot about American gumption and ingenuity. Thanks for showing this remarkable set. Amazing ! JD
How were you able to find a TV with a still working picture tube. Most old sets have sets have dimmed with age or have become "gassy" with air leaks. A picture tube restoring machine can sometimes brighten it a little but hardly nothing can be done for a tube that has air in it. I'm surprised this tube is still watchable.
My great-grandma had one in her basement that was essentially the same build, or cabinet-type, but it was B&W. Just read "RCA Victor" where it does here.
In 1995, I plugged it in and turned it on, as it hadn't been used since the mid 60's and I tell you what...the burning smell that came from it has yet to leave that basement after 16 years. Didn't work, needless to say.
Fascinating to see a color television from 1956. Even though the color is excellent it was an unheard of luxury. I have several TV guides from 1956 and 57 which list only a couple hours of color broadcasting a day. A couple of shows, and the occasional special program hardly made a color tv practical even if you could affford it.
Along with the picture, the sound is incredible as well, I'm really surprised at the bass response. When I was a boy my parents had a very similar RCA with a phono jack on the back in which dad had a record changer plugged into. I remember for having just one speaker it could fill the whole house with music and make the cloth on the front vibrate in and out. Strange the things you remember, great video, thank you.
So, is the standard definition of this TV equal to that of modern standard definition stuff? On your video, it looks as good as any other newer standard def TV.
@BfSkinnerPunk Televisions of today uses the same picture format as television from the 50s. This is no longer true with the advent of digital TV broadcasts.
There is something magical about older equipment, both television and radio. Here in Australia, 1956 was when we started our TV in black and white. We did not get color until 1975. Great stuff!
Beautiful restoration. It's great to see that there are people interested in preserving these sets for future generations to enjoy watching. The first color TV I remember seeing was my uncle's CBS 21" color TV. I believe it was also from 1956.
It's kinda funny watching modern programming on a vintage set like that. Beautiful restoration, nice work! Obviously this video was made a while back when we still had analog TV signals. I'm sure a digital box would look good on it as well.
Nice restoration job, color is very good. Of course, today's transmitted color signal is cleaner and better than that of the 50's. The widescreen picture of the cooking show really cuts the size of the received image, with the rounded sides. My neighbors across the street had one of these. We would be invited over to watch Disney's WWOC. Soo cool, really impressive for me as an eight year old. Thanks for posting.
Beautiful set and great restoration! I'm curious about something: given the standards for television production in the 1950's and the greater use of camera movement in a "broadcast quality" signal these days-- and the way color is rendered from newer camera CCD imagers... is there any adverse affect to the television when viewing today's (well, until recently) analog signals? Does rapid camera movement within an image overload this TV in any way?
I was wondering why the Goetz family would spend all that money for this set when almost all of TV was in black & white in those days ?? Just seems like such a waste for the time. Way cool item to own though... then... and now.
I have always wanted a metal tube CTC-5 with a good CRT. These sets were plentiful when I was repairing radio & TV in the 50's & 60's. I do have 2 CTC-7's. One is a Beauty, The first remote controlled RCA Color TV ( as far as I know) ever made. It is a CTC-7 With 14 mirrored buttons on a hinge out panel on the right at the set and a Matching remote control with 14 mirrored buttons that has a hinge out holder for it on the left. This probably one of the rarest sets in existence. John
That "blonde beast" was our first color TV in NYC when I was 6 years old! Grandma bought it at Macy's after we'd been invited to the first "ColorCast" of the Rose Parade Jan 54.. The set required a rooftop antenna even in NYC, which cost almost as much as the set itself. Their apartment was on the 12th floor and the roof was on 15. The wiring was dropped down a riser/chase and then under baseboards & molding to the library. The set was AMAZING! I'm delighted to see one, still WORKING!
@markinscottsdale These TVs like any electronics, modern or vintage, need repair work or restoration sooner or later. But these vintage TVs because of their unique appearance, historical significance, and use of expensive wooden cabinets, are extremely valuable financially and sentimentally.
Nice shop..everything neat and organized. I used to manage a tv repair shop. I hope to reopen it and have more space so I can find some old sets to fix. Is that the original picture tube?
yes i remember our (still have it) 1967 zenith tv-23 " blackand white console-no afc but was our first with the preset finetuning---but of course there were always older ones hanging around so fine tuning EVERY time you change the channel ...and i may have mentioned elswhere that i have a 1957 rca color tv service manual-bought it for 3 $ at the choc (childrens hosp[ital orange county) thrift store
I cannot believe you had original elecrolytics that were still good, and the CRT itself was still good. Unbelievable. It must have been stored away under excellent conditions for many, many years.
Back in the day you put a piece of cardboard folded up and jammed it in the channel selector to hold it in the right place and you had to know just where to thump the case when the vertical hold started to flip. Those were the days.:)
I love your videos! However... You did one injustice. You took the cover off, yet you did not show the tubes all light up with the Television in operation. I think that's half the beauty of these classic sets, all those tubes just glowing, operating everything, bringing entertainment.
Man... I AM IMPRESSED! What a collection! It is people like youself, we are all blessed with, that will preserve these valuable examples of technology. JOB WELL DONE.
Wow, 3DTV in the fifties! And I find that round TV matte for those old sets, being a kid from the 21st century, quite annoying. Well, I guess old shows back then had such of a reference matte.
Great effort mate! I'm doing a resto on an early b/w Australian tube tv. I admire your efforts. Look at how clean everything is in that beautiful receiver. I hope you really enjoy it.
There are pictures of Elvis Presley's music room at Graceland that has an identical television set to this one here. The Goetz's must have been wealthy, as it seems not too many people could afford a set such as this.
my uncle bought one of these sets in 1956 or 1957. he gave it to my family in 1964. i was excited the day it arrived @our house! our first color tv. we eventually got rid of it, but i'll never forget.
A radio engineer friend helped me restore an old B/W console with AM radio and turntable from around 1957.. mostly paper capacitor problems.. all point-to-point wiring of course. Amazingly, the owner still had a service manual. It had a section on how to add a color wheel to your B/w set, and advice to the serviceman for the new color sets.. "customers should expect weekly service calls." Wow, we have come a long way!
I'm amazed at how well the picture tube has held up. Most of the old sets that I have seen, even those from the 80s have picture tubes that have dimmed so much that you have to watch it in the dark. Most have gotten gasey as well, even if they use a crt restore to brighten it, it will still look blurred. Great TV.
This video was shot before the analog shutdown. You could still watch it with cable or a converter box or one of the remaining low power analog stations.
It sounds like it has pretty good sound, I would think that would pretty standard given that they used tubes. How much did this cost when it was new, but in 2010 dollars? How does the picture compare to modern sets (not the new HD, but the sets you could buy up to a couple of years ago)?
Pretty cool, just goes to show that when they built electronics in western countries they were built to last. I bet this TV was worth the equivalent of $5000 when it came out.
Set up nicely, those old roundtube sets had really beautiful pictures. I do remember that those early sets had a lot of tubes and the chassis weighed a ton, and like the zenith sets, were all hand wired, imagine the labor involved in that much wiring!
@Oldbmwr100rs I definitely agree about the picture. My family had a Zenith 'roundie' in the 1960's. I remember, once in a while, the set had to be demagnetized.
DAMN My grandfather would piss his pants if he saw this. He thought he was a bona fide TV repairman when TVs had tubes and stuff. He lives with us andat his house, he has about a dozen old TVs in one of his rooms. I see it has a good picture. COOL! I though the ladty cooking was Giada De Laurentis. I liked that. That really had a nice picture for a 54 year old TV.
Hats off for having the forethought to videotape this... BTW the Bass on that TV is phenomenal! Even with the cameramicrophone I can hear the FULL sound coming out of that speaker! RCA obviously didn't skimp on the amplifier/speaker system.... oh, and the color is gorgeous - like kodachrome.
Back in my younger days (around 1969), I got my first TV job for a guy who sold second hand TV's. I encountered a few CTC 5 sets, and they were outstanding sets. We sold them for $79.95 or so because they were big and not many people wanted the old upright color models. The RCA sets were really among the best televisions available, up until the Thomson takeover. The quality started slipping on many of their products after that.
I have a related video on YouTube you might be interested in about how television sets were sold from the 1950s-1970s entitled, "TV MAN: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST INDEPENDENT DEALER."
As a qualified TV technician I loved this video. I qualified too late (1994) to enjoy a lasting career in the TV field after cheap imports and throw-away flat panels made repairs and service uneconomic (no use for TV technicians these days) Very impressed with the sound and picture quality - I was expecting to see dynamic convergence and geometry distortion problems aplenty(like you'd typically see on a 1970s delta gun PAL receiver) but your set is perfect. Fantastic!
Wonderful! Really enjoyed watching this. My grandmother won a RCA color TV in 1958. I recall very time you changed the station all of the color nobs had to be adjusted. That set worked untill 1975 or so. Sadly, it was put in the trash...
You did a great job restoring this TV. Now if you don't mind, I have a unrelated question. Is that a pre-CSI William Petersen (Grissom) at 3:364:14 and 6:40 ? Does anyone know what movie that is??
My dad told me that he used to have one of these in his house. Oh baby, all the kids from the block would come to see this space aged device in action from the window or inside. Tv has come a long way.
My father bought a 1960 new Vista color "X ray machine" brand new. At that time there was only a handful of programs broadcast in color. It was the talk of our neighborhood! Also noteworthy was the speaker system which was high fidelity, and could (and was) used as an extension speaker for our Orthophonic SHF-4 hi fi set. The new vista color televisions exceled in picture quality, and sound. It was eventually abandoned in 1987, after a long storage ... I had no idea it could be recapped.
I have a similar CTC-5 that I restored about 10 years ago, has dark cabinet. Fun to watch old color shows, especially the rare videotapes like those Fred Astaire specials. There's nothing like the 'look' of those early network shows done with the TK40/41 cameras. My set is in my bedroom and I occasionally watch it. Also have it hooked to a digital tv tuner, talk about mixing old tech 'n hi-tech! Have 3 other old color roundies and 2 Zenith porthole tvs too. Thanks for the vid.... Mark
Doug, I have joined the "CTC5" club, after waiting since about 1979!! I just picked up the mahogahny version of this set last weekend 21CT7855, in Casey, Ill. A preliminary test of the tube showed it to be VERY good on all 3 guns. It is currently in the house garage, but soon will be in the basement, near the 1962 and 64 Zenith color sets in there, and the GE model 810 1949 BW set. (BTW--you know me as RCA2000--on VK.)
What tv shows were in color in 1956? probably not a whole lot! I have seen ads in Life magazines for these sets in the 50's, and they were not cheap! Your tv is sooo cool! 1956 is my favorite year for alot of things, including my daily driver, a 56' Mercury wagon! It is soo wonderful you are restoring a part of American electronic history! Thank you!
I'm glad you filmed this TV in operation while you still had analog TV channels to tune in. Changing channels and readjusting for each channel as you did is an experience that will soon be unknown to younger TV fans. The heat and even slight odor (burning dust or hot wires??) were also part of the earlier TV experience. Thanks
@NP4Mayans funny, I was thinking the exact same thing... Hats off for having the forethought to videotape this... BTW the Bass on that TV is phenomenal! Even with the cameramicrophone I can hear the FULL sound coming out of that speaker! RCA obviously didn't skimp on the amplifier/speaker system.... oh, and the color is gorgeous - like kodachrome.
Hello, a very close friend is viewing your video along side me, he is a radio and television engineer, he also was a radio personality who worked at WIFI FM radio in Philadelphia in the late 60's. He has the same model in Mahogany, minus the tubes, cabinet is in descent condition. He gives you two strong thumbs up on your technical courage for attempting restoration on a nightmare like this!
The original color cathode ray tubes were round. It was easier to make the tubes that way, so it lowered the initial cost of color TVs from about $1,000 to a more "affordable" $500.
I always thought, that only our german TV is scrap, but when I saw the "American Idol" show I had the same feeling to vomit as I have it on its german version "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" from RTL - it REALLY looks the same - NO difference.
Sports is OK, but the diet cooking shows are overcrowding the german TV as bad as it seems here.
i have read that early - 1940's and 1950's UK sets, with paper-wrapped capacitors (rationing), regularly made middle-of-the-night sitting-room bonfires.
your beeb (the BBC to us yanks) used to sign off at night with advice to unplug your set!
reference (that i have personally viddied): French and Saunders parody of early BBC with Jennifer S. advising all to:
not only disconnect your set from the mains, but also to remove all the valves before sleep.
Before a valve / tube will burn any set, ten overheated transistors/IC's will burn the cheap plastic of their set's housing.
Most reasons for excessive overheat are either overloaded resistors or sometimes (more seldom) a burst electrolytic capacitor.
BOTH of them are fitted to even the most modern electronic equipment.
A worn out valve / tube gets weaker leaving an open circuit finally - transistors make a short circuit on defect => connectet parts are overloaded => burned.
In 1957, Gaspar Pumarejo, a Cuban TV pioneer brought the first Cuban color tv station Channel 12-Havana (first out side the USA) and sold thousands of Color TV sets like the one on the video.
This set still amazes me whenever I see it. Good color, black level regulation, sound, and sharpness. I wish things still lasted this long, especially CRT's.
The Orange Drops probably make the set perform better than new as well.
Does it still have all of the original carbon resistors in the chassis?
These really old sets are the only reason why it's a shame there is no analog tv these days (considering there still WAS just a few years ago).
BilisNegra 2 days ago
what is that film with william petersen?
quaxk 2 weeks ago
I dont understand how you can get a picture on an old set?
arn't the signals different now?
bluedoris88 4 weeks ago
What a wonderful tribute to American build quality - and from 1956 as well! Here in England we had to wait until 1967 for colour TV, and then it was only on one channel (BBC2) until 1971. Thank you drh4683 for uploading this. Bye!
Wnoronz 1 month ago
how much channel does it as?
jayceeclone 1 month ago
Absolutely amazing and in such excellent condition. Do you restore these then sell them? Because I'm in the market for a vintage good working condition 1961-1965 "roundie" console to put in my 1958 "all original" ranch style suburban home. I'm working on making the living room all period correct vintage pre-65. just finished the kitchen which still has it's original turquoise and white "stardust" tiles. I had to strip all the old paint off the orig cabinets and refinish in it's orig oak color.
tpembert 2 months ago
wow thats a really nice set! props to you!
Wavedude21101 2 months ago
That is a spectacular picture. They really knew how to build these things back in the day. Just curous I only saw one channel knob was this set UHF capable or did it only get channels 2-13? (not that it metters now that analog TV is long gone, just being curous)
WillWatchAnything 2 months ago
@drh4683 have you ever witnessed a implosion
TheGta473 2 months ago
Wonderful work, what colors programs were being broadcast in 1956, I assume they were all NBC.
erielackman 2 months ago
i've always preferred the picture of old tvs.
jnmerd 2 months ago
Cool. The color is surprisingly saturated for a 55 yr old set.
andros1984 2 months ago
interesting oiut first color set was 50 yearssss ago to replace aten yeard adermal that served well it was a Sears I do not know who really made it ,the losest price$500 metle cabinet and a side oounted chassi that had 27 tubes I belie e who loved the cat he as always on the worm sideohm I wonder coud these old sets have a monior function instoled? we gave it 7yearslater tp some oneup the ally when I saw it I had to pat good by the admerial I gave t to some one for parts
SUPERDAVIDLEVINE 2 months ago
cool tv set my mother told me a story about when she was little they had an old tv set like that but in B&W tube and she said they wanted to buy this film that gos over the other srceen and it would turn it into a color tv but my grandfather surprise the family with a brand new color tv instead but thet kept the B&W for the guess room but never did buy that film kit to make it a color tv have you ever seen that kit before? and how well did it work
grizzleybearz282004 2 months ago
he turns it on at 3:20
happyturtle18 3 months ago
@happyturtle18
Heaven forbid should you learn a little history before I turned the set on...
drh4683 3 months ago 12
Very nice set and has very sharp picture!
DaAnalogDogg86 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Jump to 3:25 if you want to see it on :)
leaveblank 3 months ago
According to SONY American shadow mask color TV's were awful before they invented the Trinitron. Looking at how well this early set performs I'd have to say RCA did a pretty good job. Of course you had to watch it with the shades drawn, but color TV technology was in its infancy. This TV says allot about American gumption and ingenuity. Thanks for showing this remarkable set. Amazing ! JD
jdollinter 3 months ago
@jdollinter I remember the first Triniton, as I bought one, and they were a dubious improvement, at best.
Simplicimus1945 3 months ago
How were you able to find a TV with a still working picture tube. Most old sets have sets have dimmed with age or have become "gassy" with air leaks. A picture tube restoring machine can sometimes brighten it a little but hardly nothing can be done for a tube that has air in it. I'm surprised this tube is still watchable.
patrick9648 3 months ago
Does anyone know what a set like that adjusted for inflation cost today?
johneamer 4 months ago
GEEZ,TURN THE DAMN THING ON ALREADY!
deeniemarie7 4 months ago
@deeniemarie7
Thank you for your useless comment.
drh4683 4 months ago 13
that was a mistake that was aposed to goto my msn...
shade1232011 5 months ago
That girl singing is flat.
albertusj 5 months ago
My great-grandma had one in her basement that was essentially the same build, or cabinet-type, but it was B&W. Just read "RCA Victor" where it does here.
In 1995, I plugged it in and turned it on, as it hadn't been used since the mid 60's and I tell you what...the burning smell that came from it has yet to leave that basement after 16 years. Didn't work, needless to say.
petsounds75 5 months ago
That is a really bright picture for its' age.
awackocrank 5 months ago
This is so cool! My parents had one and it was the first time I ever got to play with knobs.
dhassinger 5 months ago
Fascinating to see a color television from 1956. Even though the color is excellent it was an unheard of luxury. I have several TV guides from 1956 and 57 which list only a couple hours of color broadcasting a day. A couple of shows, and the occasional special program hardly made a color tv practical even if you could affford it.
mytvmemories 5 months ago
Along with the picture, the sound is incredible as well, I'm really surprised at the bass response. When I was a boy my parents had a very similar RCA with a phono jack on the back in which dad had a record changer plugged into. I remember for having just one speaker it could fill the whole house with music and make the cloth on the front vibrate in and out. Strange the things you remember, great video, thank you.
Mrphatbastard1 5 months ago
Somehow I expected to see "Father Knows Best".
psychodad1961 6 months ago
wait so you can't record live radio....but you can record live tv WTF youtube
shade1232011 6 months ago
@shade1232011 There are endless amounts of live radio recordings on youtube!
shreddez 5 months ago
@shreddez hmmmm
shade1232011 5 months ago
@shade1232011 What do you mean "hmmmmm" ? There are COUNTLESS live radio recordings on youtube? What is hmmmm about that?
shreddez 5 months ago
@shreddez that was a mistake that was aposed to goto my msn...
shade1232011 5 months ago
So, is the standard definition of this TV equal to that of modern standard definition stuff? On your video, it looks as good as any other newer standard def TV.
BfSkinnerPunk 6 months ago
@BfSkinnerPunk Televisions of today uses the same picture format as television from the 50s. This is no longer true with the advent of digital TV broadcasts.
EmperorOfMars 6 months ago
There is something magical about older equipment, both television and radio. Here in Australia, 1956 was when we started our TV in black and white. We did not get color until 1975. Great stuff!
bernaud13121913 6 months ago
It is so strange to watch modern television on this old thing, yet its picture is amazing. I'm suprised how clear the image is.
RGAF1987 6 months ago 3
Beautiful restoration. It's great to see that there are people interested in preserving these sets for future generations to enjoy watching. The first color TV I remember seeing was my uncle's CBS 21" color TV. I believe it was also from 1956.
AstroSonic1967 6 months ago
Very nice restoration, for myself i don;t repair tv's but these are worth restoring.
HAL4400 7 months ago
Great reception for analog especially for Chicago.
Idolheaded 7 months ago
Funny part is... I don't understand most of what you explain in this, however, it doesn't matter
OrliviaTheCat 7 months ago
@OrliviaTheCat Why not? I could, every word.
fancysnake1 7 months ago
@fancysnake1 I'm not tech saavy, that's all...
OrliviaTheCat 5 months ago
Awesome stuff! thanks!!!
OrliviaTheCat 7 months ago
this was really fun to watch!
CobainsRemains 8 months ago
Wow, this is trippy.It would be epic to watch the latest sci-fi movie on a 50's tv set.Even the bad singing at 5:50 is epic on this TV.
vo0sto0 8 months ago
Color tv must have been very expensive when it first came out. I am curious as to what a color tv set cost in today's dollars?
zooeyhall 8 months ago
It's kinda funny watching modern programming on a vintage set like that. Beautiful restoration, nice work! Obviously this video was made a while back when we still had analog TV signals. I'm sure a digital box would look good on it as well.
nakamichiguy 9 months ago
Nice restoration job, color is very good. Of course, today's transmitted color signal is cleaner and better than that of the 50's. The widescreen picture of the cooking show really cuts the size of the received image, with the rounded sides. My neighbors across the street had one of these. We would be invited over to watch Disney's WWOC. Soo cool, really impressive for me as an eight year old. Thanks for posting.
2n918 9 months ago
Beautiful set and great restoration! I'm curious about something: given the standards for television production in the 1950's and the greater use of camera movement in a "broadcast quality" signal these days-- and the way color is rendered from newer camera CCD imagers... is there any adverse affect to the television when viewing today's (well, until recently) analog signals? Does rapid camera movement within an image overload this TV in any way?
KahnBB6 9 months ago
That's a rare and beautiful old set you have, it probably should be in a museum.
It's worth noting that these sets cost more than the average car at that time.
packrat79 9 months ago
what a wonderful old set, I miss analog now!
yetdynamic 9 months ago
I was wondering why the Goetz family would spend all that money for this set when almost all of TV was in black & white in those days ?? Just seems like such a waste for the time. Way cool item to own though... then... and now.
thelazycomic 9 months ago
I have always wanted a metal tube CTC-5 with a good CRT. These sets were plentiful when I was repairing radio & TV in the 50's & 60's. I do have 2 CTC-7's. One is a Beauty, The first remote controlled RCA Color TV ( as far as I know) ever made. It is a CTC-7 With 14 mirrored buttons on a hinge out panel on the right at the set and a Matching remote control with 14 mirrored buttons that has a hinge out holder for it on the left. This probably one of the rarest sets in existence. John
cyjo2009 9 months ago
From 1956 still very good, congratulations..
MrAlexdesousa 9 months ago
cleveland?
xjmdm 10 months ago
That "blonde beast" was our first color TV in NYC when I was 6 years old! Grandma bought it at Macy's after we'd been invited to the first "ColorCast" of the Rose Parade Jan 54.. The set required a rooftop antenna even in NYC, which cost almost as much as the set itself. Their apartment was on the 12th floor and the roof was on 15. The wiring was dropped down a riser/chase and then under baseboards & molding to the library. The set was AMAZING! I'm delighted to see one, still WORKING!
markinscottsdale 10 months ago
@markinscottsdale These TVs like any electronics, modern or vintage, need repair work or restoration sooner or later. But these vintage TVs because of their unique appearance, historical significance, and use of expensive wooden cabinets, are extremely valuable financially and sentimentally.
MIKON8ERISBACK 10 months ago
Nice shop..everything neat and organized. I used to manage a tv repair shop. I hope to reopen it and have more space so I can find some old sets to fix. Is that the original picture tube?
whiskeyify 10 months ago
great color and sound. ill give you a thousand for it. but its probobly worth twice that right??
grabba73 10 months ago
I like the Quality
ovedclali 11 months ago
Amazing quality! What CRT tube you used as replacement?
ashtreebg 11 months ago
fantastic!!!!
TVDVCASABRANCA 11 months ago
Is that William Petersen?
jbrian80 11 months ago
I want that tv.. I like it than
LCD tv now a days.
xenon817 1 year ago
if something cost 500$ back then it would be about 4k $ now.
Mezugami 1 year ago
@Mezugami An example of a TV that is ridiculously undervalued would be those wooden cabinet console floor model TVs from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
MIKON8ERISBACK 10 months ago
yes i remember our (still have it) 1967 zenith tv-23 " blackand white console-no afc but was our first with the preset finetuning---but of course there were always older ones hanging around so fine tuning EVERY time you change the channel ...and i may have mentioned elswhere that i have a 1957 rca color tv service manual-bought it for 3 $ at the choc (childrens hosp[ital orange county) thrift store
renofirvine 1 year ago
I'm guessing $499.99 back in 1956. I assume this is a 21 incher.
Rlotpir1972 1 year ago
you got color on the bottom of your tv
bigdogonnet 1 year ago
Also, did you compute how many watts this model consumes? It has to be well over 100...
TheOldGunslinger 1 year ago
I cannot believe you had original elecrolytics that were still good, and the CRT itself was still good. Unbelievable. It must have been stored away under excellent conditions for many, many years.
TheOldGunslinger 1 year ago
Where's Elvis when you need him?
monkeyboy4746 1 year ago
advanced tech!!!
CANVECVIDEO 1 year ago
You took a while changing those caps! Was there any burnt tube?
ivaneduardo747 1 year ago
im 15 years old and classic things like old tv or old cars are what i thinks are the best i even read old books to learn about the 50's
nesi987 1 year ago
Back in the day you put a piece of cardboard folded up and jammed it in the channel selector to hold it in the right place and you had to know just where to thump the case when the vertical hold started to flip. Those were the days.:)
walkenshaw2000 1 year ago
beautiful restoration. This old RCA has a very warm tone to the color, rather nice.
suedebear 1 year ago
Please make sure these sets eventually end up in a museum. Write it in a will or something.
albertusj 1 year ago
Thank you for posting!! It is quite a trip to see a 21st century TV program (American Idol) on a 1956 TV set!!!
THEmotownboy 1 year ago
I love your videos! However... You did one injustice. You took the cover off, yet you did not show the tubes all light up with the Television in operation. I think that's half the beauty of these classic sets, all those tubes just glowing, operating everything, bringing entertainment.
kirbyyasha 1 year ago
Thats the same one elvis presley had in his mansion
gayboytommy20010 1 year ago
Man... I AM IMPRESSED! What a collection! It is people like youself, we are all blessed with, that will preserve these valuable examples of technology. JOB WELL DONE.
Thank you SIR,
Dan Gross, Saint Louis, Mo.
1974Flyingsub 1 year ago
Can you play X-Box on it?
CoolConejo 1 year ago
Wow, 3DTV in the fifties! And I find that round TV matte for those old sets, being a kid from the 21st century, quite annoying. Well, I guess old shows back then had such of a reference matte.
RkivUnderground 1 year ago
Great effort mate! I'm doing a resto on an early b/w Australian tube tv. I admire your efforts. Look at how clean everything is in that beautiful receiver. I hope you really enjoy it.
chimetrooper 1 year ago
I'm looking for the Sylvania 21 inch b/w TV with the halo light. I rebuilt one a long time ago.
sr60630 1 year ago
There are pictures of Elvis Presley's music room at Graceland that has an identical television set to this one here. The Goetz's must have been wealthy, as it seems not too many people could afford a set such as this.
rockabillycat1954 1 year ago
fuck digital waste of tax payers money
geekforlifevandc 1 year ago
Why are old tv screens not a square? are they 640x480?
HybridPineapple 1 year ago
@HybridPineapple wow fail
geekforlifevandc 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set were rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
Do you know how many watts RMS the speaker(s) in that set are rated for? What a rich sound that TV has. Thanks for posting the video.
telefonbil 1 year ago
my uncle bought one of these sets in 1956 or 1957. he gave it to my family in 1964. i was excited the day it arrived @our house! our first color tv. we eventually got rid of it, but i'll never forget.
sonypony888 1 year ago
never in my "wildest dreams" had I imagined seeing Simon Cowell on round tube TV!!! LOL thanks!
genoteleno 1 year ago
FANTASTIC!!! ...also, wondering what a working and excellent condition set like this is worth, today?
genoteleno 1 year ago
Surprising picture quality... I was expecting it to be a bit fuzzy.
Cytacon 1 year ago
lol, so weird to see modern things like American Idol on such an older set, pretty cool =)
scfunnyehlol 1 year ago
A radio engineer friend helped me restore an old B/W console with AM radio and turntable from around 1957.. mostly paper capacitor problems.. all point-to-point wiring of course. Amazingly, the owner still had a service manual. It had a section on how to add a color wheel to your B/w set, and advice to the serviceman for the new color sets.. "customers should expect weekly service calls." Wow, we have come a long way!
2225ba 1 year ago
The color for that TV is very good!
Any idea what a TV like that cost back in 1956?
delfmeek 1 year ago
Wow, I'm impressed about that clear picture and the natural colors... Also about the good brightness. Great!
Suppkultur 1 year ago
Love your collection dude. I used to work on those roundies back in the 70's & 80's.
doogie812 1 year ago
lol the schreen looks like a fishtank
chahid1992 1 year ago
I'm amazed at how well the picture tube has held up. Most of the old sets that I have seen, even those from the 80s have picture tubes that have dimmed so much that you have to watch it in the dark. Most have gotten gasey as well, even if they use a crt restore to brighten it, it will still look blurred. Great TV.
This video was shot before the analog shutdown. You could still watch it with cable or a converter box or one of the remaining low power analog stations.
patrick9648 1 year ago
does it play blueray?
reply4reply 1 year ago
Excellent job.
friedie1jeff 1 year ago
I thought every thing was shown in Black and white in those days.
spazzcat03 1 year ago
Love your 56 roundie, great job. thanks for putting it up so I could enjoy watching it.
railgeek404 1 year ago
nice, very nice set. you have done a wonderful job!
starlite2991 1 year ago
wow the i'm surprised of the colors after 50 years
MrAlexprm 1 year ago
It sounds like it has pretty good sound, I would think that would pretty standard given that they used tubes. How much did this cost when it was new, but in 2010 dollars? How does the picture compare to modern sets (not the new HD, but the sets you could buy up to a couple of years ago)?
christo930 1 year ago
Pretty cool, just goes to show that when they built electronics in western countries they were built to last. I bet this TV was worth the equivalent of $5000 when it came out.
bumtownv2 1 year ago
Set up nicely, those old roundtube sets had really beautiful pictures. I do remember that those early sets had a lot of tubes and the chassis weighed a ton, and like the zenith sets, were all hand wired, imagine the labor involved in that much wiring!
Oldbmwr100rs 1 year ago
@Oldbmwr100rs I definitely agree about the picture. My family had a Zenith 'roundie' in the 1960's. I remember, once in a while, the set had to be demagnetized.
PlaneAndTVtechfan 1 year ago
Strange to see modern television shows on such an old set! O_o
MelanieLouM 1 year ago
Man that is way better than a plasma HDTV!!!!
jeffgod2 1 year ago 2
DAMN My grandfather would piss his pants if he saw this. He thought he was a bona fide TV repairman when TVs had tubes and stuff. He lives with us andat his house, he has about a dozen old TVs in one of his rooms. I see it has a good picture. COOL! I though the ladty cooking was Giada De Laurentis. I liked that. That really had a nice picture for a 54 year old TV.
Sheri451 1 year ago
Hats off for having the forethought to videotape this... BTW the Bass on that TV is phenomenal! Even with the cameramicrophone I can hear the FULL sound coming out of that speaker! RCA obviously didn't skimp on the amplifier/speaker system.... oh, and the color is gorgeous - like kodachrome.
musicom67 1 year ago
Back in my younger days (around 1969), I got my first TV job for a guy who sold second hand TV's. I encountered a few CTC 5 sets, and they were outstanding sets. We sold them for $79.95 or so because they were big and not many people wanted the old upright color models. The RCA sets were really among the best televisions available, up until the Thomson takeover. The quality started slipping on many of their products after that.
oldbob1951 1 year ago
I have a related video on YouTube you might be interested in about how television sets were sold from the 1950s-1970s entitled, "TV MAN: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST INDEPENDENT DEALER."
stevekosareff 1 year ago
Wow, that was well done reconditioned work! Watching American Idol on an old 1956 TV! Nice sound too.
sheltv100 1 year ago
As a qualified TV technician I loved this video. I qualified too late (1994) to enjoy a lasting career in the TV field after cheap imports and throw-away flat panels made repairs and service uneconomic (no use for TV technicians these days) Very impressed with the sound and picture quality - I was expecting to see dynamic convergence and geometry distortion problems aplenty(like you'd typically see on a 1970s delta gun PAL receiver) but your set is perfect. Fantastic!
stillfindingmyway 1 year ago
Is that the original 21AP22? Looks great!
doogie812 1 year ago
Congratulations on an excellent restoration. Well done. Ohmygosh, where's the remote?
Nice work!
rivronjack 1 year ago
Wonderful! Really enjoyed watching this. My grandmother won a RCA color TV in 1958. I recall very time you changed the station all of the color nobs had to be adjusted. That set worked untill 1975 or so. Sadly, it was put in the trash...
MrKeithGreene 1 year ago
it´s a beautiful picture quality. much warmer than today´s flat screen sets.
EbClectic 1 year ago
the picture quality is awesome, espeially on an antenna. Lots better than I remember for out first color set in the mid sixties
mytvmemories 1 year ago
You did a great job restoring this TV. Now if you don't mind, I have a unrelated question. Is that a pre-CSI William Petersen (Grissom) at 3:36 4:14 and 6:40 ? Does anyone know what movie that is??
cuteycindyhoney 1 year ago
My dad told me that he used to have one of these in his house. Oh baby, all the kids from the block would come to see this space aged device in action from the window or inside. Tv has come a long way.
waffenshroodle 1 year ago
Man u really love tv
kx250100 1 year ago
My father bought a 1960 new Vista color "X ray machine" brand new. At that time there was only a handful of programs broadcast in color. It was the talk of our neighborhood! Also noteworthy was the speaker system which was high fidelity, and could (and was) used as an extension speaker for our Orthophonic SHF-4 hi fi set. The new vista color televisions exceled in picture quality, and sound. It was eventually abandoned in 1987, after a long storage ... I had no idea it could be recapped.
TheFRiNgEguitars 1 year ago
I have a similar CTC-5 that I restored about 10 years ago, has dark cabinet. Fun to watch old color shows, especially the rare videotapes like those Fred Astaire specials. There's nothing like the 'look' of those early network shows done with the TK40/41 cameras. My set is in my bedroom and I occasionally watch it. Also have it hooked to a digital tv tuner, talk about mixing old tech 'n hi-tech! Have 3 other old color roundies and 2 Zenith porthole tvs too. Thanks for the vid.... Mark
frenchmarky 1 year ago
Doug, I have joined the "CTC5" club, after waiting since about 1979!! I just picked up the mahogahny version of this set last weekend 21CT7855, in Casey, Ill. A preliminary test of the tube showed it to be VERY good on all 3 guns. It is currently in the house garage, but soon will be in the basement, near the 1962 and 64 Zenith color sets in there, and the GE model 810 1949 BW set. (BTW--you know me as RCA2000--on VK.)
Sta2200 2 years ago
Where the terminal strips intact under the cans and around the flyback ? if so that set didn't get much use
123demaio 2 years ago
why is there a sort of a USB cable plugged below on the back of the TV? ( 1:24 , 2:08 )
luishomeroremohsiul 2 years ago
It's power cord
ZXRulezzz 2 years ago
What tv shows were in color in 1956? probably not a whole lot! I have seen ads in Life magazines for these sets in the 50's, and they were not cheap! Your tv is sooo cool! 1956 is my favorite year for alot of things, including my daily driver, a 56' Mercury wagon! It is soo wonderful you are restoring a part of American electronic history! Thank you!
56Mercgal 2 years ago
@ inkey2 :
sorry, but it sounds your mom was lazy!
bodemjager 2 years ago
awesome
thecrackmaster 2 years ago
Good job !
CLS2086 2 years ago
I'm glad you filmed this TV in operation while you still had analog TV channels to tune in. Changing channels and readjusting for each channel as you did is an experience that will soon be unknown to younger TV fans. The heat and even slight odor (burning dust or hot wires??) were also part of the earlier TV experience. Thanks
NP4Mayans 2 years ago 10
@NP4Mayans : oh definately....that unmistakable aroma of the wood cabinet TV heating up.
inkey2 2 years ago
@NP4Mayans funny, I was thinking the exact same thing... Hats off for having the forethought to videotape this... BTW the Bass on that TV is phenomenal! Even with the cameramicrophone I can hear the FULL sound coming out of that speaker! RCA obviously didn't skimp on the amplifier/speaker system.... oh, and the color is gorgeous - like kodachrome.
musicom67 1 year ago
@NP4Mayans I was thinking the exact same thing!
musicom67 1 year ago
@NP4Mayans in the us atleast
geekforlifevandc 1 year ago
@NP4Mayans im 15 years old and classic things like old tv or old cars are what i thinks are the best i even read old books to learn about the 50's
nesi987 1 year ago
Hello, a very close friend is viewing your video along side me, he is a radio and television engineer, he also was a radio personality who worked at WIFI FM radio in Philadelphia in the late 60's. He has the same model in Mahogany, minus the tubes, cabinet is in descent condition. He gives you two strong thumbs up on your technical courage for attempting restoration on a nightmare like this!
italobambino43 2 years ago 9
Cool Hobby. What was their thinking of having a rounded screen?
VidResidue 2 years ago 2
The original color cathode ray tubes were round. It was easier to make the tubes that way, so it lowered the initial cost of color TVs from about $1,000 to a more "affordable" $500.
OKNewshawk 2 years ago
Great job... a 1949 RCA B&W has been sitting on my project table for two years... Congratulations on seeing it through.
2cvdave 2 years ago
Nice TV set. To bad that nothing but crap on TV.
Shows from 1956 would be better.
tomrdee 2 years ago 2
YEEEES you're RIGHT.
I always thought, that only our german TV is scrap, but when I saw the "American Idol" show I had the same feeling to vomit as I have it on its german version "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" from RTL - it REALLY looks the same - NO difference.
Sports is OK, but the diet cooking shows are overcrowding the german TV as bad as it seems here.
We have good TV-sets since more than 50 Years.
We need BETTER TV programs now ;-)
Have a good time.
shorty5ft6 2 years ago
I always understood that those old Color tvs had so many valves in ( tubes in american ) that they used to overheat and catch fire.
poussecafe3 2 years ago
thats a myth, tubes don't overheat and catch fire, nor do they start surrounding components on fire.
drh4683 2 years ago 6
@drh4683
i have read that early - 1940's and 1950's UK sets, with paper-wrapped capacitors (rationing), regularly made middle-of-the-night sitting-room bonfires.
your beeb (the BBC to us yanks) used to sign off at night with advice to unplug your set!
reference (that i have personally viddied): French and Saunders parody of early BBC with Jennifer S. advising all to:
not only disconnect your set from the mains, but also to remove all the valves before sleep.
nighty-night!
dvtvrich 1 year ago
@drh4683 There are a LOT of myths about vintage TV sets, can you name some for the sake of me knowing? I am planning on studying vintage TV repair.
MIKON8ERISBACK 1 year ago
Before a valve / tube will burn any set, ten overheated transistors/IC's will burn the cheap plastic of their set's housing.
Most reasons for excessive overheat are either overloaded resistors or sometimes (more seldom) a burst electrolytic capacitor.
BOTH of them are fitted to even the most modern electronic equipment.
A worn out valve / tube gets weaker leaving an open circuit finally - transistors make a short circuit on defect => connectet parts are overloaded => burned.
shorty5ft6 2 years ago
Wow that actually has very good color for an old tv
Nintendoman2020 2 years ago
thats fully surreal seeing modern programs on that old round tele.. how much would that tv cost when it was new.. like compared to a car back then?
strictlysega 2 years ago
In 1957, Gaspar Pumarejo, a Cuban TV pioneer brought the first Cuban color tv station Channel 12-Havana (first out side the USA) and sold thousands of Color TV sets like the one on the video.
eltessy 2 years ago
This set still amazes me whenever I see it. Good color, black level regulation, sound, and sharpness. I wish things still lasted this long, especially CRT's.
The Orange Drops probably make the set perform better than new as well.
Does it still have all of the original carbon resistors in the chassis?
Maxxarcade 2 years ago