Re: Last large screen black and white sets?
Hi
Yes - Unitra were the culprits! Big chunky wooden cabinets - I too only remember 20" versions that used their own CRTs. Performance was reasonable, but there was something about the definition of the tube that wasn't up to much. I think they also had the distinction of making the last hybrid mono set sold.
In the mainstream Pye and Philips seemed to be the last ones - the flat chassis was the last Philips I remember with a diode-split LOPT and varicap tuning. I gave one to Hamid on this forum last year which he had no trouble in restoring to working order. There were quite a number of Philips and Pye variants after the 320 series - Pyes used a half-height vertical chassis but I'm sure I remember seeing a horizontal one after that. I think they were produced well into the eighties.
They sold well to elderly people who were told that colour sets were bad for people with cataracts - apparently later proved as nonsense, and of course to people unable to afford a colour licence. Quite a number were rented - apart from the Rediffusion mentioned the Thorn 1500 enjoyed a resurgence after the 1600 series were withdrawn by Radio Rentals due to a fire risk (the linearity coil became dry-jointed with unhappy consequences).
That Philips looks a nice set - never seen one with that styling.
Glyn
|