Largest Sony UK monochrome TV?

[Studio263]

Does anyone know which model was the largest monochrome TV set that Sony sold in the UK? The biggest I’ve found mention of is the TV-144UK (14”), did they do anything bigger? Has anyone actually seen a TV-144UK? I don’t think I have.

I’ve seen some quite large Sony monochrome industrial monitors (including some with a hybrid chassis), but all their domestic stuff seem to be portables – and small ones at that!

[bobbyball]

Never known of, or seen, a Sony monochrome set bigger than 12".

I've never thought of Sony monochrome sets as being anything special, unlike ther "colour" cousins. Interesting that they did "hybrid" monochrome monitors though...

Robert

[Nickthedentist]

My relatives in Greece had a "full size" Sony monochrome set until recently, which from their description, must have been >20".

Nick.

[hamid_1]

That's interesting Nick - Do you have any pictures of it in your family album?

I've never seen any large screen Sony monochrome TVs, only portables (up to 12"). Apparently there were restrictions on importing large-screen televisions at one time, this explains why the early Trinitron colour models were also on the small side. I guess Sony decided to concentrate on colour TVs as they would have been more profitable.

Some of their early domestic TV models are hybrid whilst implying they are not valved, for example the 9-306UB monochrome portable is described on the back as "Transistor TV Receiver" but uses valves in the EHT rectifier circuit ; the same goes for the KV-1320UB Mk.1 Trinitron, which describes itself incorrectly on the front as "Solid State Colour". It has one valve (3AT2) as EHT rectifier ; the later Mk. 2 version in the same cabinet does away with the 3AT2 valve and really is solid-state.

[Synchrodyne]

In the US at least, Sony offered both large and small screen monochrome receiver-monitors for use with its CV-2000 video open reel recorder, released in 1965.

The large-screen version was the CVM-2300U. It had a hybrid circuit, with most functions done by valves except for the UHF tuner and the monitor interface board. Curiously, it had a valve vision detector, namely the diode portion of a 6AS8, the pentode part being used as the 3rd vision IF amplifier. More-or-less out of necessity, I imagine, given its monitor role, it had a “proper” power supply with a double-wound power transformer. As the CV-2000 itself was all solid state, I shouldn’t be too surprised if the CVM-2300U was based upon an earlier receiver circuit, hence the proliferation of valves.

Quite possibly the “U” suffix indicated the US version, which suggests that Sony offered other versions for different countries and systems.

But the attached advertisement (from 1967, I think) suggests that for the UK, only the small-screen receiver-monitor was offered as a companion for the 405-line version of the CV-2000. Apart from any regulatory restrictions or voluntary constraints, perhaps Sony just did not want to add to its UK range another special variant that might have very limited sales. Or, more of a stretch, perhaps it did not like the look of 405-lines on a large-screen monitor, so decided not to go there.

[Studio263]

Here are some pictures of the largest UK market Sony monochrome sets that I have found reference to. They are TV-144UK (1976, 14"), TV-121UK (1978, 12") and TV-122UK (1979, 12"). The TV-121UK and TV-122-UK share a very similar chassis but the earlier set has a tinted plastic cover over the screen and, to my eyes anyway, a much nicer cabinet. The TV-144UK is quite elaborately constructed inside with multiple PCB assemblies and the video output stage mounted on the tube base.

I think that the TV-122UK was their last "proper" monochrome set in this country, after that they were all much smaller and carried the "Watchman" name. There were also a couple of TV / radio / cassette combos, the FX-412 (1978, mono) and FX-414 (1979, stereo).

Compared to their colour sets Sony's monochrome models are very conservative, there is no whacky circuitry and the tubes couldn't be more conventional. They are also extremely reliable, the only real weakness that I can recall in any of them is the poor tube life of model TV-110UK.