Vintage Fidelity TV set info/restoration ideas

[MikeChi94]

Hello all,

New to the forum, I have inherited this vintage TV set and cant find any info online. Would love to know when it was made/sold, and possibly an idea of value if any at all?

Me and my girlfriend love vintage items for the home etc. So would love to get some kind of use out of it. I am hoping to be able to connect a VHS player or PS1/2 to it? Or if none of this is possible maybe some ideas to take it apart and and get a new modern flat screen behind the glass and use it as a smaller uniquely styled TV with a vintage look but modern functionality (HDMI input etc.)

Any info or ideas you may have would be greatly appreciated.

All the best and look forward to anything you may have for me.
Mike from Chichester

[Lloyd 1985]

Hi,

This looks like it’s from the mid 1980’s, it will work well with a VHS machine, and if your PS1 has the modulator output then that will work too. It should just be a case of plug it into the aerial socket, the switch on and tune one of the channel presets to the output of the VCR/PS1.

If you want to connect HDMI devices there is a nice little box available, a HDMI to AV converter, then you can connect the output of that into one of the inputs on the VCR and use the VCR’s built in modulator to feed that to the TV, I have a permanent setup like this in my workshop feeding multiple TV’s. If you haven’t got a VCR yet, it’ll be worth looking for one of the VCR/DVD combi units, saves a bit of space, and they have at least 2 SCART inputs as well as the VHS recorder and DVD player.

As for putting a flatscreen behind the glass, it’s not worth the hassle! They never look right, and there’s no way of using the original glass, it’s part of the CRT, which would be a bit dangerous to try opening up, it’d implode if you messed about with it anyway.

Regards
Lloyd

Ps: does the TV work? Most likely it will, 80’s TV’s were very reliable!

[dazzlevision]

Made by Fidelity plc in London, in the early 1980s and uses their ZX3000 colour TV chassis (if my memory serves me well). Fidelity products were aimed at the cost conscious end of the market, but weren't bad.

There's usually a small paper label stuck on the outside (even on the underside), with the model number - probably CTV14R.

It has basic remote control - do you have the hand-held controller?

[MikeChi94]

Hi,

Thanks for the info, very helpful!

Yes does seem to be in working order, I will take your advice on playing around with the screen and will probably hook up a vhs.

Any chance you could link me to converter box you might recommend? I have read online that sometimes they can simply not work?

We will be holding on to it for a while but do TV sets like this have much value at all?

Thanks again

Mike

[Jonster]

This set would probably be of some interest to retro gamers and people into Sinclair Spectrum type computers rather than TV and radio collectors. There are still quite a few sets like this squirreled away in lofts etc.

[MikeChi94]

I don’t have the controller still but if any of you come across one online I would definitely be interested in picking one up!

[nigelr2000]

seem to remember the controller was 5 button, vol + & - Channel + & - and mute which if held down triggered the power switch solenoid and popped it off. No going back like a standby button.

[Richard_FM]

I had a non-remote version of this set until about 18 months ago. It worked mostly OK on a modulator.

From what I could find out, the same chassis was used by Goodmans, Amstrad & probably a couple of other badge engineering brands.

[Welsh Anorak]

I think that's later than the ZX3000 - maybe the ZX5000? Good reliable TVs. with usual PSU faults.

[chroma04]

Hi,

I have virtually the same set, owned from new, albeit in charcoal. Mine was bought from our local 'Asda' store in November 1985.

Remote control was an optional extra if I recall. We opted for the cheaper (non-remote) version, though my set does contain the IR receiver.

The set contains no A/V inputs, the only connection method being via RF. Mine was used extensively with my Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amiga computers, before being retired from 'normal' use in around 1994, when I inherited our main TV, when my parents bought a newer model.

The only issue I had with my set was grey-scale drift, due to the resistors on the CRT base panel drifting high in value.

Mine sees occasional usage, and still gives a reasonably good account of itself.


Adrian.

[Red to black]

It is later than the ZX3000, it is not a ZX5000 though as that chassis used a cut down version of the then current ITT digi 2000 chipset.

I always referred to it (probably incorrectly) as a ZX4500 chassis as Fidelity had a few interim chassis that used a basic ZX3000 PSU, lopt and frame stage with updated front end chips, colour decoders and various electronic tuning and remote control chips, ie, the power handling stages were very similar, if not almost identical to the earlier ZX3000 but with all the small signal parts substantially changed for more modern counterparts, the ZX5000 of course being a completely different animal.

[usradcoll1]

Originally Posted by MikeChi94

Hi,

Thanks for the info, very helpful!

Yes does seem to be in working order, I will take your advice on playing around with the screen and will probably hook up a vhs.

Any chance you could link me to converter box you might recommend? I have read online that sometimes they can simply not work?

We will be holding on to it for a while but do TV sets like this have much value at all?

Thanks again

Mike

Is the convertor you're referring to, the HDMI to AV inputs?
They're available on line. It's labeled MINI HDMI2AV. It supports NTSC and PAL. It comes with a USB cable for power, but your HDMI source might provide the power through the HDMI source. I'm really pleased with the performance.
Dave, USradcoll1.

[electronicskip]

We used to sell those by the bucketfull back in the 80s , something tells me it was one of the first portables to sell in the sub £100 bracket .
We used to find that they tended to drift off channel on occasion.
Very popular with early gamers as others have said here.

[thermionic]

Originally Posted by MikeChi94

...........but do TV sets like this have much value at all?

Thanks again

Mike

Hi Mike.

I’m not a ‘retro gamer’, but as a TV collector I would guess value to be around the £50 mark.

Cheers. SimonT.

[McMurdo]

also badged 'Brittannia' for the independent/cash n carry wholesalers. Nice bright sharp picture, I think Fidelity did well to make them for the price, although it came to light during an audit by the parent company that their accountants had been creative with the books, effectively finishing them off when it was discovered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caparo..._plc_v_Dickman

[Welsh Anorak]

Ah - I remember the ZX5000 with the digi chipset. I meant to type ZX4000 which it isn't either! I have the manual here and it's just called F14. I've ringed R91 (270k) which causes trouble in the PSU when it fails. Otherwise a pretty conventional set.