Neat 1955 NBC-TV "Color City", Burbank photograph..

[Steve Hoffman]

Love this picture. From the "Color Control" center of NBC in Burbank, 1955. Forum member Steve Dichter found this as the cover of the Sept. 1955 Radio & Television News: NBC 21ct55 color monitors in action. I'd call this the "Radiation Room"..

[stereoptic]

Vintage colors! :cool: edit Is that real cherry wood on a studio monitor?

[Steve Hoffman]

I'm reminded of a current photo of a collector friend. This is his "Color TV Room". He has an understanding wife...

[Steven_Hada]

I had forgotten how "curvaceous" those old CRTs were. Though not as bright as a modern TV, I bet the color fidelity is closer to NTSC than many new TVs. Thanks for the pic.

[Steve Hoffman]

Those old sets had a really nice Technicolor type picture to them.

Here is a modern "screen shot" of a newly restored 1958 RCA-Victor color TV. CTC-7. (From AudioKarma).

Love that "look"...

Here's a thread on this particular restoration process..

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27099

[Lord Hawthorne]

I couldn't afford any of those TVs until the mid 1970s. The last B&W TV I had lost its channel knob and had a deer antler in its place. Worked well.

[guy incognito]

Vintage colors! :cool: edit Is that real cherry wood on a studio monitor?

And is that Jack Dodson manning the controls? :D

[Steve Hoffman]

Forgot about this:

http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/colorcity.html

[Michael]

...the color and costumes used during the early days of color were great! Check out Green Acres and Lost In Space...what a pastel! They seemed to love PURPLE!

[Steve D.]

Vintage colors! :cool: edit Is that real cherry wood on a studio monitor? Actually that trio of "cherry" color sets are 21" RCA Victor 21CT55's in mahogany finish. NBC used these home receivers as monitors until RCA's offical color monitors were available. These sets replaced the 15" color monitors and CT-100's the NBC engineers had been squinting at in 1954 and early '55.

Steve

[Steve Hoffman]

Steve,

I remember sneaking into to the hallway of master control at NBC Color City in 1968 (after visiting the news room and set) and was surprised to see two ancient color monitors side by side, one showing the "to" the transmitter picture and the other the "after" the transmitter picture.

I swear they were still using CTC-9's or something from the 1950's.

[indy mike]

It's fun watching those network logos come to life via the link! We didn't get a color until the 70's - I finally got what The Wizard of Oz was all about!

[Steve Hoffman]

From Steve D.:

Here's a shot of the CBS transmitter room atop the Empire State Building
in 1955. You will note that CBS used an RCA Victor CT-100 color set
(left behind engineer) to monitor their color broadcasts. This, when
there was a CBS-Columbia color set also being sold and available.

[stereoptic]

Actually that trio of "cherry" color sets are 21" RCA Victor 21CT55's in mahogany finish. NBC used these home receivers as monitors until RCA's offical color monitors were available.

Thanks Steve!

I'd love to see these things for real up close, especially the first color set (CT-100?). Are these on display in any museums anywhere that you know of? (especially inthe NY area)

[-=Rudy=-]

Forgot about this:

http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/colorcity.html

Heck of a VTR. :D

http://www.ev1.pair.com/KARD72photos/rca_vtr.jpg

[Steve D.]

Thanks Steve!

I'd love to see these things for real up close, especially the first color set (CT-100?). Are these on display in any museums anywhere that you know of? (especially inthe NY area)
Donald,

Pete Deksnis, the keeper of the CT-100 roster, has recently discovered the 101st CT-100 at the Eli Buk Collection of Technology & Invention in Manhattan. A Google search of "RCA CT-100" will provide several sites including the Early Television Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
Pete Deksnis' CT-100 restoration site,
Ed Reitan's "History of Color" TV site.
Tom Genova's "TV History" site,

You can view my working CT-100 and pix of several operating vintage color sets from the 2004 Early Television Conventon on my site:

http://community.webtv.net/stevetek/StevesCT100

Enjoy,
Steve

[rmos]

Those old sets had a really nice Technicolor type picture to them.

Here is a modern "screen shot" of a newly restored 1958 RCA-Victor color TV. CTC-7. (From AudioKarma).

Love that "look"...

Here's a thread on this particular restoration process..

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27099


Cool photo!

That VCR on the floor looks exactly like my first machine, purchased with $400 of very hard earned 1980s-era money.

BTW, the Dragnet show pictured looks like "The Suicide Attempt" episode from 1968.

[Steve Hoffman]

Heh, thanks, Chris! :)

[stereoptic]

Donald,

Pete Deksnis, the keeper of the CT-100 roster, has recently discovered the 101st CT-100 at the Eli Buk Collection of Technology & Invention in Manhattan. ...

thanks Steve - I'll research this before my next trip to Manhattan.

Great web site, Steve H has pointed us there before!