Westinghouse K840CK15 Restoration

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I didn't watch but I assume the audience was being emphasized in similar fashion to big band live radio broadcasts in the last ~3 decades....Rattle dishes, audience applied loudly we can't let listeners know there's only 10 people in the audience.

I went to a WGN-TV broadcast of the Chicago Symphony decades ago (a TV series, not at their usual concert hall), and they coached the audience to clap double-time to make it sound twice as big.

[etype2]

I put together a little video previewing my website, “Visions4 Magazine”. Just a smattering of sets shown. The Westinghouse is featured. Hope you like it.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/g...mg_1968_hd.mp4

[ohohyodafarted]

That was awesome Marshall! What did you do in your professional career. I liked the link to WTMJ. I gknow we both have our roots in Milwaukee.

[etype2]

Thank you. Born and raised in Milwaukee first 33 years. Recruited to the SF Bay Area to continue career in real estate law, focused primarily in commercial development and sale.

As you know, our hometown television station, WTMJ-TV, channel 4, Milwaukee played a prominent role in early color television history, as a pioneering color television station.

[Steve D.]

Marshall,

Wonderfully produced documentary. Your collection never fails to amaze me.

-Steve D.

[jhalphen]

Hi Marshall,

Wow, 15 minutes of pure bliss ! and beautiful photography.

Love the tiny Standard Radio AM/FM "Micronic Ruby", have one myself.

To complete your World Class collection, i would add to the "wish list" :
- a Philco Apple tube beam index color set
- the Sanyo 30CTV1 3" color beam index WatchMan
- a Sony 19" Chromatron
- a Sony analog HDTV studio monitor, 1125/60, 16/9 ratio*

*can be found, often quite cheap, but weighs 150/300 lbs depending on screen size. Resolution is jaw-dropping for a CRT based monitor.
Saw these here in Paris when new (1986) at Captain Video, the TV production house set up by US entrepreneur David Niles who had obtained on loan from Sony Broadcast Japan a full HD studio including 3 cameras & 3 VTRs*.

The resolution was so incredible that you could see the upper lip "fuzz" on a young blonde framed as a news anchor. Today's 4K and maybe 8K doesn't achieve the same.

*VTRs : modified SMPTE 1 inch/Type C machines had 30 MHz Y bandwith !

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

[etype2]

Much appreciated Steve D.

Jerome, thank you. Yes indeed, every one on your list. The analog Sony studio monitor is easily obtainable. I’ve thought about getting one.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by jhalphen

Hi Marshall,

Wow, 15 minutes of pure bliss ! and beautiful photography.

Love the tiny Standard Radio AM/FM "Micronic Ruby", have one myself.

To complete your World Class collection, i would add to the "wish list" :
- a Philco Apple tube beam index color set
- the Sanyo 30CTV1 3" color beam index WatchMan
- a Sony 19" Chromatron
- a Sony analog HDTV studio monitor, 1125/60, 16/9 ratio*

*can be found, often quite cheap, but weighs 150/300 lbs depending on screen size. Resolution is jaw-dropping for a CRT based monitor.
Saw these here in Paris when new (1986) at Captain Video, the TV production house set up by US entrepreneur David Niles who had obtained on loan from Sony Broadcast Japan a full HD studio including 3 cameras & 3 VTRs*.

The resolution was so incredible that you could see the upper lip "fuzz" on a young blonde framed as a news anchor. Today's 4K and maybe 8K doesn't achieve the same.

*VTRs : modified SMPTE 1 inch/Type C machines had 30 MHz Y bandwith !

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

You know of a surviving Philco Apple CRT set? I thought there were no known survivors...

[etype2]

Rumor has it that one (1) exists.

[oldtvman]

Originally Posted by etype2

I put together a little video previewing my website, “Visions4 Magazine”. Just a smattering of sets shown. The Westinghouse is featured. Hope you like it.

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/g...mg_1968_hd.mp4

Great video, once again more proof that early color got some bad press, but keep in mind most people who bought the early color sets weren't tech savy and had any of us been there the results may have been much better.

FYI You have a picture of John McCullough who anchored here in South bend before going to WTMJ. I used to try and pull channel four out of South Bend with a big Winegard antenna, of course it was hit or miss.

[etype2]

Larry, I agree, but being there as you were, my memories were of compromised color akin to the restored tape of “An Evening With Fred Astaire”. I saw my first color TV in 1956. The technology of the broadcast color chain back then could not exploit the capability of color TV receivers. Today we pop on a DVD or watch HD on our restored roundies and they look great, but they didn’t look that way to me back then, so I was prejudiced. When I got my first color set on my own in 1966 I saw big improvements, but again when I rewatch old episodes from the 60’s I can see the difference from what we have today.

When folks got their color sets, we tended to over saturate and over time, we set the color back. The problem was that the average consumer didn’t know what good color was supposed to look like. Radio and TV were my hobbies going back to the mid 50’s and I read all the books and magazines I could get my hands on. I considered myself an “educated consumer” regarding color TV.

John McCullough came to Milwaukee’s WTMJ as a weekend reporter and fill in anchor. He distinguished himself during the Milwaukee racial riots. He anchored 24/7 until the situation was in control. He had the presence of a big city news anchor like Huntley, Brinkley, Concrite. Very balanced politically and reported without bias. I wish we had more like him today. He had offers from the big markets but loved Wisconsin. He retired to my neck of the woods and recently passed away.

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by etype2

Larry, I agree, but being there as you were, my memories were of compromised color akin to the restored tape of “An Evening With Fred Astaire”. I saw my first color TV in 1956. The technology of the broadcast color chain back then could not exploit the capability of color TV receivers.

Not completely related, but I'm going to retell a story my dad used to tell. Back in 1959, my dad bought an Admiral 21" color TV. Admiral built the cabinet, but it was an RCA supplied CTC11 and CRT.

My dad had a customer interested in buying a color TV, and since there was no color broadcast during regular hours or weekdays, dad invited him to our house on Sunday night to watch NBC (Walt Disney I believe it was).

The man sat quietly for an hour and when the show was over, stood up and told my dad that he came to laugh at the color TV. He never expected to see something so beautiful as what he saw that night.

I don't recall if the man bought a color TV or not (dad is gone now almost 20 years so I can't ask him), but I always got a kick out of that story.

John

[etype2]

Originally Posted by JohnCT

Not completely related, but I'm going to retell a story my dad used to tell. Back in 1959, my dad bought an Admiral 21" color TV. Admiral built the cabinet, but it was an RCA supplied CTC11 and CRT.

My dad had a customer interested in buying a color TV, and since there was no color broadcast during regular hours or weekdays, dad invited him to our house on Sunday night to watch NBC (Walt Disney I believe it was).

The man sat quietly for an hour and when the show was over, stood up and told my dad that he came to laugh at the color TV. He never expected to see something so beautiful as what he saw that night.

I don't recall if the man bought a color TV or not (dad is gone now almost 20 years so I can't ask him), but I always got a kick out of that story.

John

Great story! Seeing a color TV for the first time will have that effect. Similar experience for me at my Uncle’s house. I told this story before. He invited the family over for dinner, Sat or Sunday. He had it planned, after dinner we all gathered around his new pride and joy, a color television! It was Summer, 1956, I was 9. He turned it on and my jaw dropped. A Special was on.

Was your Dad a tech or good with electronics?

[Electronic M]

I forget who it was, but your dad's story reminds me of someone who I think may have been a kid at the time. Sometime in the 50s when color TV was new the person went to a department store and a there was a crowd to see the color set but it's picture looked bad the person who I heard this from walked up and turned the tint control to the correct setting and the crowd started oohing and ahhing.

When there was only one color show a day the sales people neglecting to properly adjust a set often was to blame for bad sets on sales floors, but once more than 1 show a day was on the stations were as much to blame...Live, network, tape and film often all looked different and color quality would vary from channel to channel. If sales staff didn't keep sets adjusted from show to show things could go downhill fast.

[Dave A]

Down the WTMJ path again. Do you remember one Chuck Faber on air? He distinguished himself by wearing a black eye patch on air. He left there in 1965 to be a news director at my first station WCEE in Rockford, IL...minus the eye patch. A miracle. I directed the news back then and he was a piece of work but a great news director. Ownership changed and he ended up in FL selling condos. Now passed. I miss him.

I hope you don't mind a few diversions from the original thread but this trip down memory lane is fun. And the collection video is even better. Keep up the good work.