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When did you or family did your first Color TV, VCR, DVD player, etc?
- Thread starter nomadcowatbk
- Start date
Fun thread...as for me, it goes like this.
1970- the year my dad bought our first color TV set, from a local store that's still in business, though they've since moved from their original two locations to a new superstore they built.
1976- the year we first got cable, when we moved from the Montrose, PA area just over the border to Endicott, NY. It was the New Channels system with 13 stations for basic service.
1977- first TV of my own when my Mom decided I was old enough to be given the 12-inch
black & white set we had been using in the kitchen. I remember watching the Super Bowl in my bedroom that year.
1986- first TV purchased with my own money, a B&W 12-incher made by Goldstar. I saved 10 dollars by talking the salesman at KMart into letting me buy the display model. That set worked for about 15 years, then one day the sound on it went.
1988- first VCR, bought used from my ex-girlfriend, of all people.
1999- first DVD player, given to my late wife and I as a wedding present.
2002- first DVR.
1970- the year my dad bought our first color TV set, from a local store that's still in business, though they've since moved from their original two locations to a new superstore they built.
1976- the year we first got cable, when we moved from the Montrose, PA area just over the border to Endicott, NY. It was the New Channels system with 13 stations for basic service.
1977- first TV of my own when my Mom decided I was old enough to be given the 12-inch
black & white set we had been using in the kitchen. I remember watching the Super Bowl in my bedroom that year.
1986- first TV purchased with my own money, a B&W 12-incher made by Goldstar. I saved 10 dollars by talking the salesman at KMart into letting me buy the display model. That set worked for about 15 years, then one day the sound on it went.
1988- first VCR, bought used from my ex-girlfriend, of all people.
1999- first DVD player, given to my late wife and I as a wedding present.
2002- first DVR.
D
desertv
Guest
Our families first color set was an early 70s Quasar (by Motorola) cabinet TVs (Remember the "Qua-sar" ads?)- along with a Motorola cabinet style AM/FM/HiFi record player that finally gave up the ghost around 2000.
My families first VCR was a early 80s top-deck loading Fisher(which seems to be a first brand for many on this list).
We didn't get cable until 1984 (a local rinky-dink co. named DCA- taken over by a succession of companys before being digested by Cox)...before that we had American Superchannel, which was an antenna supplied hodge-podge of offerings from the various cable channels of the 80s-all on one channel!
My first TV was a B/W RCA AC/DC portable recvd as an Xmas present in 1974, replaced in 1982 by a color Mitsuba portable, replaced in 1989 by a 26" MGA/Mitsubishi color set - which still works to this day.
My families first VCR was a early 80s top-deck loading Fisher(which seems to be a first brand for many on this list).
We didn't get cable until 1984 (a local rinky-dink co. named DCA- taken over by a succession of companys before being digested by Cox)...before that we had American Superchannel, which was an antenna supplied hodge-podge of offerings from the various cable channels of the 80s-all on one channel!
My first TV was a B/W RCA AC/DC portable recvd as an Xmas present in 1974, replaced in 1982 by a color Mitsuba portable, replaced in 1989 by a 26" MGA/Mitsubishi color set - which still works to this day.
I've still got one - it's long been retired but could still use it if needed.
Wright County Guy said:
My father won a console (i think Motorola) in a church raffle in the mid sixties. Didn't attend church but won the TV!
We got cable in the mid 70's and getting the NYC stations from New Britain Ct was a big deal. Good system; think it was called United Cable.
After getting married and having 2 kids, we bought a VCR in 1984; Had trouble hooking it up to the TV but the 5 y.o managed just fine. Still is good with electronics. He just reset the clock on the car radio today to reflect DST.
No DVD yet although I plan to get a combo DVD-VCR for my place in Fla as well as a new HDTV and a new outdoor antenna.
And sat radio since FM sucks...
We got cable in the mid 70's and getting the NYC stations from New Britain Ct was a big deal. Good system; think it was called United Cable.
After getting married and having 2 kids, we bought a VCR in 1984; Had trouble hooking it up to the TV but the 5 y.o managed just fine. Still is good with electronics. He just reset the clock on the car radio today to reflect DST.
No DVD yet although I plan to get a combo DVD-VCR for my place in Fla as well as a new HDTV and a new outdoor antenna.
And sat radio since FM sucks...
As for your memory of New Britain, CT? It was indeed United Cable for much of the 1980s, then United Artists, then TCI Cablevision, then AT&T Broadband and now Comcast. Ugh! We used to get WWOR and WPIX before SYNDEX killed off WPIX (July 1, 1990 - replaced with WTWS-TV channel 26 of New London). We even had the old WNEW-TV channel 5 from New York City before that. WSBK from Boston stuck around for a little while longer. The UPN affiliation killed them off.
First Color TV: March, 1968 (a used RCA Victor set my Dad got cheaply while he was saving up for a 1960's style Home Entertainment Center with stereo record player and AM/FM Stereo radio, which we got once the old RCA set busted in 1969).
Cable: April of 1983, when cable came to my hometown of Norwood, Massachusetts (operator was then Adams-Russell, whose corporate headquarters was in nearby Waltham).
Fist VCR: August, 1984 (actually a Sharp "My Video" with separate camera so I could use it to shoot video)
First DVD player: December, 2004 at Christmas (a gift from my brother, along with a DVD of the New England Sports Network's 2004 Boston Red Sox highlights special "Faith Rewarded").
Cable: April of 1983, when cable came to my hometown of Norwood, Massachusetts (operator was then Adams-Russell, whose corporate headquarters was in nearby Waltham).
Fist VCR: August, 1984 (actually a Sharp "My Video" with separate camera so I could use it to shoot video)
First DVD player: December, 2004 at Christmas (a gift from my brother, along with a DVD of the New England Sports Network's 2004 Boston Red Sox highlights special "Faith Rewarded").
First color TV: 1972 - an RCA 25" console given to us by my grandparents when they got a smaller Sony Trinatron (which my grandfather had for 35 years!)
First VCR: 1985 - a Panasonic top load with a cord on the remote; IIRC my brother bought it at Sears
Cable: 1986 - at Thanksgiving - I remember coming home from college and watching VH1
First DVD player: 2001 a Go Video VCR/DVD dual deck; a Christmas present
First DVD recorder: 2005 - a Tivo model; I still have it but use a Toshiba for my DVD recordings these days
First HD set: 2005 - an Avent tube set bought at Best Buy (it weighed 100 lbs)
First VCR: 1985 - a Panasonic top load with a cord on the remote; IIRC my brother bought it at Sears
Cable: 1986 - at Thanksgiving - I remember coming home from college and watching VH1
First DVD player: 2001 a Go Video VCR/DVD dual deck; a Christmas present
First DVD recorder: 2005 - a Tivo model; I still have it but use a Toshiba for my DVD recordings these days
First HD set: 2005 - an Avent tube set bought at Best Buy (it weighed 100 lbs)
First family color TV, early 1972, a brand new 19" GE tube set. Dad had a good justification for buying it since the old GE console died a few days after dad installed a brightener on the CRT. Anyone remember CRT brighteners?
First personal TV, Christmas 1973, a 12" Midland B&W set. Solid State too
Second personal TV, Christmas 1979, a 9" RCA ac/dc B&W set. I still have this set.
First personal color TV, Christmas 1986, a new 19" RCA XL-100, one of the last REAL RCA's.
First VCR, 1987, an RCA VHS built like a tank.
First Laserdisc player, 1991, a Pioneer CLD-980.
First satellite system, 1994, RCA DirecTV
First HD TV, 2005, an RCA DLP
First HD DVD player, a Toshiba A3, 2007.
First Blu-Ray player, a Panasonic BD-50
First personal TV, Christmas 1973, a 12" Midland B&W set. Solid State too
Second personal TV, Christmas 1979, a 9" RCA ac/dc B&W set. I still have this set.
First personal color TV, Christmas 1986, a new 19" RCA XL-100, one of the last REAL RCA's.
First VCR, 1987, an RCA VHS built like a tank.
First Laserdisc player, 1991, a Pioneer CLD-980.
First satellite system, 1994, RCA DirecTV
First HD TV, 2005, an RCA DLP
First HD DVD player, a Toshiba A3, 2007.
First Blu-Ray player, a Panasonic BD-50
I bet no one had one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPEjhiOk2XI
It's the Cartvision system from 1973. You couldn't just buy the machine and hook it up - it was built into the TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPEjhiOk2XI
It's the Cartvision system from 1973. You couldn't just buy the machine and hook it up - it was built into the TV.
We got our first color TV very early (at least I think so). It was the summer of 1957 and that November I watched the first test pattern of the brand new WHDH-TV Channel 5, and it was in color. Channel 5 was the first boston station with color cameras and so the news 9studio portions) and locally produced shows were all in color. My first VCR (a JVC VHS machine) was purchased in 1983, and my first DVD player was bought in 2002.
M
Marckd
Guest
We got our first color TV in 1969 around the time I was born. First got cable in 1971. First portable color TV 1978 - First Cable Ready TV 1984 - First VCR I bought in May of 1986 for MYSELF. My family got one after we got tired of moving it from my bedroom to the living room a month later. First Stereo VCR 1990 - First Stereo TV 1996 - First CD player I got in 1988. First computer with Internet Access 1996 - First DVD player early in 2002 - first DVD recorder 2005 - First High Speed Computer Internet Access early in 2003 - First HDTV 2006 - First Laptop 2009 - First Ipod 2010 - Second HDTV 2011. Oldest piece of equipment still in use for me today - I have are Magnavox Speakers from late in 1982 hooked up to a Sound System from 1990 as well as a Magnavox Cassette Deck from 1982. Oldest TV still in use is from 2000. My oldest DVD player in use from 2005.
First color set... Dad bought a top of the line Magnavox in 1969, which had a remote control with 8 buttons controlling power, volume, channel, color level, and tint. Yes, it was a sonic remote, so you could change channels by dropping keys or change on the floor. Dad had bought one of the first Sony mini TVs which he let me have.
The motor that rotated the tuner burned out and Dad had to make me change the channel again. The next set he bought was a Quasar console model in '79.
First color set I owned was a Curtis Mathes I bought from a co-worker in 1983 for $100 when he upgraded his set. It had a 19" screen but the thing weighed 70 pounds because it had a metal cabinet.
First VCR... I had to rent them from rent-to-own stores back when they were in the $500+ range. The first of those was a top-loader with a wired remote back in 1986. First one I owned was one I bought for over $200 in 1992, a VHS hi-fi model.
I still don't own a DVD player. I watch any DVDs I have on my computer.
The motor that rotated the tuner burned out and Dad had to make me change the channel again. The next set he bought was a Quasar console model in '79.
First color set I owned was a Curtis Mathes I bought from a co-worker in 1983 for $100 when he upgraded his set. It had a 19" screen but the thing weighed 70 pounds because it had a metal cabinet.
First VCR... I had to rent them from rent-to-own stores back when they were in the $500+ range. The first of those was a top-loader with a wired remote back in 1986. First one I owned was one I bought for over $200 in 1992, a VHS hi-fi model.
I still don't own a DVD player. I watch any DVDs I have on my computer.
MCarney said:
They should have called it the Video 8 Track System.
It's hard to believe how late the UK was introducing Stereo sound for TV. The BBC introduced it in 1991. Throughout the 70s, 80s and early 90s many BBC TV music productions were simulcasts with BBC Radio 1,2 or 3 as appropriate providing the stereo sound.
I can only remember ITV doing this once for a pop concert, when they teamed up with independent local radio (as commercial radio in the UK was once known). I'm afraid I forget the artist.
Did that ever happen over there, in the pre-NICAM days?
I can only remember ITV doing this once for a pop concert, when they teamed up with independent local radio (as commercial radio in the UK was once known). I'm afraid I forget the artist.
Did that ever happen over there, in the pre-NICAM days?
D
Darth_vader
Guest
Colour TV - 1986
VCR - 1985 (an '83 J.C. Penney top-loader VHS deck from my late Great-Grandfather's estate)
DVD-Video - 2003 (a neat little "DM¢A-free" Apex AD500 with the "magic menu" ;o)
DVB-S receiver - 2006 or 2007
ATSC receiver - 2003
Video game machine - 1993 (Sega Mega Drive [a.k.a. "Genesis" around these parts])
Computer - 1987 ("Enhanced" Apple IIE; everything else has been X86)
CD player - 1991 (a single-disc Technics)
CDs - "Night Ride Home" Joni Mitchell, "Avalon" Roxy Music, "Roll With It" Steve Winwood, "Two Rooms" various (Elton John tribute.) Dad bought them at Silo the same time he got the player.
Laserdisc machine - 2001
@BMR--
RCA jacks are the "typical" way to connect DVD-Video hardware to a television set here (composite or YCrCb), else the S-video jack is the way to go. RF modulators are mainly what people with really old (or really crappy) TV sets without such hookups use.
In fact, you guys probably don't truly realise how good you have it with your SCART interfaces. One simple, unified connection for audio and video, as opposed to back panels loaded down with colour-coded RCA jack after colour-coded RCA jack! Even a couple DIN jacks for component video and audio I/O would have been an improvement over the current tech with regard to cable and jack clutter, but apparently tradition and Mr. Sarnoff thought otherwise. Some of the really high-end stereo receivers with 20+ RCA jacks can be (read: are) a bloody nightmare to wire up or take down.
VCR - 1985 (an '83 J.C. Penney top-loader VHS deck from my late Great-Grandfather's estate)
DVD-Video - 2003 (a neat little "DM¢A-free" Apex AD500 with the "magic menu" ;o)
DVB-S receiver - 2006 or 2007
ATSC receiver - 2003
Video game machine - 1993 (Sega Mega Drive [a.k.a. "Genesis" around these parts])
Computer - 1987 ("Enhanced" Apple IIE; everything else has been X86)
CD player - 1991 (a single-disc Technics)
CDs - "Night Ride Home" Joni Mitchell, "Avalon" Roxy Music, "Roll With It" Steve Winwood, "Two Rooms" various (Elton John tribute.) Dad bought them at Silo the same time he got the player.
Laserdisc machine - 2001
@BMR--
RCA jacks are the "typical" way to connect DVD-Video hardware to a television set here (composite or YCrCb), else the S-video jack is the way to go. RF modulators are mainly what people with really old (or really crappy) TV sets without such hookups use.
In fact, you guys probably don't truly realise how good you have it with your SCART interfaces. One simple, unified connection for audio and video, as opposed to back panels loaded down with colour-coded RCA jack after colour-coded RCA jack! Even a couple DIN jacks for component video and audio I/O would have been an improvement over the current tech with regard to cable and jack clutter, but apparently tradition and Mr. Sarnoff thought otherwise. Some of the really high-end stereo receivers with 20+ RCA jacks can be (read: are) a bloody nightmare to wire up or take down.
BMR said:
Yes, although not all that often. The station I worked for did it twice, simulcasting live performances of Handel's "Messiah" with local radio stations. I seem to remember it happening from time to time on PBS (cultural/educational channel) stations.
Actually, we never did NICAM -- we had a different standard called BTSC. Very similar to FM stereo sound but with DBX companding of the L-R channel. It's still on the air on some low-power stations & in Canada & Mexico.
D
Darth_vader
Guest
Huh...I thought PBS (or somebody) had played around with NICAM for a really brief period in, what, the early '90s, but it never really materialised into anything--kind of like what happened to NTSC teletext during that same period. Or was I just dreaming?
So, why was PAL/SECAM paired with a digital stereo system instead of using a multiplex system like BTSC, anyways? Politics? (Yes, I know about A2.)
So, why was PAL/SECAM paired with a digital stereo system instead of using a multiplex system like BTSC, anyways? Politics? (Yes, I know about A2.)
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