I saw this on epay. A "converted" RCA TV.

Which is worse: Fitting a new TV/display inside or replacing the works with a fish aquarium?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Television-Console-Converted-for-DVDs-1950s-RCA-Victor-with-DVD-player-et-al-/230899584596?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c2b00e54

BOTH are reprehensible, IMHO, but at least if they put new "Guts" inside, its still being a TV..Sort of.

I feel your pain. I have a lot of restored B&W TVs for sale in the mall I'm at, but it does take a very particular buyer to want that "authentic" period experience. Sadly, it's not as lucrative as converting old TVs to color.... in my experience, the market is bearing custom color conversions that are well done, which means more than setting a later color tv inside the cabinet. Or worse, knowing you're looking at a satin-faced 16:9 LCD imposing itself behind the old CRT mask. Ick.

I have mixed feelings about conversions. 50s sets are a dime a dozen. Most will end up in landfills. If someone converts one of them to a fishbowl or puts in a modern chassis, they are probably saving the cabinet from destruction.

40s sets and 50s color sets are a different story. They should always be kept original.

I have mixed feelings about conversions. 50s sets are a dime a dozen. Most will end up in landfills. If someone converts one of them to a fishbowl or puts in a modern chassis, they are probably saving the cabinet from destruction.

Perhaps that is true for a later fifties set. This was a 1949-50 receiver. Then again most later '50's sets have already been trashed.

The trouble is that most of the value is lost for future generations and once the novelty has worn off, this set will disposed of as just another old, empty cabinet.

that is a good point about how when the novelty wheres off. If it was left alone, then in another 20yrs it could still be returned to service by someone that may actually attach a higher value on these era than current exist.

The question is: Which is worse. Fishtanking or restuffing with modern "guts". My opinion is fishtanking is inexcusable. Restuffing can be OK under some conditions. If it is done well (and this one doesn't look too good; the new CRT doesn't seem to line up quite right) it may be OK, but I wouldn't want to see a set like that gutted just for this. If it was found already gutted, or beyond repair, then this is probably OK. Like Steve said, at least the cabinet survives.
I wonder if the seller still has the chassis laying around.
Oh yeah...get rid of that DVD/VCR player on top. Few things could look more out of place

Which is worse?
Installing a new television inside the cabinet of an old set.
OR
Hauling an old television to the junk yard.

I know that there are a lot of people here that regard any course of action other than restoring a vintage television to original specifications as sacrilege, but the general public sees these things as yesterdays junk :tears:. By installing a modern set into this cabinet you are introducing an aesthetic to a new generation AND making it usable for them. You are teaching people that these things are not yesterdays junk, and you are doing it in their living rooms. What if the person who buys this set makes it their daily viewer? Maybe some one will visit their home and love the look of the set so much that they become an early television enthusiast? When I bought my first vintage television from an antique shop I thought that I would install a new set inside of it and call it a day. After taking it home and looking at it a while I decided that I would restore the original instead (the rest as they say is history :cool:). Now that I am introduced into the world of vintage television I would not do a modern conversion myself, but when I see these sorts of things done to sets I keep an open mind and hope that it will encourage others to appreciate that which we all hold so dear.
Oh and I also think "gosh I hope they saved the chassis so that some day if they should decide to make it original it can be done easily."
My $.02

you are introducing an ascetic to a new generation


Methinks you meant "aesthetic", as a true ascetic wouldn't have a TV at all....
:D

What a funny typo :).

I agree it's fun to dramatize over what the non TV restorer folks do to them. Truth be told there's way more old sets than we collectors can absorb and appreciate . There's no denying that the larger percentage of the vintage sets are already in the ground, so IMO any form of recycling is better than landfill. I suspect an awful lot of what we current TV collectors have restored will also be destined to that same fate. Material stuff just don't last forever - it's the basic laws of nature at work. Not trying to depress anyone, but TV's and other such technology have always been considered consumable goods. I think it's the associated camaraderie within the the collecting community that will endure, while the valued collectables will change forever. As for myself and my beloved old electronics - I'm going to enjoy and share them as long as I'm able.

I feel your pain. I have a lot of restored B&W TVs for sale in the mall I'm at, but it does take a very particular buyer to want that "authentic" period experience. Sadly, it's not as lucrative as converting old TVs to color.... in my experience, the market is bearing custom color conversions that are well done, which means more than setting a later color tv inside the cabinet. Or worse, knowing you're looking at a satin-faced 16:9 LCD imposing itself behind the old CRT mask. Ick.

I wish your "store" was a chain that had a store in Indianapolis, because I'd buy at least one set from you:) I especially am drawn to the B&W consoles of the 1960s, say 1960-1965 era. They seem pretty scarce at the usual places, Craigslist/Goodwill/S. Army/antique malls out here. People probably trashed them as soon as they moved up to a color set. Too bad!

if its a must to install a modern tv in a older cabinet ,take your time and do a neet job of it ,i have thought of this ,but i would choose at older 80's 70's 60's tv with a mechanical tuner so it looks more the yr, take the donner tv apart fit everything on a metal chassie so its a direct fit to the cabinet ,make sure the picture tube fits the bezel correctly ,then i think it would be more exceptable than just setting a tv in the older cabinet.

Hmmm... interesting question.

Neither are desirable, but IMHO, the aquarium is the worst option. At least the new innards still keep the thing as a TV, which is how it's meant to be.

if its a must to install a modern tv in a older cabinet ,take your time and do a neet job of it

I've had thoughts of how to have the channel knob and volume knob still be functional, if the new set only has buttons for "channel up- down" and "Volume up-down". I'd try to find rotatory momentary contact switches that you could twist clockwise for "up" functions, and counterclockwise for "down" functions. And these be wired in parallel with the buttons on the new set. And use an old style (if the TV set cabinet is of the right vintage) pilot light jewel to serve as a window for the remote control sensor.

I dunno, fellers.. I had Terry restore my 1949-50 12" Zenith Porthole "Claridge", & it NEVER fails to generate all manner of grins & compliments..Especially from young people, who likely as not have ever SEEN a largish B/W TV..My little "Girlfriend", Bethany, came home w/another "Army Wife", & I showed off to them my Zenith Porthole Claridge...The gal wrote me on Facebook about how KEWL all my Junque was & how she appreciated me taking the time to show all of it off to her..I couldn't have been happier if I'd found a million bux in my backyard..I HOPE someday she comes back, & brings her Hubby so I can "Show Off" my Electronic Junque to him..We NEED to try to get the Twentysomethings involved in this hobby..They're the ones we gotta impress..

that is a good point about how when the novelty wheres off. If it was left alone, then in another 20yrs it could still be returned to service by someone that may actually attach a higher value on these era than current exist.

Im gonna call you up and 2032 and say...so Dave, what signal source are you feeding your old tvs..?
I expect all composite outputs will be gone shortly and all the converter boxes, dvd player etc will be long dead.
Yea you can get a hdmi to composite converter box right now but I dont know anyone who has invested in one, and who knows if hdmi will even be around in 20 years.
I guess everyone is in denial about this

I guess everyone is in denial about this Hey, we can all still watch our B&K test pattern generators.:smoke:

Hey, we can all still watch our B&K test pattern generators.:smoke:

And so television will become as it once was, a very small enthusiastic group of people staring at test patterns in amazement.

Hold on. There will still be a lot of old composite junk around. Further, you only need a few transitors to generate a signal. Generating a 525 signal via 2032 computing equipment should be a cinch.

The problem is with later generation audio/video equipment: as technology moves on, it will be too complicated.

Consider this: as video and audio recording formats comes and go, the original audio formats will still allow the retrieving of content. The status of motionn picture 35mm film is in jeopardy. But I did read that the Library of Congress is still making 78 RPM recordings of the most important sounds of the past century.This is to ensure that many centuries from now, as technology evolves, at least the audio may be retrieved by simply spinning the disc and placing a pointed object in the groove.

I agree it should never become too difficult to convert from whatever technology comes down the pipe into a composite signal. Unless for some reason there's a sudden loss of basic discrete circuit function intelligence. And some days I actually wonder about that possibility, with all the program driven hardware used these days.

The efforts by the MPAA/RIAA/MafiAA to shut down the so-called "Analog Hole" aren't helping the situation a bit, either.

I just helped a friend set up a new home theater system, complete with a 55" display. The receiver/blueray player was all HDMI for inputs and outputs, and the display had 4 HDMI inputs and only a single analog video input which was labeled as being intended for a game console. We ended up using it for a VCR input, and connecting the kid's Wii console through the video inputs on the VCR.

In a few more years, i fully expect to see analog video inputs completely eliminated. Laptops and even desktop computers are already ditching VGA and even DVI outputs for HDMI. Even the little "Raspberry Pi" computer boards, which are marketed as playthings for hardware hackers have adopted HDMI, which is just about the epitome of closed access, walled garden, DRM encumbered garbage.

Well, here's another one. Look at the seller's comments:

"...People often take the shells of old tvs and make fish tanks and I think that is what this one was used for...."


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-RCA-Victor-Television-shell-/181049185398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a275f5476

Steve McVoy's right. I don't loose sleep over any set made post-49 (or maybe post-50) that gets fishtanked. With rare exceptions.

The 46-48 Sets are another matter. Up until the 4th quarter of 1948 there were only about 500,000 post-war sets manufactured by all vendors combined. It wasn't until the end of 1948 that TV production really took off. It must have been a special Christmas present for many familes that year.

The good news is that those sets rarely seem to be affected by such (as defined by us) deviant behavior.:smoke:

Well, here's another one. Look at the seller's comments:

"...People often take the shells of old tvs and make fish tanks and I think that is what this one was used for...."


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-RCA-Victor-Television-shell-/181049185398?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a275f5476

Someone may have had a late model retrofitted into that one. I really can't blame anyone for wanting a more stylish cabinet than the boring plastic black or gray cases of the last couple decades.

That RCA console cabinet probably has a flat screen TV inside, since there is a fraction of an inch of space at the left-hand side of the CRT mask (look at the picture of the cabinet in the eBay listing to see what I am referring to). That or else the tube in the "new" TV chassis the seller replaced the old one with isn't quite large enough, again by a fraction of an inch (!), to fit the mask. The seller's statement that he or she "cleaned out the insides" of the cabinet is another tipoff that the old chassis was likely replaced with a modern flat set.

BTW, it doesn't do anyone much good to complain when these eBay sellers offer for sale vintage or antique TV cabinets with flat screens inside, and possibly a modern DVD/VHS or Blu-ray player on top; it happens all the time these days, and shows no signs of slowing down. Please bear in mind that many if not most of these people could not care less about the value of the old TV that was originally in the cabinet, which is why the conversion is made in the first place and the old set gotten rid of. Moreover, these folks are not, by and large, electronics experts, so they probably wouldn't know the first thing about repairing a 50+-year-old TV anyway.

I see no harm in preserving a classic or antique TV cabinet and installing a modern flat screen inside it, possibly cutting a hole in the front of the cabinet where the name plate or original pencilbox formerly resided (with a nice woodgrain border framing the hole if looks are a concern), so the remote sensor and control buttons are accessible. This way, at least the cabinets, which 50+ years ago were made of real wood, were heavy, and deserve to be preserved for future generations, would be saved from a certain death (by rotting of the wood, insects, rodents, etc.) in a landfill.

I would love to be able, someday, to put my video system in a cabinet like that, but since I live in a small apartment, I must make do with a converted utility cart made of pressboard and heavy woodgrain cardboard. (My computer and stereo system are installed on a similar type of desk, with the stereo's main unit on what was the printer stand and my laser printer on the floor.) Too bad, :no: but that's the way of it.