What brand do you think made the best Japanesee tv sets?
 

What brand do you think made the best Japanesee tv sets?
Here is my top 3:
1) "Sony"
2) "Hitachi"
3) "Panasonic" ("National-Panasonic")

I agree on Sony; at least through the 80s. However, 1990s I'd turn to Toshiba. Certainly more reliable and easier to troubleshoot than 90s Sony sets.

Charles

Accidental double-post; sorry

Charles

1. Panasonic (National-Panasonic)

2. Toshiba

3.Sony

Busting open quite a few televisions over the years I used to see all Matsushita/Nippondenso parts in Panasonic. I like Matsushita/Nippondenso
parts, and evdiently so does Sony because many of their parts were of that brand. I think that they would have used all Matsushita/Nippondenso parts
if they could have afforded them. I as well like CE and Elna, but ye ole blacky works for me.

Sony TVs were definitely the rare and hard to find TVs until the 90's. When I was growing up I picked up lots of RCA, Zenith, and Magnavox TVs, but only a few Sonys. Most of the Sonys worked as found, but had weak CRTs, so it took forever for me to get one for myself.

The 70's Zeniths usually only needed basic repairs and adjustments. The RCAs usually needed more work and sometimes had some really confusing problems.

Toshiba was good in the 70's. but their 80's sets tended to run way too hot and burn holes in the boards. They were much better in the mid to late 90's, but now they're made by Orion. I wouldn't take a new Toshiba if you paid me.

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I'd have to say Sony. The models known for weak CRTs are pretty much out of circulation by now. Many of the Sony sets I find only have dry joints. Panasonics are also pretty good, but I've seen quite a few 90s Panasonics with bad CRTs.

I liked some of the earlier Hitachi sets, but their late 80s-90s sets (at least the models sold here) are completely useless without their remotes and I've yet to find a universal that works properly on them.

JVC sets used some odd designs and tended to have bizarre faults. I once had a high end JVC from 89 with a weird vertical fault that I couldn't work out. I held on to it until I found 2 more of the exact same model. When they both had the exact same fault I gave up and scrapped all 3.

Up until the mid 80s or so NEC sets were assembled here and sold under the Rank Arena brand. AWA did the same with Mitsubishi. Strangely enough I picked up a 90s Sharp the other day that is marked assembled in Australia.

Why aren't NEC, Mitsubishi, Orion, and Funai in the list? They are Japanese brands.

I have a Pioneer Monitor I bought back in 92. It's been outstanding in every way and still going strong. It's been head and shoulders above all the other TVs I've owned

Best Japanese TV sets, for CRT picture quality? Sony. Nothing else has ever come close, even up through the HDTV era. They were also always the most reliable, up until the late 1980's, then that changed. (Sony finally had to start selling cheap TVs, as most other brands had always done in addition to those brands' good models. Once the XBR line came out in 1985, those were the "traditional" great Sonys and the others were more variable in quality and reliability.)

If there was a competitor to Sony in the 70's/80's, it was Mitsubishi (then sold in the USA as "MGA").

for dr.ido: The 21" sept. 1988 made "Hitachi" that I saw works without the original remote.

Honestly, I would have to say Sony but today they are completely screwed-up.

Almost every Panasonic I've seen from the 70's-90's has worked well with lots of hours or was a simple fix. Hitachis and Toshibas are great too.

Now, one other brand I like for direct-views has always been Sanyo. Very solid tv's and IMO, one of Japan's best.

Even the current Sanyo sets are decent for no more than they cost. Much better than some of the other brands currently on the market. I remember the old metal case touch tune Sears sets that were made by Sanyo from the mid '70's through the early '80's. Those usually worked well and were easy to fix.

I hear ya on those older Sanyo's. I had a 1982-3 19" color with the metal woodgrain cabinet. All SS set, never needed any repairs, the CRT lasted forever. I actually dumped it while it still was working (silly move I know) after roughly 20 years. I had not stumbled to AK yet, and figured a Sanyo SS couldn't be worth anything even working. Well, now I know that even though it isn't worth much money, it is still a great TV!