This is who makes modern RCA TV's:
 

Some Chinese company has been making RCA TV's since 2004.

This explains to me the severe dip in quality. 90's RCA's made by Thomson tend to still be working when I find them, but the newest RCA CRT sets I've seen had signs of a weak CRT while still sitting on the store shelves.

Most all of the newer RCA TV's I find have bad flybacks and / or weak CRT's. I just recently trashed a 20" RCA truflat TV/DVD combo with a toasted CRT. I also just replaced the flyback in a 2006 32" RCA DTV. I am not impressed with the modern RCA, to say the least.

I still see many '80's and '90's era RCA's with simple problems and the CRT's are usually still good. The CTC203 was probably the last semi-decent RCA chassis. I've fixed many of those by simply resoldering a coil in the horizontal circuit. I've seen some of the larger screen 203's with bad flybacks; but, the flybacks can be bought for a reasonable price.

I would not buy a new RCA TV, PERIOD! In fact, there's not much out there on the new market that I would consider, except maybe Sanyo. And some people wonder why I keep using these older TV's from the '70's and '80's....

Definitely concur with both of you, I've seen them half dead on the shelves myself, with retrace lines ect, sad. You're right radiotvnut, Thomson built RCAs held up at least decently. We have a Sanyo from '01 with a hundred million hours and it still works fine. It's the newest set in the house and probably will remain that way, when it goes an old set will take its place {a '75 RCA is waiting in line behind it} It is so sad what happened to what was once the greatest name in television.

Wonder what will happen to RCA name now that it is owned by Audiovox.

I agree with you! :thmbsp: I think when my Sony 32" Trinitron CRT goes out, I had it since 1999, I will get a used CRT instead of the newer sets.

We have a 32" CRT RCA thats at least 15 years old, still works fine. It was repaired probably 8 years ago, bad solder joints on the tuner board. Other than that, its never been touched. I guess that says something about the previous build quality.

Are they down the road from the maker of my "Zenith" TV tuner and my "Westinghouse" LCD monitor? :)

And probably the same plant that my "RCA" clock radio is from, lol, you know whats kinda sad. I have a "SONY" Home theater system (minus the SONY 36" XBR set that had a small necular meltdown and has been replaced my a '68 Zenith console that I love), is that even the stereo and DVD player are made in China. I mean I thought that the Japanese are proud of there name and intended to build thier products in said country instead of outsourcing as well to make a buck. Because im sure that if that Sony was built in Japan where it was supposed to be it wouldn't be having all the cold soldor joint failures in the PS to begin with. RCA's name is still cool to look at plastered over a Funai, but it's sad when it doesn't mean anything anymore. I mean come on. I would rather see the name go away off these cheaply made sets than have the name disgrased even worse by having these sets blow up in the next 3 to 6 months and have someone not keen on the knowladge to know that that's not really an RCA instead of saying, "well im not buying another RCA product again". I mean come on! RCA has and will always be an american icon that has brought so much to this country! When I hear "RCA" I think of the RCA that meant RCA, not some silver painted cube that has no better enginuity than the shoes I wear.

Sorry, just had to vent

The previous quality of RCA was right up there with the best, if not the best as far as TVs were concerned. That doesn't mean they got the best pictures though....

Everything I encounter these days is built in China, I'm not sure if thats good or bad. Remember, when solid state took over the Hifi world names like Pioneer and Yamaha were looked down upon. Most people in this country would only buy American-built cars, TVs, stereos, appliances, etc. Things are just about reversed nowadays....and I don't have a problem with that per-se, BUT where's the quality? A lot of standards have gone way down.

The Chinese are capable of making good quality electronics (and they do), but that's not where the market is. My IBM Thinkpad was made in China, and it's as solid as anything I could ask for. If anything, China is the new Japan. Japan seems to be having a lot of the same problems the US did not too long ago.

David Sarnoff & Gene McDonald are prolly spinning in their graves....

Yep... I'd bet money on it.....

Hell, RCA became meaningless a little after GE raped and pillaged it... :thumbsdn:

RCA is no longer operated by Thomson so the Thomson-made sets ceased. It was handed over to TCL Corporation on 2004 with sets made by TCL in China since 2004.

That's pretty much what I pointed out...