|
As Steve points out, all the '40s tubes were in fact round, but many were masked off to be rectangular since movies and shows would work better on a rectangular screen. Then in a war among manufacturers to advertise bigger viewing areas, they did away with the rectangular mask in '49-'50 to make the viewing screen show more of the face of the tube. That way, they were able to advertise a bigger viewable area without using a much more expensive larger tube. Simple ad gimmick.
As far as color tubes, Jordan gave a good answer. Why we like them? Because the have disappeared from society. Being 40 years old, my childhood memories include just about every family having a round tube 1960s color TV in the livingroom. With Halloween coming, I remember when I was trick-or-treating in West Los Angeles in the mid 1970s, how every house I'd go to would have a roundie blaring away in the corner of the livingroom. We didn't have one; we had a 21" GE B&W console at that time. So I was always jealous of our color TV neighbors. So between nostalgia and the fact that roundies aren't easy to get anymore, they are desirable collector pieces.
Charles
__________________
Collecting & restoring TVs in Los Angeles since age 10
|