I don't like the idea of better components for certain models.
I think this is my bias against RCA vs. Zenith. When you've got the cash to spend, you can engineer the toughness right out of something and save a few cents. Spread that over a few million units, and you're talking some serious cash.
Without going too far off topic, (Only because I know more about cars than TVs) it kinda reminds me of GM vs. Mopar. General Motors could offer 4-different types of automatic transmissions, the first three all cheaper to build than a Mopar Torqueflite.
Whereas Chrysler can only afford to design one type of transmission, so what's good enough behind a Hemi or 440 will be overkill behind a slant-6 Dart. (I am aware of differences between the two regarding number of clutches, etc. but they're all the same design) This is bad for business, but ultimately better for the customer.
Except that customers seldom appreciate quality over "design". If you're not shaving a few cents here/there, you'll be out of business soon because you'll first fall behind in development dollars, then facilities will suffer, then build quality, and it becomes a death spiral.
If you can sell your quircky counter-culture image, like VW, you'll gain a loyal following and customers will accept your outdated (if high quality) product such as a Beetle. If you're using the same marketing as your competitors, customers will not accept your dated (if high quality) products such as Darts, or portable TVs that weigh 85lbs because they use the same quality parts (tuner, Xfmer, HV assy) as a console.
In the end, it killed "real" Chrysler, and it killed Zenith too. Although it had a higher price than an RCA, I don't think that Zenith's were perceived as "premium" products by most. In fact, many of my own family think that Curtis Mathis made the BEST tv, simply because it was the most expensive, yet we all know they were usually outdated RCA designs.
Athough both Zenith and Chrysler pushed engineering/quality in their ad campaigns from their begining to damn-near the end of the 70s, it appearently never took root with customers, I think because the average customer cannot understand Hand-wired vs. PC board or Torsion bars vs. Coil Springs, and the "snob" factor doesn't come into play when the price of a RCA set is within $20 of a Zenith and a Plymouth is $100 more than a Chevy.
Sorry for hi-jacking this thread with my rant.
