Up to around 1956-1957 small screen was the standard. Around 1957-1958 43 c.m.'s (17") became the standard. In the '60's they introduced 47 c.m.'s (18-19") and 54 c.m.'s (21") picture tubes and even 59 c.m.'s (23") tubes. In the late '60's they also introduced 63 c.m.'s (23"-24") and 65 c.m.'s (25,5") tubes.
In Romania 20" and 21" where the most common after 1940. Before that 17" and 18"-19". In 1960 there where only around 50.000* tv sets in Romania. In 1965 there where around 501.000 (we still hadn't had 100% television coverage of Romania - I don't know if some people where there wasn't television watched neiberghour's television).
Anyone is going to buy one of those old tv sets?
* in 1957 there where only 2.588 sets in Bucharest, and only 13.881 in 1958.
1st tv sets where salled in 1957, when regular broadcasting started (1st broadcasting on 625 lines took place on December 31st, 1956). But even you had the money (a tv set was about 6-11 normal sallaryes (wages)), in order to be one of the 1st people to buy a set (the great guys from the Party and Secret police had tv sets before that) you had to be a member of the police (normal or secret), party activist, artist of the people, foremost people in industry. In 1961 we started to asamble tv sets in Romania. The tv brodacaster from Bucharest was huge and a pain in the ass. It ocupyed 2 storyes on a buiding not designed for that and it had often problems (and the persoannel serving it was blamed for this). The Soviet equypment was lifted with trolleys (I don't know how the got it down in 1981), because that big buidling dind't had service elevators!!! (the equypment that was installed later was climbed on stairs). The bulding was/is Casa Scīnteii (House of the Spark) = Casa Presei (Libere) (House of the (Free) Press). Most people don't add Libere (Free) at the name. The motormans (tram (streetcar) drivers) are calling Piaţa (P-ţa) Presi Libere (Square of the Free Press) P.P.L.
In 1959 an tv realy was erected in Iaşi (Jassy) are, in order to cover Iaşi and Bacău areas (the brodacasting equypment was in fact the equypment used at in 1955 and 1956? for experimental broadcasting; it was concived in Romania. In 1960 it was replaced with an Soviet "Vesna"). At Muzeu Ştiinţei şi Tehnicii "Ştefan Procopiu" ("Ştefan Procopiu" Museum of Science and Technics) you can see 2 '50's tv and early '60's broadcasting equypment. We have some old tv's in Bucharest, at Muzeul U.P.B. (U.P.B. = Universitatea "Politehnica" Bucureşti = Bucharets "Politehnica" University), but the oldest one is from 1961 (1st Romania tv, V.S. 43-611:
http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=92378 ).