[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

The instant-on feature on TVs of the '70s was a good idea, but a major disadvantage was the TV would still draw a small amount of current even when the set was turned off.

I personally would disable the instant-on feature, in the interest of saving electricity. I would also get in the habit of unplugging the TV from the wall socket if the user would be away from home any length of time, say on vacation. One other problem which occasionally occured with instant-on televisions was the instant-on diode would short after a lightning strike; this had the same effect as jumpering the set's power switch, which would keep the TV on as long as the cord was plugged in. This sometimes happened late at night, after the set's owner went to bed; the person was not even aware of the problem until he/she woke up the next morning and found the TV on, showing a program on the last channel viewed, or a white screen full of snow (and white noise in the speaker) when the TV station signed off for the night (this, of course, was before 24-7 TV started in the US).

This problem could be cured, sort of (!), by removing the shorted instant-on diode from across the power switch. Of course, however, this eliminated the instant-on feature, but by the end of the '70s this feature was viewed as an energy-waster anyway, so I doubt if it was missed much, or at all.

BTW, I was not aware, until now, that RCA even made television receivers for the Canadian TV market, since RCA was an American company. What was the difference, if any, between American RCA-branded televisions and those built, and marketed, in Canada?

RCA Canada was originally in Montreal, and then moved to Ontario. Back before NAFTA, Canada had locally made products in pretty much every category. The Canadian sets were often inspired by US sets, but there were also unique models, and some parts differences. For example, I have a 12" B&W new vista which is Japanese made by Sharp. My Canadian CTC 38 is full of Japanese made RCA branded tubes, and the picture tube was made in Canada. The cabinets are assembled with square drive Robertson screws (a tell take sign of a Canadian product). And the record changes are almost always Garrard or sometimes BSR. They never used the US built RCA changers.