Can you do without color?

[Phil Nelson]

I agree with retrohacker that the absence of color doesn't detract from most TV programs. If you're watching a talk show or a rerun of Friends or Cheers, they're not doing anything creative with color. You're focusing on the dialogue and the action (if any). Who cares whether Rachel's throw rug is azure or maroon?

I wish that more new movies were made in B/W. Good Night and Good Luck, for instance, was beautiful to watch, and I never heard anyone complain that it wasn't in color.

I think we have lost some things since color took over. If you watch a classic B/W movie, such as a Hitchcock or Orson Welles feature, the composition and lighting, etc., for every scene is breathtaking. Those movies actually look worse when they are "colorized."

In the post-MTV age, many movies and TV programs rely on a machine-gun pace and the shaky camera style. Much less interesting, visually. There is more to cinematography than jogging around with a digital camera on your shoulder. Name one contemporary director who could remake a classic Bergman film in B/W.

Anyway, to answer the original post, I do watch my bigger-screen B/W sets regularly (the Predicta and the 16" Zenith tabletop). Those with 7" and 8" screens don't get much use -- just enough to keep them healthy. Fun to restore, but not practical for daily use.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[Duane]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

I want a B&W HDTV set!

There will still be digital artifacts.....

[radiotvnut]

It wouldn't kill me to watch B&W. The only B&W set I currently own is a 3" Panasonic but I've owned several larger screen B&W sets over the years. If I find a vintage B&W set of interest, I will use it.

I had an old friend that used to be in the repair business from the late '40's through the early '70's and he always said he didn't want any part of a color TV. He finally got a color set in the early '80's and after getting used to it, said he'd never watch a B&W TV again.

[Dan Starnes]

Grew up with B&W sets. I seldom watch tv that has color, or color tv shows for that matter. Mostly watch dvd's of old tv and movies. But, I do like to watch Bonanza on TV Land on my Color set.
Dan

[peverett]

One thing you do need color for is weather radar. This is especially important in Tornado Alley.

[Carmine]

I do without color just about every night. My bedroom Tv until recently was a '56 Bugeye Zenith. (It didn't die, I just decided to change it up) Now I have a 1965 17" Zenith from Doug®.

My girlfriend (age 25) and I usually watch Law & Order, and a couple weeks back, we watched "Bad Day at Blackrock" on a Canadian UHF channel thats a bit fuzzy.

She doesn't complain, but she does like to crack jokes about "Do we HAVE to watch it on the old-timey TV set?" This comes after I shut off the color 1978 Zenith daily-watcher. Truly, she's told me she doesn't care. So there is a Gen Y'er that should skew the ol' age graph.

[Sandy G]

The only thing about watching my '49 Admiral 7" Bakelite set is that there is SO much extraneous BS in the video signal that wasn't around in 1949, it doesn't really like it, & I wonder if that's good for the TV...

[bgadow]

I've taken to watching TV so little that when I do it's getting to be an event! Older color shows I want to see in color, but newer stuff or documentaries about WW2, well, any set will do.

[zenith2134]

All good points... I find myself watching the News alot and I could pretty much care less if its in color or not.... But of course I choose my color XL-100 over the b&w's for movies, etc.

Sandy, thats an interesting question regarding the extra information in a modern signal's vertical blanking area. Most sets built from the mid-70s and up don't show this (at least in my experience) but it can be real annoying on an older set.... I don't think the information can cause the set any trouble, except if you've got a steady line or two and have the contrast turned up to the point where it can burn the phosphor....unlikely IMO.

Even my 1980 RCA shows VBI lines with a DVD player.... just remembered. Not an issue with cable or converter box, though.

[Boobtubeman]

I still fire up the packard bell (avatar) When a good B/W movie comes on.

My first tv was a motorolla (below pic, brown case though) and i watched everything on it as a kid, color made no difference when Farrah, Jackylyn, and Kate were on the tv hehehe

Still looking for this tv or the 17p6 model..... (my first 2 motos)

Steve

[7"estatdef]

I find that watching the old B/W sets for me tens to make TV watching more palitable. I don't care for the blood and guts but in B/W it's much easier to take. Sort of a kinder gentiler picture. Also nowhere near the bright flashing video of color
The B/W sets of course remind me of growing up in the '60s. My family had color early on about 1959 or so. It was a big strapping 21" RCA tabletop set in a light colored metal cabinet. I don't remember the model but it had two flaming hot 5u4's sticking out of the top of a large potted power transformer.I had color just about all my life (all most 52 years) and I can take it or leave it. Hey Sandy those 7"ers are eye killers for me, more like radios.
Terry

[compucat]

I like black and white sets. My 1949 Motorola 9VT1 is a pleasure to watch (I have to get it fixed). B&W sets seem to do better with weaker signals that cause color to be rendered incorrectly. I am partial to collecting 12" B&W sets because they were in every household when I was a kid, my first set was one and they are fun to work on and use. I am sorry that they ever went away.

I am currently restoring a 1978 GE 12" B&W "performance television", well made and in a black and yellow '70s style cabinet.

[zenithfan1]

Originally Posted by compucat

I like black and white sets. My 1949 Motorola 9VT1 is a pleasure to watch (I have to get it fixed). B&W sets seem to do better with weaker signals that cause color to be rendered incorrectly. I am partial to collecting 12" B&W sets because they were in every household when I was a kid, my first set was one and they are fun to work on and use. I am sorry that they ever went away.

I am currently restoring a 1978 GE 12" B&W "performance television", well made and in a black and yellow '70s style cabinet.

I like 'em too, my first set was a 12" Panasonic from about '67 or '68. I still have it and it still works. There is a bunch of 12 inchers laying around here and I like it that way! You're right about them picking up weak signals, I usually do my DXing with a B/W Zenith SC 300 from '66. I too am sad about them going away, seems like everything I like is going away, whats up with that?!

[Tubejunke]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

I agree with retrohacker that the absence of color doesn't detract from most TV programs. If you're watching a talk show or a rerun of Friends or Cheers, they're not doing anything creative with color. You're focusing on the dialogue and the action (if any). Who cares whether Rachel's throw rug is azure or maroon?

This quote pretty much sums up my opinion of color television and I have said it for years. I can't believe that most people I have told it to look at me as if I'm crazy. Of course these folks usually of the mindset of not watching tv at all if it werent color AND remote control. God forbid having to move a body part to adjust a television set!

I don't remember it being a big deal to get up and change the channel back when it was the more or less the norm. Of course we didn't have 200 channels. Now THAT could be a work out! Hey maybe thats why we need all of the abdominal workout info-mercials these days and the kids are pudgy....

[NowhereMan 1966]

I work on the computer a lot so most of my viewing is on a 1964 Sony 9 inch B&W set that has a Zenith DTV box on it. I could go without color if I had to.