This is who makes modern RCA TV's:

[Saratoga48]

Well we still have a 60 or 70 foot high NIPPER (RCA dog) sitting on top of a building outside of Albany NY, which will probably outlast whoever now owns RCA.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carljohnson/1531413177/

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by freakaftr8

I mean I thought that the Japanese are proud of there name and intended to build their products in said country instead of outsourcing as well to make a buck. Because im sure that if that Sony was built in Japan where it was supposed to be it wouldn't be having all the cold solder joint failures in the PS to begin with.

I agree with you about poor quality control in non-Japan-made Sony TV's, since I have worked with many Japanese Sony CRT monitors made right up to the year 2000 that were all well-built, though even those can have cap failures when they get warm in an enclosed cabinet. Sony, Panasonic and other Japanese companies have made many products outside Japan since at least 1980 that I know of, primarily low-cost items like small radios back then. My 1980 Sony AM and AM/FM pocket radios (ICF-3860, TR-3230 I think) are made in Taiwan.

[waltchan]

Panasonic was an unusual company in the VCR business because all standalone VCR units were Made in Japan (23 years) since the beginning, 1977, all the way to 2000. It was definitely beyond the manufacturer's average time-frame to switch production to a different country. Panasonic, one time, marketed with this slogan "Made in Japan: Quality of Japanese engineering," and stamped this onto every new Panasonic VCR boxes from 1998 to 2000. Unfortunately, it was a failure and misled by Panasonic because VCRs are already cheaply-made by now after 1991, they no longer last very long, and quite a number of people complained how poorly constructed they were, so Panasonic abandons marketing "Made in Japan" from now on.

Panasonic also made portable CD players in Japan for a very long time (1987-2005), despite their low cost and throwaway designs. Compare with Sony (with their Discmans), only up till 1992.

Panasonic still makes products in Japan but now only on a limited basis. Excluding higher-end digital cameras and camcorders, the last one was a Blu-Ray player, which ended production in Japan on February 2008. There are no Made in Japan Panasonic products as of now for the North American market since February 2008.

[freakaftr8]

How sad that is. Im not knocking new products and technology, I mean I love it! (Especially if it can work along with our vintage sets). But when the technology breaks down on a rapid rate due to poor quality control issues, that's where I think it just plain sucks.

[bgadow]

I bought my newest VCR on newyears eve, 12-31-99, a Panasonic. I still recall the box proudly proclaimed "Made In Japan" in big letters. I filled out the little warranty card inside and it had a place where you could check off the reasons you selected this model, including "Made in Japan" so I made sure to check it. Guess not enough folks did! But then, that was a $130 vcr then at WallyWorld and the current price is what, a hundred bucks less? It is a good machine, anyway. I also had a Japanese made Panasonic cordless phone that was just a few months newer and was amazing. A great performer and extremely durable. The new models are from China or other countries.

[Bill R]

I noticed some time ago that Sanyo sets are built in Mexico. I wondered if they were completely built there or just assembled there from Chinese parts.

Bill R

[zenith2134]

We bought our last VCR around that same time. A Sony HiFi stereo model with 19 micron head VHS. It was an SLV series. I'm not sure where that one was built, but it still works somewhere, and I used to record a heck of lot with that deck.

The one it replaced was a circa-1991 Sony 4 Head Hifi stereo that retailed for an embarrisingly high figure back then. My dad bought it and we used the hell outta that one too. He still has it but the heads are going south. That one was most certainly built in Japan.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by zenith2134

We bought our last VCR around that same time. A Sony HiFi stereo model with 19 micron head VHS. It was an SLV series. I'm not sure where that one was built, but it still works somewhere, and I used to record a heck of lot with that deck.

Made in Malaysia.

Originally Posted by zenith2134

The one it replaced was a circa-1991 Sony 4 Head Hifi stereo that retailed for an embarrisingly high figure back then. My dad bought it and we used the hell outta that one too. He still has it but the heads are going south. That one was most certainly built in Japan.

Yep, Made in Japan. However Sony VCRs from that era weren't so ultra reliable as gears break off often over the years.

[Kiwick]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

I agree with you about poor quality control in non-Japan-made Sony TV's.

Most Sony sets sold on the European market from the late 70s to the late 80s were entirely designed, engineered and made in the UK, their Trinitron CRTs were also British, the chipsets and most of the resistors, capacitors and transistors were Philips and the speakers were either British Goodmans or Italian Faital units

but they were nice sets, they used standard European parts and a rather simple, straightforward design (for Sony standards) and were easy and cheap to fix, the British Trinitron tubes seemed to last too,

[freakaftr8]

Nope. CRT made in China. Worked on one of these about a month ago with a bad flyback. (Fsssst, pop snap). Back cabinet boasts "Made in Mexico". Set was from 2005 and was a 27".

Originally Posted by Bill R

I noticed some time ago that Sanyo sets are built in Mexico. I wondered if they were completely built there or just assembled there from Chinese parts.

Bill R