I can see right thru you

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3638



Anthony

I think I read somewhere that these clear plastic sets were designed to go into prison cells. They had to be clear in order that prison officials could make sure that there was no contraban hidden in them.

Originally posted by Eric C
I think I read somewhere that these clear plastic sets were designed to go into prison cells. They had to be clear in order that prison officials could make sure that there was no contraban hidden in them.

Yeppers, that's what the auction copy reads. I heard mention of some Zenith sets in the 80's that were available in clear....I wonder if they had anything to do with prison applications.

Way back before the Bell system was broken up you could order your phone (rental only, remember?) in various custom colors including clear. Most no one probably knows this, but being the weird kid that I was I had read the front of the phone book (white pages) and they mentioned this. You could send them a swatch of whatever color you wanted and they'd match it, for a fee of course. But the thing that blew my fragile mind is that you could choose clear as well.

Anthony

[Chad Hauris]

What's interesting is that this is a digitally tuned BLACK and WHITE TV! I guess they don't want to give the prisoners the luxury of color....

Originally posted by Chad Hauris
What's interesting is that this is a digitally tuned BLACK and WHITE TV! I guess they don't want to give the prisoners the luxury of color....

They're lucky they can have a TV at all. What's next? X-boxes and microwave popcorn?

Prison Guard sez: "May I fluff your pillow?"

Anthony

[andy]

Looks like it might be color to me.

[Chad Hauris]

I have seen some of these sets on EBAY before and they were claimed to be black and white, they may have a color tube with the chroma circuitry in the set disabled. No, I don't think prisoners need their own TV either.

[Jeffhs]

I agree. A prison sentence is not a vacation but a punishment for committing a crime, so a prison cell should not be decked out like a motel room with TV, etc.

I don't know if that set is color or not. I have seen only one make of digitally-tuned B&W TV. Zenith had a 12" portable in the late '70s-early 80s with random-access channel tuning via a ten-button keypad, if memory serves. That model was manufactured only for a short time (one or perhaps two model years), then quietly disappeared from Zenith's product line, never to be seen again (except on treelawns, curbs, at garage sales . . . ).

Another poster to this thread asked, "What's next? Xboxes? Microwave popcorn?" I hope not. That, IMO, is another thing prisoners do not need. The day prison cells are equipped with such things as Internet access, Xboxes, etc., if such a day ever comes (again, I certainly hope not), I will be wondering just what has happened to this country's prison system. If this is law enforcement's idea of punishment, something is definitely wrong with the system, and it must be corrected--pronto.

[bgadow]

It may very well be cheaper these days to build a digital tuner than a click-stop. Probably not too much cheaper to build a bw set than color, either. I havn't seen a new 12" bw set in a couple years but I think that last one was around $39. I don't know how low Wally World has gotten on 13" colors but it wouldn't surprise me if they have broken $50.

I'm surprised these clear sets havn't shown up in stores-seems like they would be a good seller to teenagers or whatever.

I bought a clear, 13" TV on eBay about three years ago under the "Secureview" name. It's an RCA chassis inside a clear, un-RCA (?) cabinet. Fasteners are those oddly-slotted fasteners that you can't unfasten with a blade or Phillips driver. Perhaps a shiv?
Otherwise unremarkable set that my wife knows better than to hide new contraband (jewelry) purchases inside. Got an obsessive-compulsive in the family? Get 'em one of these and point out all the dust you can see collecting on the HV circuitry, day by day by....

Dust on the HV! LOL

Good thing these sets weren't around in Howard Hughes' day!

Anthony

[Haoleb]

most of the trash on tv is enough to make a man crazy. i dont think id say watching tv in prison is some vacation. Not all people that go to prison are bad people. My cousin got into a bad car accident which killed two people. only him and one other kid survived. the kid said my cousin was the driver. although my cousin doesnt even remember being the driver and his injuries werent the same as what a driver would have. The cops supposeobly did stuff and lied about it in court etc.

He got into an accident and theres no proof he was even the driver and now hes in prison for 4 years. I went to the sentencing trial while i was on vacation. Admitteldy he has a poor driving record with alot of wrecked veicles etc. but did not deserve to go to prison for an accident in which the family of one of the kids that was killed was out for revenge. One of the members from their family even spoke at the trial and said "eye for an eye".

There are alot of things people can learn on the internet etc and if they were using it for that purpose i see no harm. what good is it doing to have someone just sit in there. if they can gain SOMETHING good!

Originally posted by Haoleb
most of the trash on tv is enough to make a man crazy.

I'm proof of that!

i dont think id say watching tv in prison is some vacation. Not all people that go to prison are bad people. My cousin got into a bad car accident which killed two people. only him and one other kid survived. the kid said my cousin was the driver. although my cousin doesnt even remember being the driver and his injuries werent the same as what a driver would have. The cops supposeobly did stuff and lied about it in court etc.

He got into an accident and theres no proof he was even the driver and now hes in prison for 4 years. I went to the sentencing trial while i was on vacation. Admitteldy he has a poor driving record with alot of wrecked veicles etc. but did not deserve to go to prison for an accident in which the family of one of the kids that was killed was out for revenge. One of the members from their family even spoke at the trial and said "eye for an eye".

That truly sucks. I realize that there are many people who may not belong there, but obvioulsy my comments weren't directed at them.

There are alot of things people can learn on the internet etc and if they were using it for that purpose i see no harm. what good is it doing to have someone just sit in there. if they can gain SOMETHING good!

I don't understand how your reference to learning from the internet is germaine here, but the concept of punishment has some merit which too many uber left wingers have lost sight of. That's not to say there shouldn't be some remedial training of some sort, hopefully some sort of job skills.

Anthony