Why they called it CTC?

[Telecolor 3007]

Why did "R.C.A." used to call the sets Color Telvsion Console (C.T.C.). The sets didn't have record-player (phonograph), tape-recorder, not even radio.

[maxm]

I thought it meant "Color Television Chassis"?

[H2s04]

Yeah maxm, I guessed it was "color television chassis"

[colortrakker]

I'll agree with that...and I'll add for you, Telecolor, that those chassis sometimes came bundled in gigantic pieces of furniture with a separate radio and record player, and occasionally even a tape deck (especially later ones). You can see some of these beasts in other posts here and in the Rectangular Color forum.

[wa2ise]

"color television chassis"

That's correct. I used to work for RCA 20 years ago at the David Smirnoff R&D lab in Princeton NJ. Was there when GE raped and pillaged RCA, wasn't a pretty sight...

[mhardy6647]

CTC makes sense...

but that begs the question of why the B&W chassis were labeled "KCS", doesn't it :-)

[rca2000]

I am sure the "K" stood fro Kinescope, as rca did, and still does, refer to the crt. the "C" probably stood for chassis, and the "S" may have stood for system, or something. Rememberm tv was new at the time.

Just a little deductive reasoning.

[Chad Hauris]

I think RCA used other 3-letter codes for other products' chassis in the 60's, for instance the VMT prefix is for Victrola brand record player chassis.

[Tubejunke]

Originally posted by Telecolor 3007
Why did "R.C.A." used to call the sets Color Telvsion Console (C.T.C.). The sets didn't have record-player (phonograph), tape-recorder, not even radio.

Not to be sarcastic or offend but I have never heard of the idea that a set advertised as, or referred to as a console would indicate a phono and/or a radio.

Sure they made monster sets like this from the 40s until the 70s. Maybe someone can tell us what you call the things.

Home Entertainment Center

I always thought of sets as either table models, portables, or consoles.

[colortrakker]

Sounds like a good enough generic term...I guess it all depends on the manufacturer. Magnavox used to call theirs "Color Stereo Theatres" in the '60s. Don't remember seeing anyone else call them anything, though.

[Chad Hauris]

Combo or combination was used sometimes I believe for TV's w/radio and/or phono.
Also CTC was used for all color models--portable and table models, too, so "console" is not part of that designation.
The initial letter of the model number of the RCA TV sets from the late 60's through sometime in the 80's did, however, convey information about the style of the set. I can't remember all of them but some are:

A=b/w portable/table model
E= color portable
G=color console
J=industrial/commercial or hotel model

There are other letter codes for b/w console, b/w combo, and color combo.