Surviving Early Color Set Database
This database includes all surviving early color sets we are aware of, but the database is incomplete. If you have information on the location of any of these sets, please contact us. All information will be kept in confidence. We will post only the quantity of each type of set on this website. Edited and Maintained by Ed Reitan and Steve McVoy. Contact either Ed or Steve with updates and comments. For more detailed information on early color sets, see Ed's site.
Sets added in 2006, 2007 and 2008
Field Sequential Sets
|
Manufacturer |
Model Size |
Surviving (museums) |
Surviving (collectors) |
| CBS | RX-28 5" prototype (1946) |
1 |
|
|
RX-43/FCC-8 prototype 7" combination receiver magnified to 9" (1949) |
1 |
||
|
|
12CC2 10" “Combination”/”Dual” receiver magnified to 12 1/2" (the only commercially sold set) (1951) |
1 |
1 |
|
|
10" “Slave”/”Companion” magnified to 12 1/2" (1951) |
1 |
1 |
|
|
RX-40/41 Color Converter (1950) |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Personal Viewer (1950) |
2 |
1 |
| Industrial Color Television Monitor Console 7" magnified to 9" (1951) |
2 |
|
|
| Crosley | Color Converter |
1 |
|
|
General Electric |
Projection prototype (1946) |
1 |
|
|
Gray Research |
Model 1101 10" studio monitor magnified to 12 1/2" (1951) |
2 |
1 |
|
Zenith |
“Smith, Kline, & French” Blonde receiver (1949) (20 built) |
1 |
3 |
Early NTSC Sets
The following table shows prototype and first generation production sets made by U. S. manufacturers. [ ] indicates model number. ( ) indicates quantity reported but not verified.
FT (Field Test) means a receiver that was used in "Field Testing" of the NTSC Standards from late 1951 until May 1953. The NTSC submitted its petition after this testing to the FCC in July 1953.
PT (Prototype) is a set with a metal-cone CRT, or with screw socket mountings, or with no engraved stamping on the chassis, or which would have been made in very small quantities, or has characteristics/circuit additions that would indicate it is an experimental/prototype set
All other sets were either sold to the public, or have characteristics that made it clear that the manufacturer had developed them to the point where they could be sold.
|
Manufacturer |
Model Size |
Surviving (museums) |
Surviving (collectors) |
|
Admiral |
FT, 15", 21" |
2-21” [C322C series] |
|
|||
|
Arvin |
15" |
(1)- 15" |
||||
|
Capehart |
19", 21" |
1-19” [CXC-12] |
1-19” [CXC-12] |
|||
| CBS Columbia |
FT, 15", 16", 19", 22" rectangular |
1-15" PT [RX-90] | ||||
|
Chromatic Television Labs |
Chromatron (several models) |
|
||||
|
Col-R-Tel |
Color wheel NTSC converter |
2 [100] |
21 [100] |
|||
| Colordaptor |
Color wheel NTSC converter kit |
1 [C-15A] |
2 [C-15A] |
|||
|
Conrac |
15", 21" studio monitor |
|
||||
|
Crosley |
FT, Chromatron |
|
||||
|
Dage |
15" studio monitor |
1-15" [650] monitor |
|
|||
|
Douglas |
15" prototype |
|
||||
|
Dumont |
15", 19", 21", 15" studio monitor |
|
||||
|
Emerson |
FT, 15", 21" |
|||||
| Fada |
15" prototype |
|||||
|
General Electric |
FT, 15", 21,", 15" studio monitor |
|||||
|
Gilfillan |
Chromatron, 21" |
2- PT 21” |
||||
|
Hallicrafters |
FT, Chromatron, 15", 21" |
1-21” [21CK801] Hallicrafters cabinet using CTC4 chassis (note 6) |
||||
|
Hazeltine |
FT, Triniscope, 16” projector (6 models) |
|
||||
|
Hoffman |
15", 19", 21" |
1-19" [Colorcaster] |
|
|||
|
Magnavox |
21" |
|
||||
|
Majestic |
15" |
|
||||
|
Montgomery-Ward |
21" |
|
||||
|
Motorola |
FT, 15", 19", 21" |
|||||
|
Muntz |
Chromatron, 21” |
1-21” [721CV] |
||||
|
Olympic |
21" |
|
||||
|
Pacific Mercury (Sears) |
16" |
1-16" PT |
||||
|
Packard Bell |
21" |
|
||||
|
Philco |
FT, 15", 21", Apple |
2-21" [TV-123] |
||||
|
Polarad |
15" monitor [M-200] |
|
||||
|
Raytheon |
15" FT, 19", 21" |
1-15" PT (chassis only) |
||||
|
RCA Labs |
(15 Triniscope models) |
1- PT [Triniscope] |
|
|||
|
RCA Color Products Group |
(14 FT models) |
1-15” [Model 5] |
|
|||
|
RCA Victor |
(6 commercial models) |
|||||
|
RCA Broadcast |
15”, 21” studio monitors |
|||||
|
Sears-Silvertone |
15", 21" |
1-15” PT [4160] |
||||
| Sears - Toshiba |
16" rectangular |
3-16" rectangular |
||||
|
Sentinel |
15", 21" |
|
||||
|
Setchell-Carlson |
21" |
|
||||
|
Sparton |
15" |
1-15” [16A211] |
|
|||
|
Stromberg-Carlson |
15", 21" |
|||||
|
Sylvania |
FT, 15", 21" |
1-21" [21C609M] using CTC4 chassis (note 6) |
|
|||
|
Tel-Instrument Co. |
Color picture monitor |
(Van Nuys - slide scanner and triniscope) [2400] |
||||
|
Telechrome Inc. |
Triniscope picture monitor |
(Lost Gilfillan Lab configuration with 10 racks) |
||||
|
Tele-King |
FT |
|
||||
|
Western Auto |
21" |
|
||||
|
Westinghouse |
FT, 15", 19", 21", 22" rectangular |
|
||||
|
Wickes |
15/16” monitor |
|
||||
|
Wilcox-Gay |
15" (Majestic) |
|
||||
|
Zenith |
FT, 15" |
7-15" (note 5) |
Notes:
1) 200 units were manufactured for use by RCA distributors and NBC affiliates for demonstrations of the first coast-to-coast colorcast of the January 1, 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade.
2) Approximately 5000 CT-100s were made. Count for surviving RCA CT-100 from Pete Deksnis' site. If you are an owner of a RCA CT-100, Pete Deksnis would like to hear from you. He has compiled a list of surviving sets.
3) Approximately 500 H840CK15s were made. For more on Westinghouse H840CK15 go to Marlin Mackley's site.
4) Preproduction prototype, with different HV section and extra chassis for color AFC.
5) One surviving set has a Hytron CRT.
6) See this page about "clone" CTC-4 sets