WOW that 1964 IMPERIAL Frigidaire
is gorgeous beyond belief!! What a machine mama!
is gorgeous beyond belief!! What a machine mama!
Vintage Appliance Advertisments Part Two
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That zenith black and white television had a special jack for "phonevision". They must have had some idea back then about cable but running through the phone line and plugging into the television. 1st I have ever heard of this. I wonder who the company was that was going to supply this service. Has anybody got any info on this? Thanks
Jon
That zenith black and white television had a special jack for "phonevision". They must have had some idea back then about cable but running through the phone line and plugging into the television. 1st I have ever heard of this. I wonder who the company was that was going to supply this service. Has anybody got any info on this? Thanks
Jon
PHONE-VISION
Totally a Zenith product and service. Don't have any data on it personally but I bet the internet is full of it.
Totally a Zenith product and service. Don't have any data on it personally but I bet the internet is full of it.
According to Wikipedia...
<h1 class="firstHeading">Phonevision</h1>
This article is about the pay television experiments. For the photograph record video recording experiments, see Phonovision.
Phonevision
Type Pay television network (movies) Country Availability <span class="flagicon">
</span>United States Headquarters Chicago Owner Zenith Radio Company Key people Eugene F. McDonald Launch date 1951
Phonevision was a project by Zenith Radio Company to create the world's first pay television system.<sup id="cite_ref-time001_0-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> It was developed and first launched in Chicago, followed by further trials in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.
<h2>Contents</h2>
<span class="toctoggle"> [hide] </span>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Phonevision concept</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Technical information</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></li>
</ul>
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="History" class="mw-headline">History</span></h2>
Zenith had experimented with pay television as early as 1931, believing that advertising alone could not support television broadcasting as a viable enterprise in the long term.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-pv-story_1-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> Zenith had originally occupied television channel 1 in Chicago starting on February 2, 1939, when W9XZV went on the air.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> W9XZV was America's first non-mechanical television station and, until October 1940, the only television station in Chicago.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup> Zenith's allocation was later moved to channel 2.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> In 1947, Zenith announced a perfected pay television system and selected the name "Phonevision" as the trademark for the concept.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-pv-story_1-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> In 1950, in preparation for the public pay television test, the experimental station moved from the Zenith factory to the Field Building and became KS2XBS.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup>
In July 1953, Zenith was forced to shut down KS2XBS when WBBM-TV was moved from channel 4 to channel 2 by the Federal Communications Commission as a side effect of channel shuffling in Michigan.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> The KS2XBS station's transmitter was later donated to Chicago's first educational station, PBS member station WTTW (Channel 11).
In 1954, Zenith resumed testing in the eastern United States (on WOR-TV of New York City, now WWOR-TV of Secaucus, New Jersey) and later negotiated foreign contracts in Australia and New Zealand. It also broadcast for a short time in Connecticut. In spite of its failure to gain national success, a significant amount of publicity and advertising for Phonevision was created for a short time.
The Phonevision system was operational on station WHCT in Hartford, Connecticut for at least two years, ending in 1969. The station would run conventional (non-subscription) programming during the day as an "independent," and then switch to Phonevision encoded programming in the evening.
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="Phonevision_concept" class="mw-headline">Phonevision concept</span></h2>
The concept behind Phonevision involved making Hollywood films available to home viewers at $1 per movie (equivalent to $8.46/movie after inflation). Viewers were required to purchase a descrambler unit that sat on top of the TV, plugged into the TVs antenna leads and also into the telephone line.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> Someone wishing to view a movie would call the Phonevision operator, who would add them to the viewer queue. A signal sent via phone lines would allow the box to descramble the signal and at the end of the month, viewers would be billed for the movie on their regular telephone bill.<sup id="cite_ref-time001_0-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> Some of Zenith's 1951 model TV sets were equipped with a special connector for Phonevision, and included a section in the owner's manual explaining the Phonevision concept, providing instructions on how to order, and a schedule for film broadcasts.<sup id="cite_ref-etf002_4-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup>
The Theatre Owners of America called the service a monumental flop. However, according to then Zenith president Eugene F. McDonald, the service was a roaring success.<sup id="cite_ref-time002_5-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup> Even though the three films initially available to the first 300 test households were more than two years old, only about 18 percent of Phonevision viewers had seen them at the movies, and 92 percent of Phonevision households reported that they would prefer to see films at home.<sup id="cite_ref-time002_5-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup>
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="Technical_information" class="mw-headline">Technical information</span></h2>
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. <small>(April 2010)</small>
The system operated by switching a delay line in and out of the video, which chopped the picture into slats (like looking through an open venetian blind). Half of the slats would be shifted to the right by a significant amount. Decoding reversed the process and slid the other slats over the same amount, realigning the picture. The video information was also reversed in phase, exchanging black and white. The audio was processed by "frequency inversion scrambling," shifting the audio spectrum up 2.625 kHz in frequency. This produced audio that sounded much like single sideband radio except that only high frequencies were present. Decoding of the audio was done by a dual-conversion processor. The audio was first shifted up 31.5 kHz, and then shifted down 34.125 kHz, producing a net "downshift" of 2.625 kHz. 31.5 was double the horizontal sweep frequency of 15.750 kHz, and 34.125 kHz was 13/6 ths of 15.750, giving a convenient frequency reference. The frequency tolerance was so tight that if encoded audio were recorded during a Phonevision broadcast, and then played back later into a homemade processor running on normal network programming, a slight frequency error could be detected in the restored audio. Also, when the station switched to local sync to run a local commercial, the frequency change could be heard.
One of the major limitations of the Phonevision system was that due to the delay line being switched in and out, color could not be broadcast, as the 3.58 MHz phase lock necessary for NTSC color broadcasting could not be held. This limitation contributed to the demise of the system, along with the FCC authorization of subscription programming in 1969.
<h1 class="firstHeading">Phonevision</h1>
This article is about the pay television experiments. For the photograph record video recording experiments, see Phonovision.
Phonevision
Type Pay television network (movies) Country Availability <span class="flagicon">
Phonevision was a project by Zenith Radio Company to create the world's first pay television system.<sup id="cite_ref-time001_0-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> It was developed and first launched in Chicago, followed by further trials in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.
<h2>Contents</h2>
<span class="toctoggle"> [hide] </span>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Phonevision concept</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Technical information</span></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></li>
</ul>
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="History" class="mw-headline">History</span></h2>
Zenith had experimented with pay television as early as 1931, believing that advertising alone could not support television broadcasting as a viable enterprise in the long term.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-pv-story_1-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> Zenith had originally occupied television channel 1 in Chicago starting on February 2, 1939, when W9XZV went on the air.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> W9XZV was America's first non-mechanical television station and, until October 1940, the only television station in Chicago.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup> Zenith's allocation was later moved to channel 2.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> In 1947, Zenith announced a perfected pay television system and selected the name "Phonevision" as the trademark for the concept.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-pv-story_1-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></sup> In 1950, in preparation for the public pay television test, the experimental station moved from the Zenith factory to the Field Building and became KS2XBS.<sup id="cite_ref-earlytv-w9xzv-story_2-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-2" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup>
In July 1953, Zenith was forced to shut down KS2XBS when WBBM-TV was moved from channel 4 to channel 2 by the Federal Communications Commission as a side effect of channel shuffling in Michigan.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-3" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> The KS2XBS station's transmitter was later donated to Chicago's first educational station, PBS member station WTTW (Channel 11).
In 1954, Zenith resumed testing in the eastern United States (on WOR-TV of New York City, now WWOR-TV of Secaucus, New Jersey) and later negotiated foreign contracts in Australia and New Zealand. It also broadcast for a short time in Connecticut. In spite of its failure to gain national success, a significant amount of publicity and advertising for Phonevision was created for a short time.
The Phonevision system was operational on station WHCT in Hartford, Connecticut for at least two years, ending in 1969. The station would run conventional (non-subscription) programming during the day as an "independent," and then switch to Phonevision encoded programming in the evening.
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="Phonevision_concept" class="mw-headline">Phonevision concept</span></h2>
The concept behind Phonevision involved making Hollywood films available to home viewers at $1 per movie (equivalent to $8.46/movie after inflation). Viewers were required to purchase a descrambler unit that sat on top of the TV, plugged into the TVs antenna leads and also into the telephone line.<sup id="cite_ref-ctv-pay_3-4" class="reference"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></sup> Someone wishing to view a movie would call the Phonevision operator, who would add them to the viewer queue. A signal sent via phone lines would allow the box to descramble the signal and at the end of the month, viewers would be billed for the movie on their regular telephone bill.<sup id="cite_ref-time001_0-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></sup> Some of Zenith's 1951 model TV sets were equipped with a special connector for Phonevision, and included a section in the owner's manual explaining the Phonevision concept, providing instructions on how to order, and a schedule for film broadcasts.<sup id="cite_ref-etf002_4-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></sup>
The Theatre Owners of America called the service a monumental flop. However, according to then Zenith president Eugene F. McDonald, the service was a roaring success.<sup id="cite_ref-time002_5-0" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup> Even though the three films initially available to the first 300 test households were more than two years old, only about 18 percent of Phonevision viewers had seen them at the movies, and 92 percent of Phonevision households reported that they would prefer to see films at home.<sup id="cite_ref-time002_5-1" class="reference"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></sup>
<h2><span class="editsection">[edit]</span> <span id="Technical_information" class="mw-headline">Technical information</span></h2>
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. <small>(April 2010)</small>
The system operated by switching a delay line in and out of the video, which chopped the picture into slats (like looking through an open venetian blind). Half of the slats would be shifted to the right by a significant amount. Decoding reversed the process and slid the other slats over the same amount, realigning the picture. The video information was also reversed in phase, exchanging black and white. The audio was processed by "frequency inversion scrambling," shifting the audio spectrum up 2.625 kHz in frequency. This produced audio that sounded much like single sideband radio except that only high frequencies were present. Decoding of the audio was done by a dual-conversion processor. The audio was first shifted up 31.5 kHz, and then shifted down 34.125 kHz, producing a net "downshift" of 2.625 kHz. 31.5 was double the horizontal sweep frequency of 15.750 kHz, and 34.125 kHz was 13/6 ths of 15.750, giving a convenient frequency reference. The frequency tolerance was so tight that if encoded audio were recorded during a Phonevision broadcast, and then played back later into a homemade processor running on normal network programming, a slight frequency error could be detected in the restored audio. Also, when the station switched to local sync to run a local commercial, the frequency change could be heard.
One of the major limitations of the Phonevision system was that due to the delay line being switched in and out, color could not be broadcast, as the 3.58 MHz phase lock necessary for NTSC color broadcasting could not be held. This limitation contributed to the demise of the system, along with the FCC authorization of subscription programming in 1969.
Admiral Custom Imperial
Regarding those huge fridges from Admiral. I did find one at the Salvation Army. Again avocado. Complete and in good shape. I hadn't yet bought my new freezer yet - and we do entertain. The idea of having that humongous refrigerator in the basement was reaaaly attractive to me.
However, I looked at the schematic on the back. Man, that thing had a heater for EVERYTHING! It had a mullion heater, a defrost heater, a this heater, a that heater. The unit was clearly the Cadillac of refrigerators but it must have sucked energy like crazy.
Technically, too big a risk - but it saddened me when it finally disappeared.
Ultimately I went out an bought a brand-new Crosley freezer - which I enjoy.
Regarding those huge fridges from Admiral. I did find one at the Salvation Army. Again avocado. Complete and in good shape. I hadn't yet bought my new freezer yet - and we do entertain. The idea of having that humongous refrigerator in the basement was reaaaly attractive to me.
However, I looked at the schematic on the back. Man, that thing had a heater for EVERYTHING! It had a mullion heater, a defrost heater, a this heater, a that heater. The unit was clearly the Cadillac of refrigerators but it must have sucked energy like crazy.
Technically, too big a risk - but it saddened me when it finally disappeared.
Ultimately I went out an bought a brand-new Crosley freezer - which I enjoy.
Webcor 1959
Sylvania 1960
norgeway
Well-known member
Leonard..
Leonard was the identical same appliance as Kelvinator, In my hometown we had a Leonard dealer and a Kelvinator dealer....I LOVE these ad's, the Halo Light is to DIE for, Sylvania ,Motorola and Zenith were very high quality sets, my Parents bought a Stromberg Carlson Hi Fi in 1952 at O.P. Lutz furniture in Lenoir NC, for 200.00.....this was a FORTUNE in those days, they brought home 50.00 a week between them, also the same year my Mother bought a new GE swivel top vacuum, model 815, the first swivel top, at Home Electric Co. for 99.95, which was also a fortune.
Leonard was the identical same appliance as Kelvinator, In my hometown we had a Leonard dealer and a Kelvinator dealer....I LOVE these ad's, the Halo Light is to DIE for, Sylvania ,Motorola and Zenith were very high quality sets, my Parents bought a Stromberg Carlson Hi Fi in 1952 at O.P. Lutz furniture in Lenoir NC, for 200.00.....this was a FORTUNE in those days, they brought home 50.00 a week between them, also the same year my Mother bought a new GE swivel top vacuum, model 815, the first swivel top, at Home Electric Co. for 99.95, which was also a fortune.
Magnavox 1967
Magnavox 1965
Admiral 1969
Admiral 1953
Whrilpool 1964
[this post was last edited: 11/1/2011-01:06]
[this post was last edited: 11/1/2011-01:06]
Crosley 1956
Crosley 1953
Hotpoint 1956
Hotpont 1956
Thor 1949
Frigidaire 1955
Thor 1955
