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1946-1949 Timeline
This section provides a chronological timeline of television-related events.
1946
- CBS gave the FCC a demonstration of their mechanical color system.
Viewers were impressed.
- J. Logie Baird, Scottish television pioneer, dies.
-
Post war production of American TV sets begins
 1946
7" Viewtone - Truly the first post war American television (utilizing a
pre-war design), marketed as a 1946 model, but sold in very small quantities
starting in August 1945. The selling price was $100, quite an affordable
set at the time. The president of Viewtone, Mr. Irving Kane, wanted to
tap into the post war television market as quickly as possible, and also
wanted to offer a set that people could afford. The photograph at the
left was taken in August 1945. Eventually four different models were
sold, all using Du Mont picture tubes. The company went out of business
in August 1947. There are no known examples of the set shown in the
photograph.
 1946
7" RCA 621TS - RCA announced both the
621TS (and the 630TS below) to the American public on October 7th 1946.
RCA then had a five city (newspaper) advertising campaign for both sets, with
sales beginning in November 1946.
The cabinet of the 621TS (offered in
mahogany, walnut and blonde wood) was designed
in the pre-war period by John Vassos, however the chassis was a post-war design.
Initial price was $226.40. The 621 was on the market very briefly and was
quickly outsold by the 630TS with a 10" screen (see below). Production
was 17,000 units - not many have survived until today - the set is popular among
collectors.
 1946
10" RCA Model 630TS - Initial selling price was $352.00. It weighed 95 lbs., and was on the
market from 1946 until 1949. Many other manufacturers bought the 630
chassis, and had their own cabinets made. Even in 1950, the set was
offered in kit form and a hobbyist could build a do-it-yourself TV set.
Approximately 43,000 were sold the first year and hundreds-of-thousands
continued to be sold in later years.
Collectors call this the Model-T of television, and it is the first set
completely designed
and marketed post war.
1947
- RCA flooded the market with black & white sets to slow the potential
launch of CBS color. An adapter (about $100) would have to be
installed to all non-CBS color sets. The FCC ruled CBS color is
'premature'.
1948
- Pye Television, a UK firm, set up a demonstration at the Australian "Royal
Easter Show", held in Sydney, six years ahead of the first public broadcasts.
Read the full story below:
(144K)
1949
- Facing the challenge head-on, Sarnoff ordered stepped-up development of an
all-electronic RCA color system. Perfected system is ready by December
1950.
- Farnsworth Radio and Television is sold to ITT. Philo Farnsworth, at
age 43, suffering from alcoholism, was no longer a part of the
television industry.
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