Early Color Television Receiver Production
1954 - 1964
Color Television Receiver Production (by year)
Color Television Receiver Production (by year)
It took more than ten years before there were significant sales of color receivers. This occurred even when the addition of color to black and white television was a significant value added. This is an possible bad omen for the introduction of a high definition service, with its marginal value added of increased picture resolution and widened picture aspect.
| Year | # Produced | RCA Model or Chassis | Comments | 1954 | 5,000 | CT-100 (CTC2) | (15GP22: 11 1/2" x 8 5/8" rounded) | 1955 | 20,000 | 21CT55 (CTC2B, CTC3) thru CTC4 | (21AXP22) | 1956 | 90,000 | CTC4 | First Simplified Chassis - 26 tubes | 1957 | 85,000 | CTC5 Special & Deluxe | (Special: a dog (first < $500), Deluxe: improved wideband color) | 1958 | 80,000 | CTC7 | (quality chassis, X&Z demod, dim 21CYP22) | 1959 | 90,000 | CTC9 | - | 1960 | 120,000 | CTC10 | (quality chassis, brighter 21CYP22A) | 1961 | 140,000 | CTC11 | (first bright CRT-but orangish red-21FBP22) | 1962 | 450,000 | - | (integral faceplate-21FJP22) | 1963 | 750,000 | - | - | 1964 | 1,500,000 | - | (> 1.5 M production per year, thereafter) |
Source: Dan Gustafson Telcon, July 21, 1996 from Sams Photofact Book on Color TV, 1966