I love ads of this period. They all Sound like they were dictated by a mustached man in a courdory jacket, standing with one foot on a table, elbow on knee. Come to think of it (which is the kind of phrase Mustache Man would like), I don’t think I have seen this many words in an ad in my adult life. Excluding pharmaceutical ads.
Warning: all people who used the VideoDisc System are either dead or will one day die. Coincidence?
This post would not be complete without mentioning that my most faithful reader illustrated the Airplane poster, a small corner of which is featured in this picture. He also happens to be the owner of a very fine mustache. I leave you with that thought. And also with a reminder that “the great catalog of RCA VideoDiscs contains more than 130 great movies, classics, concerts or shows.” .
![Kit Eaton of Gizmodo on RCA’s The Two Thousand:
“Back in 1969 RCA made an attempt at a high-end TV that was a vision of the sets of the year 2000. The Two Thousand was even made in a limited run of 2,000 and cost $2,000. That’s around $12,000 in today’s money, but for that price you got a 23-inch Hi-Lite tube that had ‘such a vivid, detailed picture’ you could ‘even watch it in a brightly-lit room.’ There were even ‘computer-like memory circuits’ that stored your fave channels, and preserved settings for volume and picture control. That must’ve seemed like the future indeed in an era of dial-twiddle-tuning to find the right VHF channel. The full advert page makes fascinating reading.
“‘No motors, no noise and no moving parts to wear out,’ just computer-designed ‘electronic memories‘… fabulous, especially since I remember hunkering down before our old TV to swirl the dial. My Dad used to get me to change the channels, as a kind of intelligent remote control. Nowadays my cat brushes past the touch-controls on my flat-screen LCD TV and does that job for me.”
[Paleofuture via Boing Boing Gadgets]
RCA’s 1969 Two Thousand TV Was Computerized Vision of Future, for $2,000 - Gizmodo](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kuapa8YtbG1qzktyvo1_400.jpg)
Kit Eaton of Gizmodo on RCA’s The Two Thousand:
“Back in 1969 RCA made an attempt at a high-end TV that was a vision of the sets of the year 2000. The Two Thousand was even made in a limited run of 2,000 and cost $2,000. That’s around $12,000 in today’s money, but for that price you got a 23-inch Hi-Lite tube that had ‘such a vivid, detailed picture’ you could ‘even watch it in a brightly-lit room.’ There were even ‘computer-like memory circuits’ that stored your fave channels, and preserved settings for volume and picture control. That must’ve seemed like the future indeed in an era of dial-twiddle-tuning to find the right VHF channel. The full advert page makes fascinating reading.
“‘No motors, no noise and no moving parts to wear out,’ just computer-designed ‘electronic memories‘… fabulous, especially since I remember hunkering down before our old TV to swirl the dial. My Dad used to get me to change the channels, as a kind of intelligent remote control. Nowadays my cat brushes past the touch-controls on my flat-screen LCD TV and does that job for me.”
[Paleofuture via Boing Boing Gadgets]
RCA’s 1969 Two Thousand TV Was Computerized Vision of Future, for $2,000 - Gizmodo
MEET THE AUTHOR
Anna Grossman is writing this bio in the third person. She is a New York-based freelance writer specializing in lifestyle and entertainment features. She is 5'7" and has been described as "nice." Su esposo, Jesus, enseñandola Espanol. Email her if you feel like it: GrossmanAJ@Gmail.com
MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR
James Gulliver Hancock is an internationally acclaimed artist who crosses as many mediums as he does borders. James is constantly on the move, having been involved in artist projects and residencies in Indonesia, Austria, France, the U.K. and America. He is currently located in Los Angeles and works on projects in Europe, America and Australia. His work is as varied as his travels, encompassing editorial illustration for magazines, commissions for music group artwork and animations, work with disabled children on logo designs, creating gigantic set illustrations for performances and TV.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NOMINATE THIS SITE TO THE TUMBLR DIRECTORY!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CONTACT: ObsoleteTheBook@ Gmail.com. Because books love to check email.
FOR PRESS OR SPEAKING INQUIRIES: email Jessica Alter
