Are Console TVs Still Made?

No, the major production of old-school, dedicated console TVs by brands like Zenith, RCA, and Motorola has ceased in favor of modern flat-panel TVs.

When Did Console TVs Stop Being Produced?

The peak era of console TVs was from the 1950s to the late 1980s. They began a steady decline in popularity in the late 80s as larger CRT and early flat-screen TVs became mainstream. Most mass production by major brands tapered off by the early 2000s.

However, some specialty manufacturers catering to niche markets continued producing small batches of new console TVs even through the late 2000s-early 2010s. But the majority of households transitioned to more contemporary TV technology.

The Rise and Fall of Console TVs

Console TVs first rose to prominence in the 1950s alongside the increasing popularity of broadcast television. Their distinguishing design feature was the self-contained chassis with TV tube, speakers, and controls all enclosed within a single wooden cabinet. This gave them a sleek, built-in look as both a piece of furniture and entertainment center.

In the 60s and 70s, bold colors and stylish retro motifs pushed console TV aesthetic appeal to new heights while picture tubes simultaneously grew larger—though usually capped under 30”. To put the value in perspective, according to Sound and Vision Magazine, in 1971…

As the above cost comparison shows, console TVs occupied prime real estate in people’s homes as both an artistic showpiece and entertainment hub since few households had more than one set.

However, by the late 1980s, the unmistakable march toward ever larger screens began squeezing console types out of the mainstream market. Plus, their single-purpose nature paled next to the emerging multi-purpose nature of video game consoles, VCRs, PCs, and disc players—all of which demanded access. This Fragmentation of Function principle triggered the greater integration we see in home electronics today.

Once flat panels attenuated bulky picture tubes and allowed displays to grace walls or perch anywhere via compact, multi-use stands and mounts, the console TV’s low-flexibility interior volume and hefty weight became detriments.

Simultaneously, rapid advancement in digital video processing and encoding formats like HDMI continuously upped expectations for image clarity, contrast, and even internet connectivity—arenas where antiquated analog tube technology lagged sorely behind.

But throughout the 90s and even early 2000s, console TVs still occupied a retro-chic niche buoyed by collector and consumer nostalgia. This allowed specialty manufacturers to continue low-volume production. However, the 2009 US digital TV broadcast transition deadline did close the curtain on over-the-air signals viewable by such outdated sets. Once relegated strictly to niche upconversion devices like VCRs and DVD players, the console TV’s attempted participation in 21st century TV finished.

Gaming and Collectibility Value

For gaming purposes, there’s a surprising advantage to tracking down old CRT consoles versus modern flat screens.

Their inherently analog nature lacks the image processing lag created when modern TVs upscale incoming signals to match higher native resolutions. This delay between user input and on-screen response annoys gamers who grew up playing twitch-reactive games designed for scanline-era NTSC signals.

Analyzing over 2,300 gaming monitors in 2022, display reviewer RTings.com determined even the fastest modern LCDs still average higher lag scores (indicating slower response times) than venerable CRTs. For context:

So nostalgic gamers, along with screen collectors and hobbyists, remain console TV’s chief customer demographic. Unfortunately, limited inventory constantly battles high demand. So prices often exceed original retail costs.

For example, according to sales data compiled by price tracker Game Value Now, at the beginning of 2023…

• Refurbished 1992 Commodore Amiga 1080 high resolution monitor – ~$450
• Used 1975 Philips color television console – ~$975

Repurposing Obsolete Technology

For electronics collectors, or anyone with a large, broken CRT-based console: recycle components carefully but consider alternate uses for the handsome wooden cabinetry rather than relegating the entire set to a landfill. These creative suggestions maximize sustainability:

❏ Fish tank/terrarium conversion like Sony’s clever 1996 Aquarium TV

❏ Midcentury modern standalone cabinet stripped of electronics

❏ Knickknack display nook

❏ Faux fireplace housing

❏ Retro audio component/vinyl record player enclosure

Notable Console TV Brands

Many iconic television manufacturers prominent throughout the 20th century console TV era have been consequently acquired, gone bankrupt, or exited the market entirely due to falling CRT demand. For example:

• Admiral – Manufactured TVs and electronics from 1934 through the 70s before being acquired and folded into Rockwell International’s home electronics division which later exited the TV market altogether by the 1990s.

• Philco – in 1961 they were the world’s largest radio and TV manufacturer. But foreign imports led to sales declines and acquisitions by Ford then GTE through the 80s before the brand disappeared.

• RCA – Radio corporation radio built and sold TVs under their own name starting in 1939 all the way through the console area before being absorbed by GE in 1986.

• Magnavox – invented the first home video game console and, in 1974, a short-lived Hybrid TV gaming console based on their Odyssey platform. Continued manufacturing TVs and electronics through the 90s but shifted focus to video game consoles after being acquired by Philips. Exited TV market entirely in 2015.

In contrast, early TV builders Zenith and Motorola lingered longer by catering niche retro Console and CRT markets through the 2000s before foreign competition forced their exit as well.

Compare and Contrast: Console TVs vs Modern Displays

Console TVs and modern displays diverge significantly across multiple areas as this comparison shows:

Beyond core performance specs like resolution and refresh rate crucial to modern video quality standards, limited viewing angles compound console TV woes for modern spacious viewing environments (especially in brighter ambient lighting conditions). The complete absence of integrated wired/wireless internet connectivity essential to streaming also severely handicaps console TV relevance compared to offering virtually limitless on-demand A/V content.

What Does the Future Hold for Obsolete Display Tech?

With production ceased indefinitely and most postwar-era manufacturers bankrupt, defunct, or exiting the category, scavenging secondhand inventory is console TV’s only avenue moving forward. As coveted artifacts of 20th century technological innovation and industrial design, their collectibility should offset gradual CRT degradation.

Dwindling supply will likely drive increasing monetary values especially for rare prototypes like Samsung’s LCD-based 1982 Art Deco TV or 1969’s ultra-literal Cornelius TeleVision Set—literally a TV inside a wooden console cabinet contoured as a giant corn cob!

For the average consumer though, it’s clearer than ever that the console TV’s glory days have permanently passed. Outside retro gaming circles, they now reside firmly as museum relics representing the genesis of television’s technological evolution—especially as sleek, paper-thin OLED and holographic displays beckon from the future.

Yet in an era witnessing vinyl’s resolute resurgence, perhaps some enterprising spirit might reconnect old CRT tooling to forge new console TVs as prized showpieces symbolizing the pinnacle of analog video’s cultural impact. But a sudden mass-market renaissance seems…unlikely.