One of the TVs we had in a classroom at my high school in the late '90s was manufactured in 1986 (I checked out of curiousity, lol) with the manual tuning knobs. I remembered thinking it must've been one of the very last models of its kind, and even then was probably a cheapie. I've seen quite a bit of early-mid '80s TVs that were remote controlled, although it wasn't quite commonplace (probably 1979-1986 was transitional).

I don't know...but my grandparents had one of those big floor models. :D

^ Yeah, you know what? Even now I still see those hanging around in places like barbershops, nail salons and stuff. ;D I guess people keep their working ones for an "easy"/cheap way to watch TV in situations like that.

P.S. I think it's cool to have former "floor models" - almost like you took a piece of the store home with you! Like, when I got my first brand new VCR in 1998 (our family had a few, but I wanted my own too), it was a discounted floor one. That store went out of business, so in a way it's even more old-schoolish and sentimental now.

^ Yeah, you know what? I still see those hanging around even now in barbershops, nail salons and stuff. ;D I guess people keep their working ones for an "easy"/cheap way to watch TV in situations like that.

P.S. I think it's cool to have former "floor models" - almost like you took a piece of the store home with you! Like, when I got my first brand new VCR in 1998 (our family had a few, but I wanted my own too), it was a discounted floor one. That store went out of business, so in a way it's even more old-schoolish and sentimental now.


wait...are we talking about the same kind of thing?  My grandparents had a floor model TV...the kind that looked like it was built into a piece of furniture, and it sat on the floor. :D

Oh, I know about those too, lol. I more meant the ones where you turn the power on and off, the channels and the volume manually, as opposed to with a remote. I was kinda surprised to know they were made as late as 1986 (even if that was probably one of the very last ones).

Oh, I know about those too, lol. I more meant the ones where you turn the power on and off, the channels and the volume manually, as opposed to with a remote. I was kinda surprised to know they were made as late as 1986 (even if that was probably one of the very last ones).


hahaa..it is funny to think and try to remember not ever having a remote...it seems SO long ago! ;D

^ Yeah it does. I just thought about this now, but imagine what people like Beavis and Butthead were going through. Like, if it had been a decade earlier c. 1984, they probably would've had a ratty '60s or '70s TV in their living room.

"This sucks Butthead!"
"Uhhhh, yeah, so let's like, change the channel and stuff."
"I don't wanna get up, you change it, bunghole!"
*slap*

;D

But seriously, that proves just how much we take little luxuries like remote controlling for granted now. Heck, it's pretty funny to hear things from as late as the early-mid '80s where they make a point of saying the programs are in Stereo, or advertize or otherwise mention Color TV (i.e. in "Money For Nothing").

I kind of miss those analog TVs.  I used to mess with the antenna and hte tracking dial to see what UHF channels I could get

I bought one in 1989 - a small portable model. So they were still making them then. Don't know about any others - I didn't buy another until like 2004.

^You mean like one of those kitchentop ones? That makes sense, because usually "low end" things hang on longer than mainstream technology, because people will still use them for a very secondary format. Kinda like stores still sell those slimline audiotape recorders, or tiny one-piece boomboxes, but there haven't been any big standalone cassette boomboxes since probably 2000 or '01.

I'd even wager that analog TV was at the same point in the late '80s that tapes are now.

Oh I remember playing with the UHF and VHF screws and and enjoyed messing them up LOL. ;D I think it was the mid-late 1980s when they stopped making analog TVs.

My parents bought one of those big TV's that sat on the floor in 1980. It was the first TV I remember ever having in our house. When that TV conked out in 1994, we finally got a TV with a remote.

My parents bought one of those big TV's that sat on the floor in 1980. It was the first TV I remember ever having in our house. When that TV conked out in 1994, we finally got a TV with a remote.


I remember when the first remotes were physically 'connected' to the TV, via a big cable running across the floor!