1976 GE 15xB Black and White TV - Personal History With Pics
General Electric (GE) B&W TV
Model XB3160BK
Chassis 15xB
15 inch,1976
My dad would sometimes work some odd hours, leaving him asleep during some prime Nintendo time for his son. This never stopped me from going into my parents room, where the NES was hooked up to a small color television, but I always made sure it was clandestine operation. Open the door slowly, crawl to the TV and turn it on, quickly slap the volume down and try your best not to let your frustration over the difficulty of those games manifest itself with you making noise. While making my way to the television I would sometimes snoop around, as the journey on hands and knees at that age felt like nothing short of a marathon. On the floor, covered in a blanket, next to the television I came in for, was another set. It felt like years that I would ask about this TV, wanting it for my own room, but there seemed to be a problem with it at the time.
^My sister with the TV in the background, during its heydayIt was a General Electric black and white television, from 1976, quite a late entry into the black and white market, but they'd actually keep it up into the early 1980's. It was labeled as a "performance television" by GE, a label they seemed to plaster over all their sets at the time. This badge likely didn't mean all that much, but they would note it in their advertising along with the fact that they had won an Emmy award for their manufacturing of TV's. GE was name brand, top of the line for televisions at the time, so perhaps the "performance" label was not too far off the actual truth, and don't be surprised if some of these TVs outlast your brand new HD ones. It was not just in the manufacturing of this select model or others from the era, for the tube itself had a long history of being tried and tested. The back of the TV notes separate chassis and television models, and the actual screen had been pleasing many since the 1960's.
^Off, close ups, and analog staticMy dad had our Commodore 64 hooked up to this television until he ended up getting a Commodore monitor. I guess something had gone wrong with the hold (it may have just needed adjusting), thus leaving it in its current state on the floor. Sent off to my grandfather for awhile it would eventually come back and be put into my room. Our Sega Genesis now hooked up to the color TV in my parents room, the NES got switched to this black and white in my room, on my insistence, for I've always been into the older electronics, long before anyone considered them retro. While most of my memories concerning the NES on this TV were of playing games I had already played in color, there were a handful of games, like the late Kirby's Adventure, that I indeed experienced in black and white first.
^Hooked up to the NES and GenesisI have heard in the past that nobody had reported dreaming in black and white until the invention of movies and television, both of which were a strictly black and white affair for quite a long time. It was those that were longing to get back to the movies, back to the living room TV, they had started seeing their own dreams in black and white, a phenomenon that is slated to disappear in the coming decades. I, too, recall dreaming in black and white on occasion, after the excitement of first receiving this TV, though it did not persist in my case.
^Analog signals are no more, what I use to bring life into this TVDespite this TV having a built in antenna, turning it on will greet you with nothing but static, channel after channel. On February 17th, 2009, the majority of licensed television signals ceased broadcasting in analog in favor of digital. Really, more like forced into digital, as it was a government order so they could then sell those bands to others. This left those using most TVs made prior to this without any way or seeing broadcast television for free (cable/satellite was not effected). In order to get TV signals onto this old black and white TV, I needed to go through a bit of a process.
^Some old, some not so old, all in black and whiteThe first thing needed was an adapter that had long been on the television, as it was needed to hook up my NES to it back in the day. On the back of the TV are 4 screws you can hook up wires to, 2 for UHF and 2 for VHF, I used a converter to hook up to these screws while on the other end having a common coax end. At this point you could very well hook up the TV to an old console, perhaps even your cable box should it still have a coax connection, or the many digital TV converters that were made for analog TVs once the signals went digital. The digital TV converters act in a very similar fashion to a standard cable box, and actually have many added channels which now make broadcast television near what cable offered you 30 years ago in terms of selection. That tiny coax converter plus a digital TV converter box, as well as a new or old antenna is really all you need to breath life back into an old TV and/or connect it to an old console. I went further and added a powered RF modulator to the mix, which converts RCA video/audio cable inputs into coax RF, allowing me to connect my video switch box with many signals up to this TV.
^Stickers on the back, adjustments, antenna, and the innardsOn the back of the TV are several adjusting switches for the video. Vertical and horizontal holds, as well as a vertical size, allowing you to fine tune the picture.There's even another way to fine tune the signal on the channel knob itself, with an outer ring that can be turned to bring the picture more into focus or out of focus. While I had no real reason to open up the television, as it works, for curiosity I opened it all up and took a look inside. While I have some vague knowledge on CRTs collected through years of video watching, I've never had any issues with a CRT that necessitated me learning about the subject deeply, so all I can tell you about the innards is that I'm not afraid of them, and this is what they look like. It also features another adjusting switch for the RF signal, which is not accessible unless the back of the TV is off, and can't be adjusted without the TV being on, while that cover is off.
^Watching a B&W show on a B&W TV? Priceless
There's nothing quite like watching a black and white program on a black and white television. My most profound memories of the movie It's a Wonderful Life will always be on this exact TV. Even when shows and movies had started being filmed in color, they took care to make sure things like the lighting were kept in mind for those watching in black and white. HD re-masters of an original film can be quite wonderful indeed, but you'll never escape the feeling you got watching certain things on a real black and white TV, which was designed to look best sans color.
Originally I had only broken this TV out of the closet just to share it with everyone, but seeing it up and running again really makes me want to find a little corner somewhere for it. I find myself longing for Christmas, knowing what I'll get to watch on it. Even the shows that have forever been inside your mind as color can have a certain charm seen in a new light. I hear the 70's and 80's black and white TVs don't cost much at all these days, and I would certainly say you'll have a blast with an occasional session on a real black and white television. Check out my video on this TV, where I go a little deeper into how to set it up, show off a few shows and even play a few video games on it.
interesting.. i like the photograph so much :)
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