Free Receiver of the Week Contest 6.12.2008 - Satellite AV

[daydreamer]

The first entertainment center I remember had an AM/FM stereo radio, turntable, and an 8 track player. The unit was one of those ones that had the lid you lifted up. We also had a Quasar console color tv - with the works in a drawer. That was supposed to make it easier to work on (when they used to work on tvs).

Our Quasar Works in a Drawer tv was just like this one on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwNXS71cTcU

 

[GrumpyGuy]

The "center" was decentralized in our house - a large B&W TV with a small and nearly round CRT in the living room, and an AM radio in the kitchen.

The way I remember it, Dad and I spent more time testing tubes at the drug store than we spent watching the TV - but only if you don't count the time he spent kneeling behind the TV swapping tubes and adjusting as I stood in front of the TV holding a mirror so he could see the results.

 

[Blueridge66]

In 1949 Dad bought our first TV, a 12" round screen Zenith. He put up a 4-bay "lazy X" antenna so we could get Saturday night wrestling out of Cincinnati but our main station was out of Huntington, WV and it was only on in the afternoon. I recall one of the sponcers was Red Top ale. By the time the wresting was over, the announcer was pretty much out of it from "sampling" his product.
At one time or the other I've owned many of what's on the list.

 

[MasterOfNone]

So now that we know where everyone lives from last week's question, we find out how old they are this week!
Our first "entertainment center" was a (Stromberg Carlson?) b/w TV. What made it an entertainment center was that it had a mono audio input on the back where we could hook up a phonograph to listen to our 33 1/3's 45's and 78's.
Also for entertainment, sometimes we'd get out my dad's WWII surplus Hallicrafters short wave radio and hook it up to a wire strung across the back yard for an antenna. We would pick up WWV, sometimes WWV-Hawaii, Spanish language broadcasts (which were unusual then), and strange sounds that we were certain were Martian spaceships communicating with each other! If all that wasn't exciting enough, once in a while when you touched the radio it would administer a random electric shock!

 

[Corrado]

My family's first entertainment center...
It didn't include much, we had a GE B&W console TV. We used to get channels 2,5,6 and that was it. Once and a while some VHF skip came in and channels from hundreds of miles came in. My grandfather sold TVs and gave us a little UHF converter box to play with. We couldn't get anything reliable with it though.

For music, we had a console record player with a built in radio. Back then I don't remember any stations on the FM band back in the 60s.

 

[satcom1]

Our First Home Entertainment Center:Walnut Room Divider shelving unit, Ampex reel to reel tape deck, Sherwood AM/FM Stereo receiver made in Chicago and purchased from Allied Radio. Empire turntable with Grado cartridge. Superex headphones, Ampex bookshelf speakers on walnut shelves. RCA 21" color tv made in Indiana. A nice collection of LP's.

 

[wii-psp-ds-master-cube]

ok heres my family's first home entertainment center included

34" phillips tv
nintedo game cube
vcr
magnavox dvd recorder
playstion2
orsat3.0 free to air receiver.

 

[Zorak]

The first entertainment center of a "standard definition" we had contained an AM/FM stereo radio, turntable, and an 8 track player. The unit was one of those ones that had the lid you lifted up. We also had a Quasar portable color TV. This was an upgrade to the RCA 21" B&W Console with a mono audio input for a turntable that sat on top!

 

[laseradam]

Our familys first entertainment center had a color TV. And a big magnavox floor model AM FM radio and phonograph player. Of course it was not hooked to the TV but it was in the same room!

 

[TAP112]

I have to admit I'm old ..... ours just had a small round picture tube. (and space travel was "just a crazy idea from comic books") But I did get to watch John Glenn blast off on a BIG tv (19" I think) although i was sitting in the back of the auditorium at school and just saw a dim glow coming from the stage.

 

[funkypc]

My family's first home entertainment center included:
Phonograph vinyl
AM Radio
Black and White TV (VHF /UHF)
FM Radio
FM Stereo
Cassette
CD

 

[ussexplroer]

let see what do I remeber

I remeber from the 80's in a single wide trailer my parents had a old pioneer sterio. They actually got it fixed once. I remeber the place put the part in backwards or something. But while it was getting fixed. My parents went to sears and purchased a small shelf sterio system with single tape deck. Two speakers, and a record player. The tv from that time consisted of a 19" curtis mathews tv. My parents was not happy because they wanted a tv without the long picture tube sticking out of the back. Also they purchased a gold star VCR. Years later when I asked them what decided there purchase. It was the price and the fact the rental store 20 miles away had more vhs than beta. The first game system my parents purchased was a nintendo nes. So there you basicly had it. But then by the time the nes came around years after the fact. The radio from sears was pretty much gone. The tape deck didn't work and the record player was the only thing left. So lets see.

First entertainment center. (Technically no)

1. Sears Sterio receiver with tape deck and record player.
2. 19" curtis mathews tv
3. gold star VHS vcr ( it lasted forever not liek now adays gold star stuff)

Later,

Josh

 

[lumpkin666]

Our first 'entertainment center' (that I remember) consisted of a console TV from the GoodYear tire center (not sure why they sold tv's!) and an AM/FM stereo with dual cassette players and an 8-track recorder (I still the stereo in my garage, and it still works... sorta)

 

[Vacosta]

I remember my dad's Audio System / Bar; VINYL Phonograph, AM FM Radio, and a big psychedelic looking square right in the middle of the speakers that emitted a light dance show to the music being played. It even made the 5 year olds feel drunk.

 

[USDownlink]

The earliest I can remember includes:
23" color TV, corded remote
Betamax VCR (No remote.. push button channel changing)
AM/FM stereo receiver
Turntable
Amplifier to tie everything together, floor speakers to match
Dual cassette deck

Elsewhere in the house you could have found:
A shortwave radio
At least one B&W TV in use
And you remind me there was a reel-to-reel in the attic, not being used..

 

[KE4EST]

My families first was just a floor tv no remote and an am/fm radio sitting on top.

 

[Larobpra]

The first thing I remember is an old b/w set. Can't recall the brand but it may have been an Emerson or a Philco. When I was 17 (or thereabouts - I had my license) dad gave me $350 and sent me to town to buy a color tv! That was a 19" RCA.

My own first "entertainment center" was a portable 8 track stereo with an AM-FM radio.

 

[walt991]

My family's first home entertainment center included:

Phonograph
FM Stereo
Color TV
Cassette
VHS

 

[PopcornNMore]

My family's first home entertainment center included:
Phonograph (vinyl) & Eight Track Stereo
Color TV 19"
OTA VHF/UHF Antenna

 

[grampaD]

My families home entertainment center consisted of a Zenith B&W TV 1955 vintage,Im not sure of screen size but I would say 22-24 inch screen, and an AM radio in the kitchen .