Practical Television Magazine, July 1958
Teleavia and a Unique Corner Set
Have you ever seen a French Teleavia television?
The July 1958 issue of Practical Television from the UK shows
one in red and black.
The Teleavia's profile is unmistakeable, with its
huge encapsulated screen, perched like a robot's head
over a thin cabinet and spindly legs. You almost expect
it to swivel its head to stare and then trundle stiffly across the room.
A one-page article provides more detail and a sketch of the
Teleavia's internals.
You won't see many Teleavias here in the US. Since French and American
TV systems were wholly incompatible, there would have been no reason to import
one except as an objet d'art.
I have seen only one Teleavia in the flesh. I took this photo in Paris, where one
will find a Teleavia in the Musée National d'Art Moderne.
The Teleavia was a contemporary of the better-known
Philco Predicta. Below is my restored
Predicta, which you can read about in another article.
Both TVs share the conceit of a large image tube suspended over the
cabinet. In addition to swiveling like the Predicta, the Teleavia
screen can tilt up or down.
I have no idea what sort of quality you'll find inside a Teleavia.
The Predicta presents a beautiful picture when working properly, but it has a
reputation for unreliability and difficulty of service.
On the other hand, when a TV looks as great as these two, you can
forgive a lot! If anyone has a nice Teleavia for sale, feel free to
contact me.
You can find more technical Teleavia information at
TV History.
The squat corner-shaped TV shown on the magazine cover
was never commercially produced. This article says it was
built for personal use by a Mr. Baud in France.
A few companies did market corner-shaped televisions. Magnavox and RCA each
sold at least one such model, and the TV History website shows a
1959 Philco
corner console. The Early Television museum in Ohio has an
Ambassador TV-2
from the UK.
Corner cabinets neatly accomodate a picture tube's
wide front and narrow neck. They never became popular, however, probably
because the TV looks clumsy if placed anywhere except a corner.
|