Exclusive lounge suites are strategically positioned for TV-viewing pleasure, with little consideration for sofa designers’ visions. And some thrones, such as the good old La-Z-Boy, seem to have been built exclusively for kicking back and relaxing in front of the telly.
John Magness, renown for his Magness Benrow radio adverts, has the dubious honour of picking up and demolishing the first commercial TV set in New Zealand. The Bucklands Beach man was a teenager at the time and was given the task of collecting an Ultimate Ekco console television set from the manufacturer in Customs Street.
“They put it in the van and pushed it up against the driver’s seat,” says John. “I took off and stopped at the lights and the TV moved. As I pulled up at the shop, there was smoke coming out of the back of the thing because it had exploded.”
The young appliance dealer’s unfortunate foray into the world of TV sets was the beginning of a life-long career in electrical appliance retailing in the family business.
The first commercial televisions made in New Zealand in the 1960s were imposing pieces of furniture made with solid timber cabinets. Exotic walnut, mahogany and oak were commonly used to make these consoles and could cost a household from £199-£299, which would be more than $5000 in today’s economy.
There were only a couple of screen sizes, which John thinks were 21 and 25 inch — measured diagonally from corner to corner. Consolette televisions were less bulky, more affordable and stood on wooden legs.
“There were short legs and long legs, or you could have them without the legs if you wanted,” John recalls. “There were a lot of odd designs. There was a Pye Carnival, which had two metal legs screwed on the base, and the price of the cheapest TV dropped from £169 to £139, which was a big change at the time.”
Magness manufactured its own brand, and Philips’ TVs were made in Wellington.
Pye accomplished a number of New Zealand firsts, and in July 1954 the Waihi TV manufacturer was the first company to broadcast a rugby game – Barbarians versus Waihi in the Bay of Plenty town. Most other brands were made in Auckland.
Speakers were covered with fabric, which was for aesthetic appeal rather than function. John suspects the material used was much at the whim of a designer.
Colour television arrived just in time for the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974. People upgraded to the new technology but the colour screen was expensive, costing an equivalent of $7500 today.
By the late 1970s, portable televisions were on the market in New Zealand. These were transported to and from baches and went away on caravanning holidays. They also served as a second TV at home and family members could escape to different rooms to watch their preferred channel — Television One or TV2.
Wood-grain vinyl veneers persisted through to the late 1980s, until black plastic made its way into production. Manufacturing disappeared from New Zealand, and by the end of the ‘80s all TVs were imported.
The most stared at household item had progressed from a piece of furniture to a functional appliance. The black box was superseded by silver cabinetry and televisions started to reflect minimalist interior design.
The technological leap from cathode-ray tube televisions to flat-panels improved the picture quality and changed the status of the hypnotic eye-catcher. High-definition (HD) digital broadcasting launched with the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and viewers could watch the world from the comfort of their armchair with greater clarity than ever before.
“Flatscreen TVs are just a picture on the wall and I think they are the least noticeable that TVs have ever been,” says John.
With the arrival of “on demand”, programmes are downloaded from the internet and people can watch television on the run. Ironically iPods and laptops have reduced the big screen down to small, personalised and ultra-portable entertainment devices.
The newest arrivals to New Zealand are monster 3-D screens, measuring up to two metres wide. The family is being brought together again to watch movies that leap right into their face. Panasonic, Samsung and Sony have led the market with models that will cost householders $5000-plus.
Energy efficiency has become an issue, and some customers will select LED and LCD screens over plasma to keep power bills down. However, the number of people snapping up this pricey technology suggests thriftiness is of little concern.
It is possible to convert 2-D programmes to 3-D but the ultimate visual quality is achieved when watching movies produced in a 3-D format. The technology also beats movie pirates because it is not yet possible to film a 3-D movie in a cinema or download and watch it on a computer or iPod screen.
It’s anticipated the first 3-D broadcasts will go to air by the end of this year. Imagine watching the 2011 Rugby World Cup in 3-D — it could be the solution to the obesity epidemic.
The appearance of the appliance remains secondary to picture quality and television has returned to its original “set” status. It’s no longer a single entity and requires surround sound speakers, a Blu-ray disc player, 3-D eyewear, remotes and a really comfy sofa.
