RCA 630 TS - 10 inch Television
Television has been available in crude experimental forms since the late 1920's but it was RCA's 630-TS that was the world's first mass produced TV set, launched in 1946. The TV had a huge 10 inch screen (Black and White of course) and had a smaller sibling with a 7 inch screen. The RCA 630-TS had a starting price of $352 in 1946 so around $4,800 today. It weighed almost 40Kg in tabletop form.
Recently an IFA Tech Trends report pointed out that the USA is no longer going to be the trend setter in terms of largest TV size.
TV Size by Global Market
It expects that by 2020 the average TV screen size in China will be a massive 54.1 inch, 2.1 inches larger than even the USA at 52 inches, which is 3.1 inches larger than the European TV average size which is understood to be around 48.9 inches by then. This is for new TV sizes, the Japanese are way behind on an average of 40 inches for their TV sizes, although this is likely to do with the size of their apartments and homes than a penchant for small Tv's.
Smart TV sales are on the rise
TVs are not only getting larger, but also smarter. 68% of all TVs sold are now “smart” TVs, while 32% can deliver Ultra-High Definition or “4K” images.
What is amazing is that you can just about buy an average sized TV now for exactly the same as the average sized TV cost back then in 1946 - some 72 years ago.