Your parents had them: the most popular TVs in the USSR, from Quartz to Electrona

Not a single house in the USSR could do without a TV. It was near him that all family members gathered in the evening to watch news, films and other content of their time. Of course, most of the models that were used by the Soviet people were produced precisely within the vast country. All of them were very different both in appearance and in hardware. It makes sense to dwell on the most popular models in more detail.

Rubin C-201 (1977)

In the late 70s and 80s, this TV was in almost every apartment – the model was insanely popular. The device was designed to receive both color and black-and-white transmissions. In total, it was possible to set up to 12 channels in the meter and up to 39 in the decimeter ranges. The diagonal of the screen, as for its time, was considered quite large – 61 centimeters or about 24 inches. Today it is surprising even just to read about the weight of the device – as much as 50 kilograms. Can you imagine how difficult it was to bring it home and install it on a cabinet or other stand?!

▶︎ Fact: Ruby C-201 was really popular – over the years it was produced, almost 60 thousand copies rolled off the assembly line. Soviet residents could buy this miracle of technology for almost 800 rubles.

Horizon-723 (1977)

This TV was even heavier than the previous one – as much as 86 kilograms. However, it is important to understand that he had a completely different form factor. In addition to the “box” itself with a far from the flattest screen, the package also included a separate speaker system integrated into the stand (it’s scary to write, but you can still find it on sale at local flea markets). By and large, it was quite an independent device and could be used with some third-party equipment such as a tape recorder or a vinyl player. The screen diagonal of the device was 61 centimeters or 24 inches – the resolution was measured in lines and reached 450 horizontally.

Shilyalis C-401 (1978)

It is important to understand that televisions in the Soviet Union were by no means only stationary, but also ± portable. This model, for example, was especially popular because of its small dimensions – you could take it with you to the country house or leave it there, some also put the device as an additional screen in the kitchen and other rooms. The TV weighed only 17 kilograms. At the same time, he had quite a decent screen size for his time – 32 centimeters or 12.6 inches. Yes, today even tablets can have such displays, but do not forget that the device was produced almost half a century ago.

▶︎ Fact: the model was produced at the Kaunas radio factory (Lithuania) and cost about 400 rubles. Due to the proximity to Europe, an interesting format and availability, the device was actively bought not only in the republics of the Soviet Union, but also abroad.

Rubin 67TC-4106DIV (1984)

This particular TV model was very interesting to the public because of the incredibly large – by the standards of time, of course – screen size. Its diagonal was 67 centimeters or 26 inches – for a kinescope type, the display was really impressive. Moreover, a lot of interesting and even innovative technologies have been integrated into the TV, including maintaining white balance. Despite all this, the device had a rather modest weight – only 41 kilograms. Of course, moving such a colossus from place to place was quite difficult, but it was already a big step forward.

Horizon 61TC-401D (1986)

An excellent model with a diagonal of 61 centimeters or 24 inches, which by the end of the 80s was also very popular. As for its time, the model looked very relevant in appearance, and was also equipped with a decent set of technical characteristics. Interesting, for example, was the decision to make touch buttons for gear shifting, as well as all image controls. Of course, it was difficult to call them too convenient, because then they were still very far from modern technologies. Moreover, which was still not so common then, the TV was equipped with a remote control that transmitted signals using infrared radiation.

▶︎ Fact: An important feature of this TV was considered to be an innovative technology for automatically turning off the power after the end of television broadcasts. It was a real find for those who, even at that time, liked to fall asleep to the sound of news or art TV shows.

Electron 61TC-433D (1987)

This model was in many ways similar to the previous one in this collection. She, for example, had exactly the same screen diagonal – 61 centimeters or 24 inches (as you can see, this was the most popular in the late Soviet Union). A curious feature of this device was the remote control, operating at a distance of up to 6 meters. With it, it was possible not only to turn the power on and off, but also to switch channels, but also to adjust the picture: brightness, contrast, saturation. The unit weighed 32 kilograms and changed its location in the house not so often.

Rainbow 61TC-304D (1988)

Like many other TVs in this collection, the screen size of this one was also 61 centimeters or 24 inches. However, it was considered quite clear – its resolution was 450 horizontal lines and 500 vertical lines (the second value was rarely indicated in the specifications). On its body there was a sensor unit for switching channels – the active one at a given time was highlighted. The model weighed 37 kilograms and was actively sold for several years.

▶︎ Fact: this TV turned out to be one of the last produced under the Raduga brand. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, production actually stopped – until that moment, only the Raduga 61ТЦ-342D model had time to come out, which did not particularly stand out from its predecessor.

Rubin 54TC-311DI (1988)

Unlike the vast majority of TVs in this collection, this one was equipped with an imported, not a Soviet, kinescope. It was not intended for black-and-white TV shows – consumers were asked to focus purely on the color image. He received channels in the meter and decimeter ranges. The diagonal of the TV screen was 51 centimeters or 20 inches. Despite the modesty of this indicator, the device was quite heavy – it weighed as much as 30 kilograms.

Quartz 61TC-310D (1988)

A TV with a screen diagonal of 61 centimeters or 24 inches with a classic, by Soviet standards, kinescope. Its main feature was an advanced system of automatic frequency control and television signal level control, which in those years not all Soviet models could boast of. For direct access, eight buttons were provided on the front panel of the device.

▶︎ Fact: in the 90s, production switched to smaller models Quartz 51TC-310DIP, which were already equipped not with Soviet, but with imported picture tubes imported from Finland. They were less expensive and better quality.

Rubin 51/54ТЦ-402 (1989)

The most popular TV model in the last years of the Soviet Union. Against the background of all the others, it is especially distinguished by a variety of layouts – dozens of models with a diagonal of 51 and 54 centimeters (20 and 21 inches, respectively) were produced under the same index. Moreover, they could be equipped with both Soviet and imported picture tubes. The display resolution was 350 horizontal lines. The TV weighed less than 30 kilograms.