1983 Zenith Space Command Projection TV

Model PV455P
Manufactured September 1983
Demoed March 2017
Shortly after posting this I sold it on CraigsList to GothamSetDec. The freight driver said it would be featured in the next season of Gotham (season 3 I think?). However, it wouldn't be a TV! I was never able to figure out what prop they turned it into.

[@wickamouse5]

It's a rare coolest TV set.

[@4HBirtcher]

Space Screen 45

[@KaciCooperations]

Nick Wood wow yup

[@michellecollins1508]

My mom had one in the late 80s. It was fun when friends asked where the tv was and I pressed the on button. It could as also be used like a speaker for your home phone.

[@nathanmerritt1581]

Damn, that's impressive! This would have been mind boggling to see back in the day for the first time.

[@fungo6631]

Looks so much newer than its time!

[@mylofryett9160]

If someone made this today as a flat screen I would buy it

[@KingDavinciAnimations]

You predicted the future

[@Warp3326]

Nah if it were a flat screen that would be awful,. Crt's and projection tvs are much better

[@nathanmerritt1581]

​@@Warp3326Samsung's and lg's rolling oled screens would disagree with your statement.

[@nathanmerritt1581]

​@@KingDavinciAnimationsthe technology already existed way before this comment was made.

[@rwj777]

This is still pretty cool even with old school technology. 👍🏾

[@kbobdonahue1966]

Even better than the Mitsubishi rear-projection we had.

[@Viper-wv9qi]

We still have one of those sitting in the living room, being used as a stand for a 50" LCD.

[@AlextheMLAATRfan]

The 80s smart TV.

[@sonnyblack0870]

I remember these, my friend had one. We also had a unique sony projection tv where the projector was built into a wood coffee table that weighed a ton.

[@rikiishitoru8885]

Thomas Sowell pfp? 😁

[@Zynet_Eseled]

It's beautiful!!!

[@deckofcards87]

Man, I'd kill for one of these to go with my laserdisc player

[@timberghost75]

I remember when my mom and dad bought one in 1983. It was awesome, we were the only ones on the block to have one and my friends didnt believe me when I called them on the phone with it lol

[@AlextheMLAATRfan]

They should do a DIY version of this for any TV set

[@Dexter649]

Zenith is cool

[@AlextheMLAATRfan]

I think Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, Vizio, and Philips should make an HD smart tv version of this.

[@kgoundan]

LG makes a rollable OLED TV similar to this. The base has speakers in it. It costs $100,000 though.

[@nathanmerritt1581]

If you're rich enough sure!

[@tvpro4639]

The 80s LG signature oled R

[@hunterleach5710]

This is so cool, this is going to be my next TV

[@21stcenturyfossil7]

Out of Maywood, Illinois 0:17 . Proviso East High School! Zenith's Rauland picture tube factory was in the same high school district.

[@FunkyStudios]

Oh I definitely know this thing is heavy af

[@WelshWarlock]

very very cool love 80s retro.

[@naysaykiller928]

The 80s were sick

[@ElectronicInspiration]

Amazing!

[@cemsengul16]

Wow that is still dope as fuck.

[@waycoolscootaloo]

And LG thinks they have the first rollable screen TV's. LOL! Pfft! We had that in the 80's. 😏

[@hell0moko]

...and LG had acquired Zenith in 1999.

[@kgoundan]

I don’t think they claimed that.

[@jaekoff5050]

Screen looks awfully dim

[@drewgehringer7813]

could partially be age, but 1980s projection TVs had a dim screen, it was just a technical issue they hadn't solved quite yet

[@Gigabyte-hu7yh]

@@drewgehringer7813 possibly replace the old lamp in the projector with leds?

[@transtar_lexington]

@@Gigabyte-hu7yh Projection TVs from this era used 2 or 3 seperate CRTs for the picture

[@BlondieSL]

@@transtar_lexington Oh not many of them!
Very few used the 3-CRT sets back then
Most just used 1 single color CRT that was reflected off of a mirror onto the back of the screen.
I know. had one. Later, I built a projector TV using a small 9" Hitachi color TV as the projector.
In this case, I used a projection TV lens (very big and heavy) and projected forward to a special, concave highly reflected "TV" screen.
It worked rather well as long as the lights were all turned off. LOL
And yes, I had to modify the yoke on the TV to flip the image upside down. I installed a toggle switch to be able to flip back to normal for direct view.
Oh those were the days. LOL

[@danielberrett2179]

I want one

[@Benicio_Fols]

Wow

[@nixfishing3951]

How heavy is it

[@randy25rhoads]

Lol, cool set but I had forgotten how absolutely shit those big fresnel screens looked.

[@cliffspicer6555]

I was offered one of these TVs and it is by far the heaviest thing I have attempted to lift . Any idea how this can be taken apart to be made lighter to get it out of a basement?

[@fh3bfjdhei916]

Is there by any chance to improve the screen quality, still being able to keep the ability for it to rise?

[@existentiald562]

Awful picture, can't imagine moving this or adjusting the mechanisms inside. Thank you kindly for sharing.

[@BossVideo505]

0:01

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

Projection TVs were awful. Our neighbor had one...it was huge and the picture was always murky.

[@Aaronhouston33]

They sold a cleaning kit for the screen if people smoked a lot the tar would build up on the screen

[@v1deo.hunter.d317]

Such epic buildup and then the picture quality is terrible

[@nathanmerritt1581]

Of course the picture would the degrade considering the tv from the early 80s

[@xXValentineXx]

try retro gaming XD

[@lucasmenchions5465]

Yes, do it