Who owns rca now

He was also one of the few to recognize early on that radio could be a mass-broadcast medium for voice and music, rather than just a point-to-point communications link for public safety. Visionaries dreamed of a full-color system, but no one knew how actually to create one.

The only thing everyone agreed on was that you could create full-color images by combining red, green, and blue primary colors. Beyond that, there was no agreement on the path to color TV and no road map.

Still, consumers assumed that since movies went to color in the s and s, the TV should be able to do the same — even though the problem and solutions are very different. Adding to the animosity was that Paley was from an upper-crust family while Sarnoff had worked his way up from penniless. Does ancient analog color-TV matter? Many of the principles and characteristics of analog color TV are still embedded, although not apparent, in our digital-TV world.

CBS did, in fact, offer a prototype system that could do color in the s. Bullard and Commander S. Hooper, met with General Electric's president, Owen D. Young, and proposed that GE purchase American Marconi and use the assets to form its own radio communications subsidiary.

Young consented to this proposal, which, effective November 20, , transformed American Marconi into the Radio Corporation of America. RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company, then the world's largest manufacturer of both records and phonographs, including its popular showcase "Victrola" line.

This acquisition was organized as a new subsidiary called RCA Victor. Following what would actually be many years of additional research and millions of dollars, RCA demonstrated an all-electronic black-and-white television system at the New York World's Fair. The first RCA consumer color televisions were produced in Later in , Studio A Opens.

For instance, some Hisense-made Sharp sets have done well in our TV ratings —though none rival the top models—while others scored poorly.

And several RCA- and Westinghouse-branded sets are near the bottom of the list. Retailers like Costco grant you the same cushion. This is particularly important with licensed brands, because the manufacturers' warranty periods may be shorter than what the major brands provide.

And it might be tough to get a licensed-brand set serviced, especially if it requires parts from overseas. I've been a tech journalist for more years than I'm willing to admit. In my spare time I build and play guitars and bass, ride motorcycles, and like to sail—hobbies I've not yet figured out how to safely combine. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story.

By James K. Updated May 17, Photo: Getty Images. The evolving economics of manufacturing is one reason for such shifts. What Does This Mean for You? More on TVs. More From Consumer Reports. Here we list licensed TV brands and who actually makes their sets. Either by newspapers, or by walking to the nearby town to spread the word. Unlike the internet millionaires of today, the Sarnoff family "lived comfortably, but we weren't billionaires," says Tim Sarnoff.

Today, many people don't realize how important RCA was to the music we listen to, TV shows we watch and radio stations we call into. Everybody knew what RCA was.