The old familiar brand name that made famous the classic cathedral-shaped wooden radio of the 1930s, and the very futuristic (1950s) Predicta television receivers is still here, well sort of. Philco started in 1926, and then became Philco-Ford 1961 and then being acquired by Philips in 1981. Philips licenses the name for private brands and retro style consumer electronics.

1958 Philco Predicta Television, the kind my Dad serviced in Cuba, cira 1958.

The Philco TB100HH9 DTV Digital-to-Analog Converter (Philips, Funai, $40, the same amount as the government’s coupon toward your purchase of one), is an entry-level model. It comes with RCA audio/video outputs, offers trilingual (English, French, and Spanish) on-screen setup, supports V-Chip parental controls and and closed captioning, is EnergyStar compliant, plus a remote control. Not bad for the price, and ease of installation. The step-up model, the Philco TB150HH9 DTV Digital-to-Analog Converter, adds a digital audio output via coaxial audio and a cool smart antenna control to optimize reception. No need for rabbit ears anymore. Philco is not the only brand to make digital converter boxes, For me the name brings back something familiar in this world of so many changes.

About Philco: My dad Raul Bassave, who passed away this past July at the age of 94, worked with Philco from 1947-1977, he was for sure “The original Gadget Guru,” who tested products at home for Philco months before they ever came to the market. His reports/reviews went back to Philco, similar to what I do for the public. I was so lucky, that I grew up seeing electronic products in early stages, proposed products and final production ones. This was years before CES started in 1967 in New York.
by Roy Bassave – The Tekzar Guru
11/02/2008