Sentinel 400TV tabletop television receiver

Made:
1948-1949 in Evanston
maker:
Sentinel Radio Corporation

The Donald Fleming Collection of North American television receivers: Sentinel 7" 400TV tabletop television receiver, 1948-1949. 525 lines receiver (NTSC), Model IU 400TV, housed in a wooden luggage-type case covered in brown leatherette.

A Sentinel 400 7 inch television receiver made in the United States in 1948.

In the late 1940s manufacturers tried to make television sets smaller. Portablility was an important selling feature, since the great majority of American households still did not own a television set. It was one of the least expensive sets available at only $209.90. It uses a similar chassis to the more common Motorola 7" televisions, but the chassis is vertically oriented. This receiver was designed to look like a piece of luggage. It was available in either brown or black to match your existing suitcases.

Despite being marketed as a portable television the electronics inside were still very fragile so the owner had to be careful if they did want to move it. Also, it was really too heavy to be truly portable.

Details

Category:
Television
Object Number:
2001-5180
Materials:
textile, leather, wood (unidentified), metal (unknown), glass, plastic (unidentified) and electronic components
Measurements:
overall: 460 mm x 390 mm x 260 mm, 20kg
type:
television receiver
credit:
The Donald Fleming Collection of North American television receivers at the National Media Museum, Bradford