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LG brings back the television dial

LG brings back the television dial
The Classic TV is for those who want a bit of retro with their digital
The Classic TV is for those who want a bit of retro with their digital
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The Classic TV sells for 840,000 KRW (about US$750)
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The Classic TV sells for 840,000 KRW (about US$750)
The Classic TV is for those who want a bit of retro with their digital
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The Classic TV is for those who want a bit of retro with their digital

If you’re old enough to remember rabbit ears, you've probably told your kids how hard you had it because your old television had dials. Now LG Electronics is bringing back a whiff of those ancient days with its distinctly retro Classic TV (Model 32LN630R). The South Korean electronics firm didn't just swap out the ubiquitous black case for creamy white, the company also added real channel and volume knobs to appeal to those more interested in classic Scandinavian style rather than bleeding-edge design.

According to LG, the Classic TV harks back to the designs of the 1970s and 80s with an emphasis on simplicity and modernity, though the latter seems a bit of a contradiction. However, the maker drew the line at ditching modern flat screen technology in favor of a vintage cathode ray tube.

Instead, the HD set has a 1920 x 1080 resolution LED screen with a 178⁰ viewing angle. It’s also designed for USB and external hard drive connections, as well as Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) for connecting to a smartphone.

The Classic TV sells for 840,000 KRW (about US$750), with a free coffeemaker thrown in to celebrate the launch.

Source: LG Electronics via Endgadget

8 comments
8 comments
exodous
Yes, this is great news. Apple made a design decision that made every TV suck since; putting the button on the back with the iMac. At least I think Apple started it. . . It works for Apple's iMac because IT ONLY HAS ONE BUTTON, the power button. TV's have like 8 and if you just want to change the input from one HDMI to another by using the buttons good luck not hitting the channel, volume, power, or what ever other buttons are IN THE BACK WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE THEM.
I hope this starts a 'new' trend of butting buttons on the front where we can see them. Are they really that ugly? Does it really throw off the whole look of the modern room if the TV buttons are seen?
Threesixty
Dials are a much better user interface for multi-choice. The invention of sequential clicks of a button made the manufacture cheap but the navigation hard. Dials tell you where you are and display all other options right there where you place your fingers. Buttons are best for yes/no ...on/off. Yes a button only requires one finger and a dial requires two.
Purple-Stater
If you're old enough to remember rabbit ears?
You mean those things that MILLIONS of people, in the United States alone, are using on their old analog televisions to receive digital signals?
Or that tens of millions of people were using to receive analog signals, because they didn't have cable, less than ten years ago? Just how do you think your average reader is?
(Tongue in cheek there, not meaning to be seriously critical.) :-)
martinkopplow
And it does have no remote? Sure? Great then, I want one.
My wife always places the remote on the set or even behind it, so walking up to the TV to change channels is not new for me. Channel and volume knob is really all it takes. It also eliminates the nervous zapping. Honest. I like it.
Jay Finke
It's about time ! seems all these manufactures stick the controls on the side of the tv's. the controls on the front of the unit make it easier for kids to experience the old days, When we were the remote control, and the walk to school was up-hill both ways.
DAs Siegel
Free coffee maker...pfffft. where's the set of needle nose pliers when one of knobs breaks off?
Bill Bennett
Are there knobs on the remote too?
Gregg Eshelman
My current HDTV lives in an entertainment center. Since I got the largest that would just fit (37") and the control buttons are all around behind at one end, I cannot even turn it on or off without using a remote. Just as stupid is the remote sensor location. It's way off to the lower left corner. With no buttons or anything else on the front (except the manufacturer's name that lights up) there's no reason for the sensor to be right in the middle below that.
My previous TV had the buttons on top of the top edge, where they'd be unreachable if it had been wall mounted. Its remote sensor was close to the middle.
A TV should have its remote sensor near the middle bottom, and power, volume and channel change buttons on the front where they can be found and easily *pushed* - not on an edge where they have to be pressed up, down or sideways, or around the back without any visible labels (I know many blind people have televisions but most people have working eyes!) where they have to be fumbled for and pulled forward.
As for Apple polluting the waters of design with stupid concepts, look back in history to the initial release of Quicktime 4. After having literally written a book on designing things to both look good and being easy to use, Apple shredded the book and burned the shreds when it came to the user interface of Quicktime 4.