How good was the GE PortaColor in terms of performance/quality?
Well, the PortaColor was always intended to be a low-priced set (as color TV’s went); in fact, I’d suspect it was always GE’s least-expensive color TV during the entire period of time they produced it. Therefore, it’s not surprising that these sets lack a number of peformance features we usually take for granted. For instance, there’s no automatic chroma gain– images may go from pastel to exessively vibrant (and back) as you change channels (or move the antenna… or simply walk around the room…). Also, like a lot of TV sets from the 1950’s (and low-end B&W tube TV’s from the 60’s and beyond), there’s no DC restoration circuit. This results in inconsistent black levels which vary on the level of light/contrast in the televised scene. Lack of ACG and DC restoration wouldn’t have been seen as much of a big deal when this set was first introduced, but must have been considered quite unusual, to say the least, at the point it was finally discontinued. Having said that, while it’s not ex
