Practical Television Magazine, July 1958

Teleavia and a Unique Corner Set

Have you ever seen a French Teleavia television? The July 1958 issue of Practical Television from the UK shows one in red and black.

The Teleavia's profile is unmistakeable, with its huge encapsulated screen, perched like a robot's head over a thin cabinet and spindly legs. You almost expect it to swivel its head to stare and then trundle stiffly across the room.

A one-page article provides more detail and a sketch of the Teleavia's internals.

You won't see many Teleavias here in the US. Since French and American TV systems were wholly incompatible, there would have been no reason to import one except as an objet d'art. I have seen only one Teleavia in the flesh. I took this photo in Paris, where one will find a Teleavia in the Musée National d'Art Moderne.

The Teleavia was a contemporary of the better-known Philco Predicta. Below is my restored Predicta, which you can read about in another article.

Both TVs share the conceit of a large image tube suspended over the cabinet. In addition to swiveling like the Predicta, the Teleavia screen can tilt up or down.

I have no idea what sort of quality you'll find inside a Teleavia. The Predicta presents a beautiful picture when working properly, but it has a reputation for unreliability and difficulty of service.

On the other hand, when a TV looks as great as these two, you can forgive a lot! If anyone has a nice Teleavia for sale, feel free to contact me.

You can find more technical Teleavia information at TV History.

The squat corner-shaped TV shown on the magazine cover was never commercially produced. This article says it was built for personal use by a Mr. Baud in France.

A few companies did market corner-shaped televisions. Magnavox and RCA each sold at least one such model, and the TV History website shows a 1959 Philco corner console. The Early Television museum in Ohio has an Ambassador TV-2 from the UK.

Corner cabinets neatly accomodate a picture tube's wide front and narrow neck. They never became popular, however, probably because the TV looks clumsy if placed anywhere except a corner.