[jjne]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

It was only called Trio in the UK - the company was always Kenwood

Errr... Kenwood's corporate website rather disagrees with your account!

http://www2.jvckenwood.com/en/corpor...ory/index.html

Dec. 1946 Established Kasuga Radio Co., Ltd. (predecessor of Kenwood Corporation) in Komagane, Nagano Prefecture
Jan. 1950 Renamed Kasuga Radio Industry Corporation
Jan. 1960 Renamed Trio Electronics, Inc.
Aug. 1981 Decided on “KENWOOD” as the corporate brand
Jun. 1986 Renamed Kenwood Corporation

I know Kenwood still do in-car in the UK, but it was a completely separate branch of the company, so wasn't affected by Kenwood UK pulling out.

I am disinterested in small importing shell companies.

In any case, Kenwood do not, and have not for over a decade, produced what was their traditional line of hifi equipment -- in line with a number of other similar Japanese manufacturers, they realised there was no money in it.

Around this time, TEAC stopped selling to Europe (allowing their name to be used on cheap imports, although they have returned in recent years), Akai went bust, Pioneer moved over to AV, Aiwa was subsumed by Sony, Matsushita all but stopped Technics, Nakamichi sold up and Kenwood refocussed. Indeed, Kenwood were marketing hi-fi equipment in the UK after their decision to stop making it -- their last range of surround amps (brought in around 2002) was actually rebadged JVC equipment.

Their focus has been in-car stuff for a very long time, and they stopped manufacturing home gear around the same time they "pulled out" of the European market -- there's no point in continuing to operate if you've nothing to sell.

[Orbitalzone]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Interesting memories, I believe Ferguson closed its small TV manufacturing plant before being acquired by Thomson so may have rebranded other companies' sets. The VCR three-way joint venture was with JVC and Telefunken which Thomson acquired so there was a connection there.

One thing which made it hard for Ferguson after it was sold to Thomson was that the rental chains owned by Thorn (DER, MultiBroadcast and Radio Rentals) no longer had to source their equipment from Ferguson.

I do recall a very stylish Ferguson remote control for a Thomson-made set in the late 80s. Certainly Thomson
made an effort to make some of their sets different.

Nicam was invented by Ferguson so Thomson would have acquired that too.

I believe the SRV1 satellite receiver was a rebranded Pace SS9000.

After a spell of use by Currys and more recently Comet, the Ferguson brand seems to be fading away in the UK. However, in Europe it is thriving in the hands of a Polish company who market satellite receivers and related equipment, some in association with TCL who acquired Thomson's TV business and still use that brand name.

Ferguson Digital of Poland states it was founded in 1989 and focused on digital equipment in 2001. Until recently it used the same logo which Thomson used when it owned Ferguson UK. http://www.ferguson-digital.eu/

Interesting indeed....My Gran used to work at a Ferguson factory in Newhaven, they made audio equipment, I think it turned into J2T (The 3 way JVC-Thorn-Telefunken joint VHS manufacturing facility) before closing entirely, probably early to mid 1980's?

How times change eh!

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Orbitalzone

Interesting indeed....My Gran used to work at a Ferguson factory in Newhaven, they made audio equipment, I think it turned into J2T (The 3 way JVC-Thorn-Telefunken joint VHS manufacturing facility) before closing entirely, probably early to mid 1980's?

How times change eh!

Indeed!

Apparently directly before the factory made VCRs it was making videdisc players but these did not take off. The plan being to make VCRs in Berlin and disc players in Newhaven.

In fact the original plan was a 4-company JV (JT3, who'd have guessed?) with Thomson too, as well as the other three companies. A French factory would manufacture video cameras. Thomson's nationalisation put paid to this idea though it later joined by acquiring Telefunken.

Yes, before J2T the Newhaven factory manufactured Ferguson's audio products.

More background here http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G...%20j2t&f=false

The factory closed in 1988, photo here from the 70s. http://ournewhaven.org.uk/page_id__1581.aspx

[Orbitalzone]

thanks for the links, shame my gran isn't in that pic

[Stewie_C]

The best TV we ever owned was a Decca Bradford 26" in a cabinet with folding doors. I was in the trade at the time and I came by it as a customer traded it in for something nowhere near as nice (in my opinion). She was concerned that it was about to burst into flames as it ran hot. We assured her it was perfectly normal, and she still insisted on trading it in.

Can't remember how much I paid, but I do remember it being a bargain. It ran for years in our house!

[AidanLunn]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Nicam was invented by Ferguson so Thomson would have acquired that too.

Incorrect, it was the BBC Research & Development Department.

[AidanLunn]

Originally Posted by Orbitalzone

I think it went bad when they released the FV30 VHS deck which had an incredibly complex SMPS that blew up when the mains blipped.... nice domino effect taking out lots of bits. Then their next years model went back to using a monstrous transformer until a couple years later then got the SMPS reliable (well more reliable than their earlier ones)

Incidentally I have a FV33H (the NICAM model in the FV30 range) that just will not wake up, time for a mass-replacement of parts and not just replacing the starter capacitor, I think . . .

[Orbitalzone]

Originally Posted by AidanLunn

Incidentally I have a FV33H (the NICAM model in the FV30 range) that just will not wake up, time for a mass-replacement of parts and not just replacing the starter capacitor, I think . . .

Is it this one? or similar looking? it might even have had PIP and the optional teletext module that bolted on the rear via scart allowing teletext reception via the video and onscreen teletext programming by accessing the Ceefax or Oracle TV guide, pressing a button and moving the cursor around the guide and hitting the record button which then put it in the timer.

Ferguson used JVC to produce their VHS hifi recorders until the FV67 if memory serves me..

The mono VHS models from FV30 onwards were Thomson designs with the higher end stereo Hifi being JVC made until the FV67H

The first UK videos to have Videoplus+ incorporated was the Ferguson FV61/FV62/FV67 models. Although arguably the original Videoplus+ Gemstar handset module that you bought to add to your non Videoplus video was easier to programme.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by AidanLunn

Incorrect, it was the BBC Research & Development Department.

Yes, sorry you're right, I think Ferguson brought the first TV sets with Nicam to market but did not invent the technology.

[AidanLunn]

Originally Posted by Orbitalzone

Is it this one? or similar looking?

Yup, that's the one.

Pity they didn't use a series regulator inside it instead of an over-complicated, over-sensitive SMPSU (STR10006 choppers, I think). A *real* PSU is a series regulator .

One thing I've never understood. Why on earth did they begin putting SMPSUs inside VCRs? I know they can save power compared to SRs (about a fifth), but the saving on a SMPSU in a VCR would only be about 8W (40W/32W), a grain of sand compared to how much the average 1990s home used at any one moment in time in total. And surely cost to the manufacturer can't be anything to do with it, I can't imagine it being that much cheaper (if at all) to manufacture a complete SMPSU from part manufacture to assembly than it is to manufacture a SR. They're certainly not as easy or as enjoyable to service, that's for certain. Or anywhere near as reliable.

In much larger loads, I can see why they'd use a SMPSU, as a saving of a fifth of 500W can be a major saving, but 8W?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by AidanLunn

In much larger loads, I can see why they'd use a SMPSU, as a saving of a fifth of 500W can be a major saving, but 8W?

A combination of both cost, weight and efficiency - SMPSU's are cheaper for the manufacturer, they are lighter, and the entire thing runs much cooler.

You're thinking too small - don't think 'watts' - think percentage of power used. The percentage of power saved is similar to a TV - so using switch-mode PSU's in VCR's saved millions of pounds per year.

[Orbitalzone]

Originally Posted by AidanLunn

Yup, that's the one.

Pity they didn't use a series regulator inside it instead of an over-complicated, over-sensitive SMPSU (STR10006 choppers, I think). A *real* PSU is a series regulator .

One thing I've never understood. Why on earth did they begin putting SMPSUs inside VCRs? I know they can save power compared to SRs (about a fifth), but the saving on a SMPSU in a VCR would only be about 8W (40W/32W), a grain of sand compared to how much the average 1990s home used at any one moment in time in total. And surely cost to the manufacturer can't be anything to do with it, I can't imagine it being that much cheaper (if at all) to manufacture a complete SMPSU from part manufacture to assembly than it is to manufacture a SR. They're certainly not as easy or as enjoyable to service, that's for certain. Or anywhere near as reliable.

In much larger loads, I can see why they'd use a SMPSU, as a saving of a fifth of 500W can be a major saving, but 8W?

I'd rather have to deal with those JVC made PSU's than a Ferguson SMPS... I think they hardly ever went wrong.

The reason they went over to SMPS is simple, cost.