TV Set??

[june]

Hello All,

Why is it called a "TV SET" when it's only one??????

[Snap]

Probably cause back in the day you had the 19 inch tv sitting in the 85 inch solid oak cabinate, with black grill speaker covers with wood trim..... put that all together and you get a TV set? hahahaha

I have NO idea really?
Kind of like....

If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week why do they have locks on their doors??? (Just trying to be silly!)

[whoaru99]

Snap's answer seems plausible.

Perhaps also because back in the day you needed an antenna and I assume bought one with the TV so you had a TV set(-up)??

[sirbogey]

just ran a search on wikipedia, but didn't find anything. However, I grew up with several languages and english is the only one refering to a set. Just my 0.02 cents.

[Brandon B]

I am pretty sure I have heard radios referred to as "radio sets" and stereos referred to as "hifi sets" as well.

And we still have set top box, or STB.

BB

[Ovation]

I believe the "radio sets" lingo from the 20s and 30s, as noted by Brandon B, simply carried over to early TVs and became part of the lexicon.

[aud19]

Yeah I'm assuming it's an abbreviated "set-up"

[Martyn]

Before the radio there was the crystal set. Perhaps this contained a set of crystals in addition to the cat's whisker...

[Arneson]

Very interesting TV set trivia about what happened to channel 1?
Why 2-13 vhf, then uhf nobody at first understood that extra little knob.

[Brandon B]

1 was reserved for some sort of governmental or emergency use that never got implemented, wasn't it?

BB

[Arneson]

I saw some where a very old TV that had 1 on the dial.
TV sets have sure come a long way and cost less than a pair of sunglasses.

[mjb]

Why is it called a "TV SET" when it's only one??????

Its a collective, like a chemistry set, or a woodworking set. A television set comprises a collection of components to do the task (as does a radio set).

[Azeke]

TV set top box, but that was probably too much to say at one setting .

Peace and blessings,

Azeke