For about the same price as a new Chevrolet, the joys of the "advanced features of Zenith TV, FM-AM radio, and high fidelity phonograph in a superbly designed console of hand rubbed cherrywood." could be yours.

Of course for those who did not wish to spend 1500 1955 dollars, much the same effect could be achieved by placing a lowboy radio-phono combination atop a standard TV console...

It was not color despite Zenith's involvement with color transmission since before WWII. In fact since 1951, Zenith had been transmitting color programming on its VHF and UHF stations for one hour on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC aka "Never The Same Color") system.

Zenith's (read: MacDonald's) opinion was that even as late as mid-1954, it would not make sets for the public under existing conditions (small tubes/high price) but that Zenith would be very definately in color set production as soon as good sized tubes with simplified circuitry and reduced cost were available.

That same year Zenith demonstrated to dealers a color console with 21" rectangular picture (Rauland-made 3-gun tube) but emphasied that it was not for public sale.

This stance infuriated David Sarnoff at RCA who had committed the company to production of color sets and who had talked NBC into sponsoring a mid-afternoon hour of light drama that same year.

But the fact is that the color sets of the day were very cranky and green skinned people were the norm not the exception. Conditions would not be right until 1961 when NBCs peacock spread it's tail and "all color" evening programming began.