LOEWE-OPTA LOEWE F745 YEAR 1967.

The LOEWE-OPTA LOEWE F745 is a B/w television with 24 inches screen and 6 programs keyboard mechanical tuning system, visible in little window  near tuning knobs.

The set is an hybrid tech chassis and was first LOEWE with I.F. and tuner parts developed with semiconductors, even in other stages on the chassis leaving only power and synch oscillators with tubes.A solid-state voltage-controlled capacitor (varactor or varicap) UHF television tuner is described which includes a varicap preselector tuned circuit, a varicap tuned RF amplifier stage inductively coupled to the preselector circuit, and a varicap tuned oscillator stage, both the oscillator stage and the amplifier stage being inductively coupled to the diode mixer stage from which an IF signal is derived. The tuner employs a single tuning voltage source to tune across the entire UHF range and also includes provision for AGC. Trimmer capacitors and inductance adjusting devices of unique and advantageous configuration are employed to align the tuner. Further disclosed are unique methods of assembly and alignment for the tuner.



The B/W Tubes Television set was powered with a External Voltage stabiliser unit (portable metal box) which relates to voltage regulators of the type employed to supply alternating current and a constant voltage to a load circuit from a source in which the line voltage varies. Conventional AC-operated television receivers exhibit several undesirable performance attributes. For example, under low-line voltage conditions such as those encountered during peak load periods or temporary power brown-outs imposed during times of power shortage, picture shrinkage and defocusing are encountered and under extreme brown-out conditions the receiver loses synchronization with a resultant total loss of picture intelligibility.

On the other hand, abnormally high-line voltage conditions are sometimes encountered, and this can lead to excessive high voltage and X-ray generation. In addition, either abnormally high steady state line voltage conditions or high voltage transients such as those encountered during electrical storms or during power line switching operations may subject the active devices and other components of the receiver to over-voltage stresses which can lead to excessive component failure.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved AC-operated television receiver having greatly improved performance characteristics in the presence of fluctuating power supply voltages.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an AC-operated television receiver affording substantially undegraded performance under even extremely low-line voltage conditions without excessive high voltage and X-ray generation under even extremely high-line voltage conditions.

Still another and extremely important object of the invention is to provide a new and improved AC-operated television receiver having greatly improved reliability against component failure. Such regulators are frequently provided employing saturable core reactors and condensers connected in circuit...  in such manner as to provide a plurality of variable voltage vectors which vary in different senses, as the line voltage varies, but which add vectorially in such manner that their vector sum remains substantially constant upon variations in line voltage, for providing automatic voltage stabilization of single or multiphase A. C. circuits where the supply voltage and frequency are subject to variation above and below normal value and where the load is subject to variation between normal limits.
voltage stabilization
is automatically effected by the provision of an inductive pilot control device which is adapted to provide two excitation supply voltages for producing excitation or satuation of two magnetic circuits of a reversible booster transformer unit or units and diversion of flux from one magnetic circuit to the other, the booster unit being energized by primary windings from the A. C. supplysystem and being provided with a secondary winding or windings connected between the supply system and the corresponding inain or distribution circuit and in series therewith, through which a corrective boost voltage is
imrorjiiced into the circuit under the influence of the pilot control device, of an amount equal to that of the supply voltage fluctuation which initiated it and appropriate in polarity and direction for restoring the voltage to normal value and providing automatic stabilization of the circuit voltage against supply voltages which fluctuate above and below normal value.

The pilot control device which may be employed singly or may comprise three units or their equivalent when applied to multiphase supply systems comprises a pair of closed magnetic circuits or cores constructed of strip wound magnetic material or stacked laminations, the two
circuits forming a pair being constructed of materials possessing dis~similar magnetic characteristics when jointly energized by identical windings in series or by a collective primary winding, the said magnetic circuits being suitably proportioned to provide equal fluxes when ener-
gized at normal voltage.

The pilot control device is provided with a main and an auxiliary secondary winding or group of windings, the main secondary winding or windings being adapted to provide a voltage representing the difference in the fluxes of the two circuits to which it is jointly associated, while
the auxiliary secondary winding embraces only one circuit, preferably that subject to the least amount of flux variation. Either of the windings consists of two equal sections or in effect a double winding with a center tapping to which one end of the single winding is connected.

The voltage in the single secondary winding of the pilot device becomes directionally additive to that in one half of the tapped secondary winding and substractive in respect to that in the other half. When the supply voltage is normal the voltage provided by the single secondary winding is zero, since there is no difference of flux in the two magnetic circuits, and the two excitation voltages
produced in the halves of the other secondary winding are equal and when connected to the two excitation windings of the booster units, do not produce any diversion of flux between the two circuits or sets of circuits in the magnetic system of the booster transformer unit become equal, and since the series winding on the booster unit is arranged to provide a voltage due to the difference of
the fluxes in its two magnetic circuits or sets of magnetic circuits, no corrective voltage is introduced into the main circuit by the booster. If, however, the supply voltage varies from normal the pilot control device provides a voltage across the one secondary winding due to the difference in the fluxes of the two dis-similar magnetic circuits of which it is comprised, which voltage is combined with thosc in the halves of the other secondary winding to provide two excitation voltages which vary complementarily to each other as the supply voltage fluotuates, and cause a transference of flux between the two
circuits or groups of circuits in the booster unit and automatically provide a corrective boost voltage in the main circuit in which the series winding of the booster transformer is includcd of a value equal to that of the variation in supply voltage which initiated it.
The pilot device may be arranged in various ways, forboth single phase and multiphase operation, as exemplified by the constructions hereinafter more fully described.Similarly, numerous arrangements of the booster transformer unit are possible, some of which are hereinafter described in detail. The booster transformer unit embodies thc principles of the inductive devices described in my co-pending Application No. 411,189, filed February 18, 1954.

As an alternative to the provision of an auxiliary secondary winding on the pilot control device this may be
replaced by an independent or external source of supply,which may be either subject to or independent of supply voltage variation, provided such supply may be arranged with a center tapping if required.

Feed-back arrangements may be employed for providing compensation against voltage drop due to the effects of load in various ways. These are preferably providedon the booster transformer unit and may comprise a current transformer in one or more lines of the main circuit,
the secondary output of the transformer being rectified and arranged to energize an additional excitation winding on the booster transformer unit which in clfect increases the amount of the corrective boost voltage as the load increases.






The Loewe brand values have been shaped consistently over a long period of time. It all began in Berlin in 1923, with the brothers Dr. Siegmund and David Ludwig Loewe. Since then, one principle has always been adhered to: setting new standards with innovation for the senses.

Loewe established an impressive level of quality as early as 1931, with the first public television transmission worldwide. Loewe has been producing quality made in Germany at its location in Kronach since 1948. In the last 20 years, in addition to the Art 1 from 1985 becoming a design classic, Loewe has received numerous national and international awards.

In 2005, Loewe became the leading premium flat screen television provider. It made its breakthrough with the Loewe Individual: the first flat screen television with individualised housing versions, set-up options and inset colours. In 2008, with the Loewe Connect, Loewe heralded a new, digital television age where non-system end devices could be connected to a flat screen television set. One year later, Loewe combined uncompromising ultraslim design with leading state-of-the-art technology in the Reference range. In 2010, Loewe ultimately introduced the Mediacenter, which provides perfect entertainment networking throughout the home. Another step towards the future.

Loewe AG (pronounced [ˈløːvə]) is the parent company of the German Loewe group. The Loewe group develops, manufactures and sells a wide variety of electronic, electrical and mechanical products and systems, and specialises in the field of consumer and communication technology. The company was founded in Berlin in 1923 by brothers Siegmund and David L. Loewe. The company has its headquarters and sole production facilities in Kronach, Franconia. Today, the range has expanded to include televisions, Blu-ray players, DVD recorders, hard disk recorders, multiroom systems, speakers and racks. The trend is shifting from individual products to complete home entertainment systems. Loewe AG is also represented internationally by sales partners and subsidiaries. These include subsidiaries in the Benelux countries, France, Italy, Austria and the UK. There are exclusive Loewe Galeries acting as flagship stores in many cities around the world, including Madrid, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Copenhagen, Vienna, Moscow and Hong Kong.


LOEWE Company history
It all began in 1923 in Berlin, when Dr Siegmund Loewe and his brother David Ludwig Loewe established a radio manufacturing company called Radiofrequenz GmbH. Their work with the young physicist Manfred von Ardenne in 1926 led to the development of the triple tube, which was first used in the Loewe OE333 radio receiver. This tube prompted Loewe’s multi-tube production and is today lauded as the world’s first integrated circuit.

Television development began at Loewe in 1929. The company worked together with British television pioneer John Logie Baird. In 1931, Manfred von Ardenne presented the world’s first fully electronic television to the public on the Loewe stand at the 8th Berlin Radio Show.

When Hitler came to power in Germany, Siegmund Loewe had to emigrate to the USA in 1938, where he developed friendship with yet another forced emigrant, Albert Einstein.

In 1949, Siegmund Loewe regained possession of company property and took over as chairman of the supervisory board. In the 1950s, Loewe began producing the Optaphon, the first cassette tape recorder, and manufacturing televisions in Kronach. 1961 saw the first European video recorder, the Optacord 500, enter mass production.

In 1962, the family company tradition ended with the death of Siegmund Loewe. Subsidiaries of the Philips group took over the majority of shares. Under this management, which continued until 1985, the company increasingly specialised in the development and production of televisions.

In 1963, the first portable television, Loewe Optaport, was launched. It had a 25cm screen and built-in FM radio. The first Loewe colour televisions were launched along with the introduction of colour television in Germany. Loewe revolutionised television production in 1979 with a fully integrated chassis (everything on a single board). The first European stereo television followed in 1981.

In 1985, management made Loewe a privately owned company again after Philips sold its shares. In the same year, Loewe created the Art 1, a new generation of TVs with a focus on design.

The CS1 represented another international first in 1995 as the world’s first fully recyclable television. At this time, the course was also set for systematic further development as a multimedia specialist.

1998 marked two more milestones in the company history: the launch of the Xelos @ media, the first television with internet access, and that of the Spheros, the first Loewe flat-screen television. In the following year, Loewe AG became a publicly listed company.

With the Individual, the first flat-screen TV with individual housing options, set-up solutions and inset colours, Loewe took a decisive step and became a premium flat-screen TV manufacturer.

Loewe Connect, the world's first smart TV with fully integrated network capability for wireless access to picture, music and video files on a computer or external hard drive followed in 2008.

LED technology was adopted at Loewe in 2010 in the new Individual. In the following year, Loewe introduced 3D picture display to its Individual range.


LOEWE HISTORY IN GERMAN:
Loewe war und ist immer ein besonderer Betrieb - und bis ins 21. Jahrhundert aktiv und in privatem Besitz. Nicht nur «das erste IC», die Röhre 3NF ist da zu erwähnen, sondern auch die Mitentwicklung des elektronischen Fernsehens in Deutschland.

1923: Radiofrequenz-GmbH und Loewe-Audion GmbH, Berlin-Friedenau;
1926: Aktiengesellschaft D.S. Loewe, Berlin-Steglitz;
1930: Radio-Aktien-Gesellschaft Dr. S. Loewe;
1933 (nach): Löwe-Radio AG;
1942: Opta-Radio AG;
1949: Loewe-Opta AG;
1965: Loewe Opta GmbH, Kronach.
Radios: 1923 bis 1926, Loewe 1927 bis 1978. TV-Fabrikation danach.


Nach Studium der Physik und Elektrotechnik promoviert Siegmund Loewe (Berlin 6.11.1885-28.5.1962 USA) unter Max Wien mit magna cum laude zum Dr. phil. Er tritt bei der Firma Telefunken ein und wechselt 1915 zur Firma Huth, wo er die Leitung der Laboratorien und der Patentabteilung übernimmt. 1918 mietet Loewe in Berlin SW61 eine 7-Zimmer-Wohnung und erstellt mit einer kleinen Entwicklungsgruppe einen Telefonie-Röhrensender, dessen Sendungen in dem nicht weit entfernten Haus des Scherl-Verlages von Otto Kappelmayer zu empfangen sind. Um seine Kenntnisse zu erweitern, begibt sich Loewe in die USA. Einen ausführlichen Bericht von und über Loewe finden Sie in [1-99], woraus Sie erkennen können, dass Loewe das treibende Element für den Rundfunk in Deutschland war. Wie er gegen den Monopolanspruch von Telefunken/Lorenz/Huth (Funkkartell «Rundfunk GmbH») kämpfte und weitere Details finden Sie in [6-121].

Nach seiner Rückkehr aus den USA wird das Versuchslabor von Loewe zum Kristallisationspunkt der jungen Funktechnik. Im Dezember 1921 erhält Loewe Besuch von Lee de Forest, und sie verbessern gemeinsam Röhren. 1921 entstehen auch zwei grundlegende Patente für den Konus-Lautsprecher. Loewe eröffnet ein zweites Laboratorium und gründet 1923 die Loewe-Audion-GmbH für die Herstellung von Radioröhren sowie die Radiosender GmbH.

Im Dezember 1921 lernt der Realschüler Manfred von Ardenne den Radiopionier Loewe in einem Elektrikergeschäft kennen und ist darauf häufiger Gast in den Laboratorien von Loewe. Ein Autor schreibt, dass Loewe zum «Ziehvater» des jungen von Ardenne wird und er in der Familie aufgenommen ist, doch von Ardenne beschreibt dies in seinem Buch «Eine glückliche Jugend im Zeichen der Technik» (DDR) nicht.

Die wahrscheinlich 1923 gegründete Loewe Radio GmbH führt der jüngste Loewe-Bruder Bernhard. Das D bei D.S. Loewe steht für den älteren Bruder, David (Teilhaber).

Radiofrequenz GmbH und Loewe-Audion GmbH (1923-27):
Am 22.1.23 erwirbt Dr. Siegmund Loewe die seit 1918/19 bestehende Mechanische Werkstatt Grüttner & Lütgert in Berlin-Friedenau und gründet die Radiofrequenz GmbH. Die ersten Geräte sind für den Export bestimmt. Davon sind mir die Typen EA51, EA52 und EA54 bekannt. EA steht für «Empfangs-Apparat».

Im Jahr darauf stellt der Betrieb die Ziffer 9 vor die laufende Nummer. Der Sprung von EA958 auf EA980 deutet auf andere Artikel hin (z.B. Trichterlautsprecher und kombinierte Geräte etc.). Nachher ist keine Nummernsystematik mehr zu erkennen, ausser den Buchstabenkombinationen wie OE (Orts-Empfänger), FE (Fern-Empfänger), KV (KW-Vorsetzer), RO (Rückkopplungs-Ortsempfänger) etc.
1927 gibt Loewe den Namen Radiofrequenz auf und verwendet seinen eigenen Namen. Die drei Geräte OE333, 2H3N und NVG gibt es unter beiden Namen, da sie Loewe 1927/28 ohne neue Modelle weiter produziert. Mehr als eine Million dieser Geräte lassen sich zum Stückpreis von 39.50 RM verkaufen, und die Tagesproduktion erreicht zeitweise 2000 Einheiten.

Im Oktober 1923 gründet Loewe eine weitere Gesellschaft zur Herstellung von Rundfunkröhren mit dem Namen Loewe-Audion GmbH, ebenfalls an der Niedstrasse 5 in Berlin-Friedenau gelegen. Zuerst entstehen dort Wolfram-, dann Thoriumröhren als «Sparröhren». Im September 1924 meldet Loewe die grundlegenden Patente zur Dreifachröhre mit integrierten Bauteilen an, die 1926 als 3NF mit dem «Loewe Ortsempfänger OE333» einen legendären Ruf erreicht.

Loewe, Löwe, Opta, Loewe-Opta
Die Schrift «Loewe-Story» aus dem Hause Loewe-Opta zeigt die Abbildung eines «Detektor-Empfängers» mit zwei Steckspulen, der angeblich zur Eröffnung des Rundfunks bereitstand. Es ist aber ein umfunktionierter Sperrkreis für den Empfänger 2H3N, Baujahr 1927, was auch aus dem Firmenschild mit «Berlin-Steglitz» hervorgeht.

1926 entsteht die Aktiengesellschaft D.S. Loewe, Berlin-Steglitz. Als zweites Gerät unter der neuen Marke Loewe bzw. Loewe Radio gilt der auf der Funkausstellung im September 1926 gezeigte Fernempfänger 2H3N zu RM 150. Auch Lautsprecherboxen mit Loewe-Konus-Lautsprecher und Stoffbezug im «Südsee-look» sind nun erhältlich. Wegen der steigenden Anzahl Rundfunksender treten Trennschärfeprobleme auf, so dass die Dreifachröhre für den Einbezug einer Rückkopplung einen siebten Anschluss erhält. Diese «3NF7» baut Loewe ab 1928 in alle OE333, 2H3N und in das dritte Gerät, den RO433 ein. Die elektrische Schallplatten-Abtastdose LR150 erregt Aufsehen; Gewicht 260 g! Die Dose verlangt einen Abspielwinkel von 55 Grad. Die 3NF gibt es nun auch mit Oxydkathode als 3NFB mit einem Verbrauch von 0,13 statt 0,34 A Heizstrom - zudem beträgt die Verstärkung etwa das Doppelte. Weitere Details zu Firmengründungen von Loewe siehe [638967]. Es sind dies z.B. die Eudarit-Pressgut GmbH für Bakelitgehäuse etc. und die Ortophon-Apparatebau GmbH für den Lautsprecherbau.

1929 bringen die Loewe-Firmen den «Vollnetzanschluss-Empfänger R533» heraus, der mit einer nochmals verbesserten Dreifachröhre, der 3NFW mit indirekter Heizung, ausgestattet ist. 1929 entsteht Loewe's Berliner-Radio-Handels-Aktiengesellschaft. Die Baird Television Company Ltd., London, bietet Loewe die Auswertung und Entwicklung ihrer Schutzrechte und Entwicklungsarbeiten auf dem Fernsehgebiet in Deutschland an. Da dieses Angebot die finanziellen Möglichkeiten von Loewe übersteigt, regt Dr. Loewe eine Beteiligung von Zeiss Ikon, Dresden, und Robert Bosch, Stuttgart, an. Es kommt Mitte 1929 zur Gründung der Fernseh-AG in Berlin, die 1939 im Firmenverband Robert Bosch aufgeht.

1930 fasst Loewe verschiedene seiner Firmen unter dem Namen Radio-Aktien-Gesellschaft Dr. S. Loewe zusammen und mit dem EB100W (1931 EB100G) beginnt die Reihe der Empfänger mit integriertem Lautsprecher.

Im Auftrag der Loewe-Firmen bringt von Ardenne aus seinem eigenen Labor 1930 erste brauchbare Vorschläge zur Helligkeitssteuerung, um auf einem Bildschirm ein gut modulierbares Bildraster zu schreiben. Meine gasgefüllte Braun'sche Röhre aus dem Labor von Ardenne zeugt für die Forschung um 1926.

Auch auf der Senderseite entwickelt Loewe elektronische Medien auf der Grundlage des «Flying-spot-Abtasters», um Filme elektronisch übertragen zu können. Am 25.4.31 veranstalten Dr. S. Loewe und M. von Ardenne in den Lichterfelder-Laboratorien eine Vorführung vor der Fachpresse. Bald darauf kann Loewe die Qualität der mechanischen Systeme erreichen und übertreffen. Siehe [1-127f]. 1932 geht von Ardenne eigene Wege. 1933, ein Jahr vor den Mitbewerbern, erkennt Dr. Loewe die Notwendigkeit von Allstrom-Apparaten und bringt den 1-Kreis-Empfänger «Edda» auf den Markt. (Ganz so richtig ist das nicht: zumindest Emud kommt 1931 mit «Allstrom», EE). Zu der Zeit halten sich Wohnungen mit Gleich- bzw. Wechselstrom etwa die Waage und eine Familie, die umzieht, kann den transformatorlosen Apparat weiterverwenden. Der Apparat führt die Allstrom-Dreifachröhre WD33. Das Allstromkonzept führt Loewe auch für Mehrkreis- und Superhet-Empfänger mit den Röhren WG34, WG35 und WG36 fort.

Auf dem in England bestellten Sattelschlepper mit einer Fernseh-Sendereinrichtung steht anlässlich der Premiere vom Juli 1934 in London gross der Namenszug Radio A.G. D.S. Loewe. Das Regime in Deutschland lässt die Firma jedoch bald in Löwe-Radio AG umtaufen und 1942 in Opta-Radio AG. Loewe wandert 1936 in die USA aus und gründet dort die Loewe Radio Inc. Er hat 1938 aus dem Vorstand in Deutschland auszuscheiden.

1941-44 fertigen die Opta-Betriebe ausschliesslich Rüstungsgüter; Opta-Radios sind dann Fremdtypen [638966-19]. Man gliedert Grassman in den Opta-Betrieb ein. Es entstehen Auslagerungsbetriebe, z.B. in Oberlungwitz in Sachsen. In Berlin-Weissensee entsteht während des Krieges ein Betrieb für Röhrenbau [DRM94].

Noch im März 1945 verlagert das Unternehmen eine wichtige Kriegsfertigung nach Küps bei Kronach. Dies ist die Keimzelle der neuen Firma, denn 1948 kann S. Loewe seine Wiedergutmachungsansprüche durchsetzen und erhält das Sagen beim demontierten Hauptwerk in Berlin und der Auslagerungsstätte in Küps bei Kronach. In Küps fabriziert Loewe ab 1946. Gemäss «Loewe-Story» gibt es vor November 1947 den «Kronach», wahrscheinlich 547W, in einer Auflage von zwei Geräten pro Tag. Ein getrenntes Werk in Düsseldorf-Heerdt offeriert als Firma Opta-Spezial GmbH von 1950 bis 1954 Opta-Spezial-Radios [6-124]. Konsul Bruno Pieper wirkt als Generaldirektor.

Jedenfalls: Auf der Leipziger Messe von 1947 sind wieder Loewe-Entwicklungen zu sehen. Die Firma erzeugt 1950 mit dem «Optaphon» das erste deutsche Kassetten-Tonbandgerät. 1961 ist Loewe mit dem «Optacord 500», einer für den privaten Gebrauch konzipierten Video-Anlage, führend beim Bildschirmtext und baut vor allem modernste TV-Empfänger - ein Steckenpferd von Dr. S. Loewe. Er stirbt 1962.

Bis 1978 fertigt die Firma Radios in Berlin, löst diesen Betrieb aber auf. Der Mitarbeiterbestand bei Loewe beträgt Ende der 80er Jahre ca. 1500. Die Loewe Opta GmbH, Kronach, gehört in den 90er Jahren zu 51,9 % der Management GBR (Gesellschaft leitender Mitarbeiter der GmbH) und zu 48,1 % zu Matsushita (Panasonic), wobei eine gute gegenseitige Befruchtung für das Hauptprodukt, TV, zum Tragen kommt.

Loewe in Ostdeutschland:
Opta Leipzig, ab 1950 VEB Stern-Radio Leipzig genannt, geht 1952 im VEB Fernmeldewerk Leipzig auf. Die Radioproduktion endet 1950/51.

Nach dem Krieg versuchen Loewe-Mitarbeiter des Zweigwerkes in Oberlungwitz in Sachsen, Maschinen und Vorrichtungen nach West-Berlin zu transportieren, doch die Sowjets verlangen, dass diese Güter in die Röhrenfabrik Berlin-Weissensee gelangen.

Dieser Loewe-Betrieb arbeitet mit der Röhrenfabrik in Berlin.

Loewe hat auch in anderen Ländern Produktionsstätten, so z.B. in Grossbritannien. Vor allem aber auch Handelsniederlassungen, wie Loewe Radio S.A., 3 quai de Willebroeck, Bruxelles (adress in 1932).

 

German technology manufacturer Loewe declares bankruptcy:

  On October 1-2013 , Loewe, a producer of entertainment and communications technology, declared bankruptcy at the Cobourg district court.

 

 The long-established company was founded in Berlin in 1923 as Radiofrequenz Gmbh by physicist and electronic technician Sigmund Loewe and his brother Ludwig David Loewe. The firm was one of the first in Germany to produce electronic tubes for televisions, loudspeakers and resistors. The well-known physicist Manfred von Ardenne participated in the development of televisions by Loewe from 1929, which led to the first-ever electronic television broadcast in 1931 at the radio exhibition in Berlin.

As they were Jewish, the Loewe brothers were forced into exile after the assumption of power by the Nazis in 1933. Ludwig emigrated to the United States in 1934, and Sigmund in 1938. The company was subsequently “Aryanised” and reorganised for war production in 1939 for the German air force. At the end of the Second World War, in March 1945, the company moved to Kronach, although the main plant in Berlin Steglitz continued in existence until 1979.

Sigmund Loewe returned to Germany in 1946, took over the leadership of the firm and developed the first cassette recorder in the 1950s as well as the first European video recorder in 1961. In 1963, Loewe produced the first portable television.

Loewe was the head of his firm until his death in 1962. The majority shareholding subsequently went to concealed subsidiaries of the Phillips group, which sold their entire stake in 1985. Since 1999, Loewe AG has been listed on the stock market.

The orientation to customers with buying power was the basis of the company’s production for decades. Loewe developed the first television with Internet access in 1998. In 2005, the firm produced its first flat-screen model.

A crisis in 2004, caused by the firm’s failure to respond quickly to the development of flat-screen technology, was overcome with a capital injection from the Japanese firm Sharp and a drastic programme of budget cuts. This was worked out between the IG Metall trade union, the works council and company management.

Of the 1,250 employees, 300 were laid off, and those who remained had to work longer without any corresponding wage increase. In addition, they had to give up half of their monthly salary or a whole monthly wage. In this way, costs were reduced by 25 percent. In 2007, the company registered a surplus of €6.5 million and the workers received a one-off premium of €3,000.

“That was of course great for the people there,” said Christopher Schmitz from the Verdi union, as Verdi agreed to wage cuts at the Karstadt department store chain three years ago. “But Loewe is a complete one-off.” The workers would never normally see any of their money again.

The crisis at Loewe, which has been ongoing for five years, is a consequence of the global economic crisis that broke out in 2008. During this period, total sales have fallen from €374 million to €250 million. The groups that Loewe had targeted for a long time, such as skilled workers and specialists, who could afford to concern themselves with quality, have been rocked by the effects of the crisis with the loss of their jobs and wage cuts, or at least the permanent threat of this possibility.

At the end of 2012, there were still close to 1,000 employees working at the Kronach facility. In April 2013, after “constructive discussions with the works council and IG Metall,” 180 jobs were cut, including 130 in production. With the further announcement of 150 redundancies in September, Loewe has laid off around 35 percent of its workforce in less than six months with the support of the trade unions and works council.

Loewe’s competitors in the high-end sector are also suffering due to the crisis. The Danish entertainment and electronics concern Bang & Olufsen reported heavy losses. The firm is the second largest European company in the industry and registered a shortfall of €9 million in the last quarter.

On October 1, Loewe, a producer of entertainment and communications technology, declared bankruptcy at the Cobourg district court.

Two weeks previously, the company, which is based in Kronach, announced that it would make 150 of its 800 workers redundant as part of a restructuring process to take “measures to adjust the cost base.” The ailing company was seeking new investors by laying off the workers. The measure was “an essential precondition for the intervention of an investor and the maintenance of the whole company,” said Matthias Harsch, the chief executive of the board of Loewe AG.

Earlier this year, in July, Loewe applied for bankruptcy protection, which involved the establishment of a restructuring plan that was supervised by an administrator appointed by a court. The company was thereby granted three months’ protection from its creditors, and it introduced restructuring measures. The expiration of the period of bankruptcy protection has now led to actual bankruptcy proceedings.

In the middle of the Bavarian election campaign in August, state president Horst Seehofer of the Christian Social Union (CSU) pledged state guarantees for the company if an investor could be found.

Then in September, Loewe announced a partnership agreement with Hisense, a Chinese producer of televisions and kitchen appliances. The company is the fourth largest producer of televisions globally, has its headquarters in Kingdao in eastern China, and was considered a possible investor. According to Spiegel Online, both companies had recently begun joint distributions in Austria, which was viewed as a test market.

However, Hisense had not committed to any financial assistance, as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ( FAZ ) reported. FAZ went on to explain that there was also “a group of British financiers who want to give Loewe a new strategic direction.” If the company does not find an investor by the end of October, it will be dismantled.

Loewe reported losses in August of close to €15 million (US$20 million), after three loss-making years in a row. The company’s liquidity fell from €27 million to just €8 million, while its capital shrank from €48 million to €25 million. The bankruptcy announcement at the beginning of October caused Loewe’s stock to drop immediately by 50 percent.

Loewe specialised for decades in expensive televisions and high-end entertainment equipment. It has now changed its sales strategy and wants to open up to “the mass market” of cheap televisions and loudspeakers, because “the specialised trade only accounts for 25 percent” of the market, as Harsch told Der Spiegel in an interview.

In order to sell goods cheaply in major stores, production was to be outsourced to Asia. A facility would continue in Kronach for the manufacturing of “high-end appliances.” However, in future, it will not be production in Germany that is important, but rather the label “engineered and designed in Germany.” “We are not a producer of appliances any more, and that’s what I’m trying to persuade the firm,” Harsch said in the same interview.

21/03/2014: Münchener Investor übernimmt Loewe:

KronachNach langem Bangen hat der traditionsreiche Fernsehgerätehersteller Loewe einen Investor gefunden und hofft nun auf eine bessere Zukunft. Das Münchner Finanzunternehmen Stargate Capital übernimmt das oberfränkische Traditionsunternehmen, hieß es in einer am Freitagabend veröffentlichten Mitteilung. „Wir sind sehr froh, dass es nach den Turbulenzen der letzten Wochen gelungen ist, einen starken Partner für Loewe zu finden“, erklärte Vorstandschef Matthias Harsch. „Loewe kann nun endlich neu durchstarten.“

Ein notarieller Kaufvertrag über den gesamten Geschäftsbetrieb sei bereits von beiden Seiten unterzeichnet worden, hieß es. Der neue Eigentümer führe den Geschäftsbetrieb am Standort Kronach einschließlich der Produktion fort. Zudem übernimmt Stargate Capital auch die internationalen Tochtergesellschaften. Von den aktuell rund 525 Mitarbeitern dürfen jedoch nur 430 bleiben. Von der Börse will sich Loewe verabschieden.

Durch die Übernahme von Stargate Capital blieben mehr Arbeitsplätze erhalten, als es bei den Erwerberkonzepten aller anderen Kaufinteressenten vorgesehen war, betonte Loewe-Finanzvorstand Rolf Rickmeyer. Die 95 Mitarbeiter, die nach dem Einstieg des Investors nicht übernommen werden sollen, stammen vor allem aus der Produktion und sollen bis Ende September weiterbeschäftigt werden. Von Oktober an sollen sie dann in eine Transfergesellschaft wechseln können. „Dass nicht alle Arbeitsplätze gerettet werden können, bedauere ich umso mehr, als es nicht zuletzt das Verdienst der Mitarbeiter ist, dass Loewe diese schwere Zeit überstehen konnte“, sagte Rickmeyer.

Seit einem Jahr war Loewe inständig auf der Suche nach einem Retter. Im Frühjahr 2013 schockte der Hersteller von Premium-TVs mit der Nachricht, dass die Hälfte des Grundkapitals bald aufgezehrt sei. Im Herbst folgte der Antrag auf Insolvenz in Eigenverwaltung. Mitte Januar dieses Jahres schien es so, als sei mit dem Investor Panthera bereits ein Retter gefunden. Doch vor einem Monat trat die private Investorengruppe völlig überraschend vom Kaufvertrag zurück.

Nach dieser erneuten Hiobsbotschaft für die bei Loewe verbliebenen Mitarbeiter trat Stargate Capital auf den Plan. Das Finanzunternehmen aus München ist auf Investments in mittelständische Unternehmen spezialisiert. „Mit Stargate Capital haben wir vor allem einen Investor gefunden, der eine langfristige Strategie verfolgt mit dem Ziel, Loewe wieder zu alter Stärke zurückzuführen“, erklärte Vorstandschef Harsch.

Über den genauen Kaufpreis schwiegen beide Seiten. Er liege „im oberen einstelligen Millionenbereich“, hieß es lediglich. In den kommenden Jahren seien Investitionen im mittleren zweistelligen Millionenbereich geplant.

A good point  on good  old  B/W Televisions.....................

The Sixties was a time of great change for TV. At the start of the decade there were just monochrome sets with valves, designed for 405 -line transmissions at VHF. By the end there was 625 -line colour at UHF, with transistorised chassis that used the odd IC.

The following decade was one of growth. The "space race" had begun in 1957, when the USSR launched Sputnik 1 and terrified the Americans. Thereafter the USA began to spend countless billions of dollars on space missions. This got underway in earnest in the Sixties, with the announcement that America would be going all out to get a man on the moon by the end of the decade. There followed the Mercury series of earth - orbit missions, then the Apollo launches. Success was achieved in 1969. Most of these missions were televised, and in those days anything to do with space was hot stuff. It was inevitable that everyone wanted to have a television set. At the time an average receiver would be a monochrome one with a 14in. tube - there was no colour until 1967. It would cost about 75 guineas. 
TV sets were often priced in guineas (21 shillings) as it made the price look a bit easier on the pocket. Anyway 75 guineas, equivalent to about £78.75 in 2000's currency, was a lot of money then.  For those who couldn't, rental was a good option. The Sixties was a period of tremendous growth for rental TV. 
Much else was rented at that time, even radios, also washing machines, spin driers, refrigerators and, later on, audio tape recorders (no VCRs then). 
For most people these things were too expensive for cash purchase. 
There were no credit cards then. And when it came to a TV set, the question of reli- ability had to be taken into account: renting took care of repair costs. 

TV reliability.........The TV sets of the period were notoriously unreliable. They still used valves, which meant that a large amount of heat was generated. The dropper resistor contributed to this: it was used mainly as a series device to reduce the mains voltage to the level required to power the valve heaters. These were generally connected in series, so the heater volt- ages of all the valves were added together and the total was subtracted from the mains voltage. The difference was the voltage across the heater section of the dropper resistor, whose value was determined by simple application of Ohm's Law. 
As valves are voltage -operated devices, there was no need to stabilise the current. So the power supply circuits in TV sets were very simple. They often consisted of nothing more than a dropper resistor, a half or biphase rectifier and a couple of smoothing capacitors. If a TV set had a transformer and a full wave rectifier in addition to the other components, it was sophisticated!
 As the valve heaters were connected in series they were like Christmas -tree lights: should one fail they all went out and the TV set ceased to function. Another common problem with valves is the cathode -to -heater short. When this fault occurs in a valve, some of the heaters in the chain would go out and some would stay on. Those that stayed on would glow like search- lights, often becoming damaged as a result. Dropper failure could cause loss of HT (dead set with the heaters glowing), or no heater supply with HT present. When the HT rectifier valve went low emission, there was low EHT, a small picture and poor performance all round. CRTs would go soft or low emission, the result being a faint picture, or cathode -to -heater short-circuit, the result this time being uncontrollable brightness. On average a TV set would have twelve to fourteen valves, any one of which could go low -emission or fail in some other way. All valves have a finite life, so each one would probably have to be replaced at one time or another. The amount of heat generated in an average TV set would dry out the capacitors, which then failed. So you can see why people rented! 

The CRT could cause various problems. Because of its cost, it was the gen- eral practice to place its heater at the earthy end of the chain. In this position it was less likely to be overloaded by a heater chain fault. But during the winter months, when the mains voltage dropped a bit, it would be starved of power. This would eventually lead to 'cathode poi- soning' with loss of emission. The 'cure' for this was to fit a booster transformer designed to overrun the heater by 10, 20 or 30 per cent. It would work fine for a while, until the CRT completely expired. At about this time CRT reactivators came into being - and a weird and wonderful collection of devices they turned out to be. Regunned tubes also started to appear. You couldn't do this with the `hard -glass' triode tubes made by Emitron. These were fitted in a number of older sets. Yes, they were still around, at least during the early Sixties.



Developments................... A great deal of development occurred during the Sixties. Many TV sets and radios made in the early Sixties were still hard -wired: the introduction of the printed circuit board changed the construction of electronic equipment forever. The first one was in a Pam transistor radio. PCBs were ideal for use in transistor radios, because of the small size of the components used and the fact that such radios ran almost cold. 
They were not so good for use with valve circuitry, as the heat from the valves caused all sorts of problems. Print cracks could develop if a board became warped. If it became carbonised there could be serious leakage and tracking problems. In addition it was more difficult to remove components from a PCB. Many technicians at that time didn't like PCBs. As the Sixties progressed, transistors took over more and more in TV sets. They first appeared in a rather random fashion, for example in the sync separator stages in some Pye models. Then the IF strip became transistorised. Early transistors were based on the use of germanium, which was far from ideal. 

The change to silicon produced devices that were more robust and had a better signal-to-noise ratio. 
Car radios became fully transistorised, and 'solid-state' circuitry ceased to be based on earlier valve arrangements. Many hi-fi amplifiers had been transistorised from the late Fifties, and all tape recorders were now solid-state. 
Both reel-to-reel and compact -cassette recorders were available at this time. Initially, audio cassette recorders had a maximum upper frequency response of only about 9kHz. 
To increase it meant either a smaller head gap or a faster speed. Philips, which developed the compact audio cassette and holds the patents for the design (which we still use in 2000!) wouldn't allow an increase in speed. Good reel-to-reel recorders had a fre- quency response that extended to 20kHz when the tape speed was 15in./sec. 
This is true hi-fi. In time the frequency response of compact -cassette recorders did improve, because of the use of better head materials with a smaller gap. 
This led to the demise of the reel-to-reel audio recorder as a domestic product We began to benefit from spin-offs of the space race between the USA and the USSR. 
The need to squeeze as much technology as possible into the early computers in the Mercury space capsules used by the USA lead to the first inte- grated circuits. 
This technology soon found its way into consumer equipment. Often these devices were hybrid encap- sulations rather than true chips, but they did improve reliability and saved space. The few chips around in those days were analogue devices.  To start with most UHF tuners used valves such as the PC86 and PC88. They were all manually tuned. Some had slow-motion drives and others had push -buttons. They didn't have a lot of gain, so it was important to have an adequate aerial and use low -loss cable..............................

Literature

• 75 Jahre Loewe (1923-1998). Und die Zukunft geht weiter, author's edition 1998
• Kilian J.L. Steiner: Ortsempfänger, Volksfernseher und Optaphon. Die Entwicklung der deutschen Radio- und Fernsehindustrie und das Unternehmen Loewe 1923-1962. Klartext Verlag, Essen 2005, ISBN 978-3-89861-492-4
• Frank Keuper, Jürgen Kindervater, Heiko Dertinger, Andreas Heim (Hrsg.): Das Diktat der Markenführung. 11 Thesen zur nachhaltigen Markenführung und -implementierung. Mit einem umfassenden Fallbeispiel der Loewe AG, Gabler Fachverlage, Wiesbaden 2009, ISBN 978-3-8349-0852-0

References

• "Loewe klang 5 active speaker - Winner - Entertainment - German Design Award". www.german-design-award.com (in German). Retrieved 2017-09-13.
• https://www.loewe.tv/de/legal/impressum
• 
  
• "German technology manufacturer Loewe declares bankruptcy"
• 
  
• Loewe AG: self-administration insolvency, a corporate press-release
• 
  
• "Investor consortium to rescue high-end TV maker Loewe". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
• 
  
• "Münchener Investor übernimmt Loewe". Handelsblatt. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
• 
  
• "German Design Award Winners".
•  
•  

Einzelnachweise

loewe.tv: Impressum
Loewe bild 7 - Gold - Entertainment - German Design Award. Abgerufen am 9. Oktober 2017.

http://www.nordbayerischer-kurier.de/nachrichten/loewe-gliedert-markenrechte-aus_627658

NDR: Manfred von Ardenne - Herr des Fernsehens. Abgerufen am 9. Oktober 2017.

NDR: Manfred von Ardenne - Herr des Fernsehens. Abgerufen am 9. Oktober 2017.

Loewe. Abgerufen am 13. September 2017 (englisch).

Radioapparate. In: Berliner Adreßbuch, 1924, Teil 2, S. 475.

Kilian J. L. Steiner: Die „Arisierung“ der Radioaktiengesellschaft D. S. Loewe in Berlin-Steglitz. In: Christof Biggeleben u. a.: „Arisierung“ in Berlin. Metropol Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-938690-55-0, S. 226.

radiomuseum-bocket: Der OE333 Ortsempfänger. Abgerufen am 8. November 2016.

radiomuseum.org: Ortsempfänger OE333. Abgerufen am 28. Januar 2016.

radiomuseum.org: Röhre 3NF. Abgerufen am 28. Januar 2016.

Die Loewe-Röhre 3NFB – Analyse einer Mehrfachröhre. (PDF; 170 kB)

Kilian J. L. Steiner: Die „Arisierung“ der Radioaktiengesellschaft D. S. Loewe in Berlin-Steglitz. In: Christof Biggeleben u. a.: „Arisierung“ in Berlin. Metropol Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-938690-55-0, S. 226.

Kilian J. L. Steiner: Die „Arisierung“ der Radioaktiengesellschaft D. S. Loewe in Berlin-Steglitz. In: Christof Biggeleben u. a.: „Arisierung“ in Berlin. Metropol Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-938690-55-0, S. 226.

Joachim Hofer: Loewe will leben. In: Handelsblatt. 17. Juli 2013, S. 16 f.

Letzte Chance für Loewe. In: Handelsblatt. 17. Juli 2013, S. 1.

Loewe hofft auf den reichen Retter. Handelsblatt, 16. Juli 2013, abgerufen am 16. Juli 2013.

Loewe schwört trotz Krise auf Luxus-Geschäftsmodell. inFranken.de, 31. Juli 2013, abgerufen am 1. August 2013.

Loewe: Partner kommt aus China. inFranken.de, 31. Juli 2013, abgerufen am 1. August 2013.

Loewe: Kapitalmaßnahmen auf den Weg gebracht. (Nicht mehr online verfügbar.) Loewe AG, 7. August 2013, archiviert vom Original am 5. Oktober 2013; abgerufen am 1. September 2013.  Info: Der Archivlink wurde automatisch eingesetzt und noch nicht geprüft. Bitte prüfe Original- und Archivlink gemäß Anleitung und entferne dann diesen Hinweis.

Restrukturierungsprozess vor dem Abschluss. (Nicht mehr online verfügbar.) Loewe AG, 16. September 2013, archiviert vom Original am 26. September 2013; abgerufen am 17. September 2013.  Info: Der Archivlink wurde automatisch eingesetzt und noch nicht geprüft. Bitte prüfe Original- und Archivlink gemäß Anleitung und entferne dann diesen Hinweis.

TV-Hersteller Loewe meldet Insolvenz an (1. Oktober 2013)

Loewe AG: Insolvenzverfahren in Eigenverwaltung bestätigt. (Memento des Originals vom 4. Oktober 2013 im Internet Archive)  Info: Der Archivlink wurde automatisch eingesetzt und noch nicht geprüft. Bitte prüfe Original- und Archivlink gemäß Anleitung und entferne dann diesen Hinweis. Ad-hoc-Meldung auf: corporate.loewe.tv, 1. Oktober 2013.

TV-Hersteller in der Krise: Loewe meldet Insolvenz an. auf: spiegel.de, 1. Oktober 2013.

Bevollmächtigter gibt sich für Loewe optimistisch. FAZ.net. 13. Oktober 2013

Insolventer TV-Hersteller: Loewe-Käufer machen Rückzieher. Spiegel Online, 24. Februar 2014, abgerufen am 24. Februar 2014.

Stargate Capital übernimmt Loewe, Handelsblatt, am 21. März 2014

Neue Hoffnung für Loewe: Finanzinvestor übernimmt TV-Gerätebauer. In: Heise Online. 22. März 2014, abgerufen am 23. März 2014.

Loewe findet neuen Investor. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. 22. März 2014, abgerufen am 23. März 2014.

Andreas Wilkens: Loewe-Rettung in trockenen Tüchern. 9. April 2014, abgerufen am 9. April 2014.

Loewe: 2016 noch kein Gewinn | Nordbayerischer Kurier. Abgerufen am 28. August 2017.

Loewe. Abgerufen am 9. Oktober 2017 (englisch).