THOMSON TF2501 YEAR 1983

The  THOMSON TF2501 is a 11 inches (25cm) color ultra portable tv monitor with 39 programs and 99 channels PLL synthesizer and remote control above fitted.

The set has several features such as:

• Black matrix tube.A black matrix color picture tube has a phosphor layer and black matrix layer formed on the inner surface of the faceplate. A layer of glass having a low softening point is provided between the phosphor layer and the inner surface of the faceplate and between the black matrix layer and the inner surface of the faceplate. The softening point of the glass is below the temperature at which the tube is subjected during a frit baking step employed in the fabrication of the tube. For example, a borophosphate glass is used as the layer of glass having a low softening point.
  
• CAMERA Front connector with 12volt 1.5A supply.

 During the many past few years, home video tape recorders have becomed remarkably widespread. In particular, minimization of bulk and size recently has achieved a great advance, for example, with the availability of compact video cameras to provide a portable magnetic picture recording system capable of taking and recording images of desired objects on location or the like.Conventional portable magnetic picture recording systems were arranged with video tape recorders and video cameras, each of which were embodied in separate forms. When in use, they had be electrically connected together with one another by a cable. For this reason, during a picture taking and recording operation, the video tape recorder and the video camera must be carried about as separate units, while they are connected to each other by the cable. This is far more inconvenient to handle and manage than the conventional 8 mm cine cameras. Particularly, since it was common practice to suspend the video tape recorder from the operator's shoulder by a belt when the video camera is in use, because of the recorder's relatively heavy weight and large bulk, the recorder is then located far away from the video camera and the camera connected to the monitor the like the THOMSON TF2501.

For example, such construction leads to a large increase in the overall weight of the device and, therefore, in cases where the taking and recording of pictures occurs over a long time and covers a wide range of movement on the ground, the photographer's burden is increased. In such cases, the conventional arrangement where the relatively heavy video tape recorder is borne on the shoulder by a belt, to allow only the camera to be held at eye level when shooting, is more convenient. Further, since in the present state of the art, consideration is given to allow the video tape recorder to be able to record television signals (so-called "on-air" video recording), the unused video camera must still accompany the recorder even when the on-air video recording is taking place.

• SCART Connector backside placed.
• External speaker connector.
• Headphones front connector.
• PAL-CCIR Norm feature.In general, the frequency fsc of the chrominance sub-carrier wave of a colour television video signal of a PAL system is selected at a value expressed by the following equation in terms of the horizontal scanning frequency fh (=15,625 Hz) and the vertical scanning frequency fv (=50 Hz). fsc=(284-1/4)fh+fv/2=4,433,618.75 Hz (1)
  The chrominance sub-carrier wave frequency fsc and the horizontal scanning frequency fh have the following mutual relation. 709,379 fh=2,500 fsc (2)
  That is, in a PAL system, as is indicated in Eq. (1), a frequency offset of fh/4 is provided in order to cause the chrominance sub-carrier wave to undergo interleaving with the horizontal scanning frequency, and a frequency offset of fv/2 is set in order to reduce cross colour to an inconspicuous degree.
• Front double digit red led display for programs and channels displaying
• Power supply both 12volt, 24volt, 220volt 50hz.

 The THOMSON TF2501 is first type of such kind of tv set with all above mentioned features and was a light weight  of 10kg.

The set was also marketed under Nordmende COLOR 3500  brand and SABA PM25S52 Brand names.

A SCART Connector (which stands for Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs) is a standard for connecting audio-visual equipment together. The official standard for SCART is CENELEC document number EN 50049-1. SCART is also known as Péritel (especially in France) and Euroconnector but the name SCART will be used exclusively herein. The standard defines a 21-pin connector (herein after a SCART connector) for carrying analog television signals. Various pieces of equipment may be connected by cables having a plug fitting the SCART connectors. Television apparatuses commonly include one or more SCART connectors.

Although a SCART connector is bidirectional, the present invention is concerned with the use of a SCART connector as an input connector for receiving signals into a television apparatus. A SCART connector can receive input television signals either in an RGB format in which the red, green and blue signals are received on Pins 15, 11 and 7, respectively, or alternatively in an S-Video format in which the luminance (Y) and chroma (C) signals are received on Pins 20 and 15. As a result of the common usage of Pin 15 in accordance with the SCART standard, a SCART connector cannot receive input television signals in an RGB format and in an S-Video format at the same time.

Consequently many commercially available television apparatuses include a separate SCART connectors each dedicated to receive input television signals in one of an RGB format and an S-Video format. This limits the functionality of the SCART connectors. In practical terms, the number of SCART connectors which can be provided on a television apparatus is limited by cost and space considerations. However, different users wish the input a wide range of different combinations of formats of television signals, depending on the equipment they personally own and use. However, the provision of SCART connectors dedicated to input television signals in one of an RGB format and an S-Video format limits the overall connectivity of the television apparatus. Furthermore, for many users the different RGB format and S-Video format are confusing. Some users may not understand or may mistake the format of a television signal being supplied on a given cable from a given piece of equipment. This can result in the supply of input television signals of an inappropriate format for the SCART connector concerned.

This kind of connector is todays obsoleted !

 

Thomson-CSF was a major electronics and defence contractor. In December 2000 it was renamed Thales Group.

History

In 1879 Elihu Thomson and Edwin Houston formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in the United States.
On April 15, 1892 Thomson-Houston and the Edison General Electric Company merged to form General Electric (GE). Also in 1892 the company formed a French subsidiary, Thomson Houston International.
In 1893 Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (CFTH) was set up as a partner to GE. It is from this company that the modern Thomson companies would evolve.
In 1966 CFTH merged with Hotchkiss-Brandt to form Thomson-Houston-Hotchkiss-Brandt (soon renamed Thomson-Brandt). In 1968 the electronics business of Thomson-Brandt merged with Compagnie Générale de Télégraphie Sans Fil (CSF) to form Thomson-CSF. Thomson Brandt maintained a significant shareholding in this company (approximately 40%).
In 1982 both Thomson-Brandt and Thomson-CSF were nationalized by François Mitterrand. Thomson-Brandt was renamed Thomson SA (Société Anonyme) and merged with Thomson-CSF.
From 1983 to 1987 a major reorganisation of Thomson-CSF was undertaken, with divestitures to refocus the group on its core activities (electronics and defence). Thomson-CSF Téléphone and the medical division were sold to Alcatel and GE respectively. The semiconductor businesses of Thomson CSF was merged with Finmeccanica. Thomson acquired General Electric’s RCA and GE consumer electronics business in 1987.
In 1988 Thomson Consumer Electronics was formed, renamed Thomson Multimedia in 1995. The French government split the consumer electronics and defence businesses prior to privatisation in 1999, those companies being Thomson Multimedia (today Technicolor SA) and Thomson-CSF (today Thales Group).


Thomson-CSF was a major electronics and defence contractor. In December 2000 it was renamed Thales Group.

...........1996............there are no stranger foreigners than the first ones you come across, the French. This is borne out by the 1996 Thomson situation. Thomson, was a vast company by any reckoning, is a strange beast. It's state controlled, which means that the government owns most but not quite all of it. and consists of two distinct arms, the defence group Thomson-CFS which is quite profitable, and the consumer electronics group Thomson Multimedia which loses a packet. The government wanted  rid of it, but won't sell the bits separately. It doesn't want to be left with the problem of what to do with Thomson Multimedia. You might think that no one would be interested in helping the French government. But in fact there are two contenders to take over Thomson, the telecommunications and power group Alcatel Alsthom and the defence and media group Lagardere. They have been engaging in quite a battle over the ownership, and as we go to press the French government is due to decide whose bid to accept. Whoever wins will end up with the profitable defence company  and the problem of Thomson Multimedia (TMM).

Lagardere has stated that it would sell TMM to Daewoo of Korea. Alcatel Alsthom has not been quite so specific, but has announced that it would take immediate action to reduce TMM's losses and seek an "Asian partner" that "specialises in consumer electronics". The partner would be expected to take over management of TMM, but Alcatel would like to remain a "minority partner" - it sees prospects in the move to digital TV technology that will occur during the next decade. All this gives one a strange feeling of déjà vu. At the time when Thomson took over Ferguson, in June 1987, it was noticed  that Thomson is "now on the government's privatisation list". It's taken almost a decade to happen.

 It's also said that "Thomson may be big, but has not been all that successful in the past in the consumer electronics field". Right on! What has happened to Ferguson in the UK illustrates the dismal Thomson effect. From being the local brand leader, with over ten per cent of the market, Ferguson has ended up being an also ran. It's only fair however to mention that Ferguson was making substantial losses when Thorn EMI was glad to get £90m for it from Thomson. Thomson has been able to survive in the consumer electronics field because it is part of a larger organisation, with those defence profits. It has nevertheless over the years attempted to play a a major role in the international consumer electronics field, keeping up with Philips and the Japanese corporations. From its French origins, it first expanded by picking up various German companies such as NordMende an SABA. It added Telefunken, a venerable name if ever there was one in this industry, in the early eighties, then took what was to be a big move into the UK market when it bought Ferguson. 

It used  six brand names in Europe. The largest step however occurred when TMM became a major force in the North American market by taking over General Electric's consumer electronics interests. This also gave it the RCA operation. The idea behind all this seems to have been to achieve success simply by getting bigger. There was always government finance to back the policy, which in the event has not been a success. The TMM debacle is a sad one, since Thomson's research and engineering has had many successes.
 It has not stinted on R and D work, with laboratories in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Strasbourg, Hanover, Villingen, Tokyo and Singapore. Much work has been done on HD -TV, digital signal processing and other developments that have kept it in the forefront of the technology. Now, it seems, TMM is likely to be swallowed up by one of the Oriental corporate giants. 
If there are any lessons to be drawn, they would seem to be that expansion by itself is no guarantee of success, that to spread ones activities and their control across the globe makes management extremely difficult, and that costs are very hard to control in such a context. Alcatel Alsthom's plans to reduce TMM's losses bear this out. It would close down TMM's US factories, transferring production to the company's modern facilities in Mexico, where wages are much lower.

 It would rationalise the large collection of brands, possibly adopting RCA as the main one worldwide. And there is a suggestion that the company should be run from the USA, since this is its largest market. But all this would be just initial steps towards ceding majority control. Venerable brand names such as Telefunken, GE and RCA would pass to oriental ownership. This will happen whoever wins, Alcatel Alsthom or Lagardere, which would leave just Philips to carry on Europe's traditions in the consumer electronics field............. but we all know how it ended.................

Thomson-CSF independence

Following the privatisation of the Thomson Group Thomson-CSF explored the possibility of merging with Marconi Electronic Systems, however British Aerospace was successful in that aim, forming BAE Systems.
In 2000 Thomson-CSF went through a series of transactions, including with Marconi plc. The major acquisition at this time was the £1.3 billion purchase of the British defence electronics firm, Racal. This made Thomson-CSF the second largest participant in the UK defence industry after BAE. Racal was renamed Thomson-CSF Racal plc.
On December 6, 2000 the group was renamed Thales.

Further reading

• Jean-Pierre, Thierry (16 October 2003). Taïwan Connection : Scandales et meurtres au cœur de la République [Taiwan Connection – Scandals and Murders at the Heart of the Republic] (in French). Robert Laffont. ISBN 978-2221100820.
• L'entreprise partagée ? Une pratique différente des relations sociales : l'expérience Thomson-CSF, Robert Thomas (pseudonym for a team-work with Pierre Beretti and Jean-Pierre Thiollet), Paris, Maxima-Laurent du Mesnil Ed., 1999