''Dimensia'' ( ) was

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

's brand name for their high-end models of television systems and their components ( tuner, VCR,

CD player A CD player is an electronic device that plays audio compact discs, which are a digital audio, digital optical disc data storage format. CD players were first sold to consumers in 1982. CDs typically contain recordings of audio material such a ...

, etc.) produced from 1984 to 1989, with variations continuing into the early 1990s, superseded by the ProScan model line. After RCA was acquired by

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

in 1986, GE sold the RCA consumer electronics line to

Thomson SA Vantiva SA (formerly Technicolor SA, Thomson SARL, Thomson SA, and Thomson Multimedia) is a French multinational corporation that provides technology products and services for the communication, media and entertainment industries. Headquarter ...

which continued the Dimensia line. They are significant for their wide array of advanced features and for being the first television receiver systems to feature a built in computer, somewhat of an early incarnation of a

smart TV A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV or, rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart T ...

, but without internet access (see

Technological convergence Technological convergence is the tendency for technologies that were originally unrelated to become more closely integrated and even unified as they develop and advance. For example, watches, telephones, television, computers, and social media ...

). In 1985, RCA released the Digital Command Component System, a fully integrated audio system that permitted the full functionality of Dimensia audio components without a Dimensia monitor. The name "Dimensia" actually dates back to the early 1970s when RCA used the term for an enhanced spatial stereo effect which they called "Dimensia IV". The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

for the Dimensia was ''The Next Dimension in Sight and Sound.''

Features

The RCA Dimensia systems had a wide array of high-end features that were novel for its time and are still not common anywhere.

Computer

The main unique feature of the Dimensia system was the MRT 003, a 32-

kilobyte The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for Computer data storage, digital information. The International System of Units (SI) defines the prefix ''kilo-, kilo'' as a multiplication factor of 1000 (103); therefore, one kilobyte is 1000&nbs ...

built-in computer module which allowed the monitor to communicate with all Dimensia components and the remote functions. All components were connected via the

control bus In computer architecture, a control bus is part of the system bus and is used by central processing unit, CPUs for communicating with other devices within the computer. While the address bus carries the information about the device with which the ...

found on the I/O panel on the back of the TV. The control bus was a unique

RCA connector The RCA connector is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry analog audio and video signals. The name refers to the popular name of Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design in the 1930s. Typically, the output i ...

which was colored black. All Dimensia branded components had this control jack and they all interconnected by using RCA plugs that could piggy-back, resulting in a daisy chain which simplified wiring. This was known as the SystemLink, a communication system that had 16

s of computer memory (after the discontinuation of the Dimensia product line, RCA reused the SystemLink term for their universal remotes).

Input/Output

One of the main features of the Dimensia's was the large

input/output In computing, input/output (I/O, i/o, or informally io or IO) is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, such as another computer system, peripherals, or a human operator. Inputs a ...

panel on the back. This included several RCA

composite video Composite video, also known as CVBS (composite video baseband signal or color, video, blanking and sync), is an analog video format that combines image information—such as brightness (luminance), color (chrominance), and synchronization, int ...

terminals as well as multiple unbalanced and balanced RF antenna/cable inputs. This enabled easy connection of all Dimensia system components, each on their own channel. Additionally, the RCA cables were able to be connected piggy-back, resulting in daisy-chain wiring. The components were also connected to the control bus data link via the same piggy-back style RCA connectors. All Dimensia-Intelligent components could interact with the monitor's built-in computer. The first generation console Dimensia I/O panel shown to the left also has a

SCART SCART (also known as or , especially in France, 21-pin EuroSCART in marketing by Sharp Corporation, Sharp in Asia, Euroconector in Spain, EuroAV or EXT, or EIA Multiport in the United States, as an EIA interface) is a French-originated standard ...

interface, an early multiport A/V interface which was popular in Europe (called EIA Multiport-Stereo Connector by RCA).

Universal Remote

The Dimensia system came with a very large and advanced

universal remote A universal remote is a remote control that can be programmed to operate various brands of one or more types of consumer electronics devices. Low-end universal remotes can only control a set number of devices determined by their manufacturer, wh ...

, called ''Dimensia Intelligent Audio Video'' or ''Dimensia Digital Control,'' variations of the Digital Command Center. The capabilities of this remote were far more advanced than many (perhaps any) other remotes at that time. For example, with other universal remotes you can control everything separately by controlling one component at a time; one command at a time. With the Dimensia remote, just pushing the VCR button will turn on the VCR, turn on the monitor and then play the tape in the VCR, assuming there is one in the VCR. The Dimensia remote was not programmable like most universal remotes today. It was only fully compatible with Dimensia components. These components were referred to as ''Dimensia Intelligent,'' hence the name, ''Dimensia Intelligent Audio Video.''

Television

Dimensia televisions had many unique features that were state of the art at the time and some that are still rare today, including:

1984–1986

* Cable-compatible Quartz tuning * 26" screen * greater than 350 lines of luminance resolution * integral contrast enhancement filter

1987 features

* 27" screen * Comb Filter (for better quality picture) * Parental Control * SAP Channel * Automatic Light Sensor (measured ambient light in area around TV and adjusted picture and brightness automatically to match room brightness) * Sleep Timer * Two antenna inputs * On-screen Time Display

VHS (1987)

* FS Tuner * VHS Hi-Fi stereo * Headphone Jack * HQ VHS Picture (better than normal VHS but inferior to S-VHS) * Slow Motion * Timer Recording * Ability to record one program while watching a different program at the same time (Dimensia only) * Record both the normal stereo audio and SAP audio on the same tape

Dual Auto-Reverse Cassette Deck (1987)

* One-Touch Dubbing * Record Mute * Random Memory Play

Audio-Video Control Center (1987)

* Dimensia Remote Control * Automatic switching between components (TV, VCR, turn table, CD, etc. Dimensia only) * Manual tone controls * 20-station memory

Variations

There are different models of the Dimensia, and there were two "generations" of the console and full Dimensia systems.

Basic/console

This variation of the Dimensia featured just the TV monitor mounted in a heavy wood grain veneer with a large input/output panel. It was on a

swivel A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a swivel gun, gun, swivel chair, chair, Caster, swivel caster, or an anchor rode to rotate horizontally or vertically. Swivel designs A common design for a swivel is a cylindr ...

mount. It was not as commercial as the monitor for the full component-based Dimensia system; however, it was still considered high-end and had the control bus. In other words, the console Dimensia system was intended to be more stand-alone television set than the full Dimensia system. The second generation console version of the Dimensia had the speakers located on the sides rather than underneath the screen (e.g. Model GPR2750P). It had three coaxial cable/antenna posts for separate RF inputs and one output. Audio: Since the console Dimensia monitor was intended to stand alone (the full system had a 100 or 200 watt amplifier and 3-way tower speakers), but was still a high-end system, it featured a more complete built-in audio system than most monitors of the time. It had both woofers and

tweeter A tweeter or treble speaker is a special type of loudspeaker (usually dome, inverse dome or horn-type) that is designed to produce high audio frequencies, typically from 2,000 to 20,000 Hertz, Hz. The name is derived from the high pitched sound ...

s in the TV cabinet, whereas almost all standard CRT television sets featured just one (mono) or two (stereo) low fidelity

mid-range In statistics, the mid-range or mid-extreme is a measure of central tendency of a sample defined as the arithmetic mean of the maximum and minimum values of the data set: :M=\frac. The mid-range is closely related to the range, a measure of ...

speaker drivers. It also had selectable external speaker connectors to be powered by the internal amp.

Commercial

The commercial models featured a grounded

power cord A power cord, line cord, or mains cable is an electrical cable that temporarily connects an electrical appliance, appliance to the mains electricity supply via a wall socket or extension cord. The terms are generally used for cables using a AC p ...

and BNC high-end commercial

coaxial In geometry, coaxial means that several three-dimensional linear or planar forms share a common axis. The two-dimensional analog is ''concentric''. Common examples: A coaxial cable has a wire conductor in the centre (D), a circumferential ou ...

inputs. These models were around before the Dimensia system and were called the RCA Lyceum TV. These units were often used in educational facilities or other institutions and had the same chassis as the

Colortrak 2000 Colortrak 2000 was a brand names, brand name used for RCA's high-end television models produced from the early-1980s to the early 1990s. Colortrak 2000 was situated above the less expensive ''Colortrak'' line, but below the more expensive Dimensia l ...

and Dimensia tabletop model (the primary one). The commercial models had many extensive features such as automatic color balance and an automatic screen brightness adjuster which varied according to the ambient light in the room; at night or with the lights off it would lower its brightness.

Full Dimensia system

Retailed at over $5,000

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

upon its release in October 1984, it came with all the matching Dimensia-intelligent components, including the VCR, CED player (canceled just before release, with the Digital Command Center remote's "DISC" button being relabeled "VID2", though some of the manuals for Dimensia components continued to show the original "DISC" button; some CED players released before the Dimensia system hit the market have the special control jack and can be used with the system),

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

, equalizer, speakers, tuner, cassette recorder, CD player and turntable. This was the most remarkable system, as all the components were compatible with the TV's computer and almost any operation could be executed with just the push of a button on the Digital Command Center. The two TV sets that were the center of this system (FKC2600E and FKC2601T) were physically identical to the Colortrak 2000 chassis. These monitors were where the systems 32 kilobyte microprocessors were located. They sat in a dedicated entertainment center that suited all the components of this fully integrated system. The system was available in two color schemes; a woodgrain veneer and a black exterior from 1984 to 1986. These monitors featured BTSC system three-channel audio which had just been adopted by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

as the U.S. standard for stereo television transmission in 1984, the same year as the release of Dimensia. In 1985, RCA released a 40-inch projection monitor for the system with the 32 kilobyte microprocessors. This was otherwise identical to the 26 inch displays that were initially released.

Sound system

The initial 1984 Dimensia system came with one of several three-way stereo loudspeaker systems. The first one was the SPK375 which were made to go on optional speaker stands. They were rated at 60 watts RMS and 120 watts maximum and were in a 36-pound acoustic suspension

enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...

. These were initially meant to be used with the 100 watt MSA-100 amplifier; then later in 1985 the 200 watt MSA-200 amplifier was released which was compatible with the MGE-160

graphic equalizer Equalization, or simply EQ, in sound recording and reproduction is the process of adjusting the volume of different frequency bands within an audio signal. The circuit or equipment used to achieve this is called an equalizer. Most hi-fi eq ...

. The impedance of the SPK-375 was six ohms and their sensitivity was 91 dB/watt/meter. The

frequency response In signal processing and electronics, the frequency response of a system is the quantitative measure of the magnitude and Phase (waves), phase of the output as a function of input frequency. The frequency response is widely used in the design and ...

of the speakers built into the TV chassis was 50-15000 Hertz, a standard range for mid-range audio components; the external speakers and amplifiers increased this range to 35-20000 Hertz, a

high fidelity High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...

range. The second-generation Dimensia audio components were also made for the Digital Command Component System.

Digital command component system

In 1985, RCA released a fully integrated audio system known as the "RCA Audio System" that used the MSR-140 stereo receiver as its center for control over all the components. This allowed all Dimensia audio components to be controlled and fully functional without the need of a Dimensia television set. The price of this system started at $1,500 and included the Digital Command Center remote control. It also used the

monitor. The SPK400 and SPK500, released in 1987, were second generation three-way speaker systems. Also released in 1987 for the second generation Dimensia system and for the Digital Command Component System were the MPA-100 and MPA-120 amplifiers; released to replace the MSA-100 and MSA-200, respectively. In 1987, RCA released the MSP400 for the second-generation Dimensia audio system, an early

Dolby Pro Logic Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. The terms Dolby Stereo and LtRt (''Left Total'', ''Right Total'') are also used to describe sou ...

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to ...

decoder.

Gallery

Various images of a 1987 console model GPR2740T File:Dimensia Interface.JPG, Console Dimensia input/output panel File:RCA Dimensia Victrola logo.JPG, Dimensia console TV displaying RCA trademarks File:Dimensia console TV speaker.jpg, Two-way speaker system in console model File:RCA Dimensia control bus jack.JPG, Dimensia SystemLink bus File:Dimensia EIA.jpg, EIA interface

connector on a 1987 RCA Dimensia

References

General: *{{cite web, url=http://www.cedmagic.com/museum/dimensia/dimensia.html, title=DIMENSIA – The Next Dimension in Sight and Sound, author=Tom Howe, publisher=cedmagic.com, accessdate=August 6, 2015

External links

RCA Dimensia

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