Wikipedia
In August 1939, Nazi Germany introduced the Einheits-Fernseh-Empfänger E1 (i.e. Unitary-TV-receiver E1), also called Volksfernseher (i.e. People's TV), a 441-line, 50 interlaced frames per second television system. The TV was presented to the public in the 16th International radio exhibition Berlin.
The project started in 1938, associating the Reichspost and several companies, including Bosch, Blaupunkt, Loewe, Lorenz, TeKaDe and Telefunken. The objective was to produce 10,000 units, but the start of World War II caused only about 50 devices to be installed in military hospitals and various government departments. The Berlin transmitter was destroyed by Allied bombing in November 1943.
Like British televisions of the era, the Einheitsempfänger could receive only one channel with its frequency pre-tuned at the factory to reduce construction costs.
To date, only a few surviving and functioning units are known:
- Museum for Communication in Berlin, (Telefunken)
- Museum for Communication in Berlin, (Blaupunkt, incomplete)
- Museum of Communication in Frankfurt, (Telefunken, with a new speaker, otherwise completely preserved)
- Private Collection August-Peter Nehrig, (Telefunken, completely preserved)
- German Radio Museum Berlin, (reproduction without original chassis and a new speaker fabric)
- Custodian of telecommunications tools Office, (manufacturer unknown, apparently unharmed and completely preserved)
- University of Mittweida (Blaupunkt, with a new speaker material, condition unknown)
- Radio Museum Fuerth (original chassis with power transformer in the exhibition)
- Radio Museum Fuerth (functional, for demonstration)