The Philco Predicta is an American television made in several models by the Philco company in the late 1950s. It is arguably the most iconic television set in existence and is to many people the "classic" 1950s TV set—although with its trademark detached picture tube, it couldn't be more atypical of an early television set.
Many Predictas were produced for the Holiday Inn hotel chain; but the design was considered too radical by everyday consumers, and many sets languished at television dealers. Slow sales, lack of a color model and very poor reliability eventually drove Philco into bankruptcy and sale in 1960.
Due in part to their outrageously 1950s styling and rarity of working examples, they are now highly sought-after collectibles. They have been featured many times in movies, TV, and music videos. Telstar acquired the rights to the name and now produces brand new sets with larger, color screens and modern internal electronics.
All Predictas used a short necked picture tube. Most used a two volt heater (series string and transformer chassis). These picture tubes were notorious for failure. The 21-inch version was more failure prone than the 17-inch tube. The chassis had a printed circuit board. To properly restore a Predicta (as well as other Philco sets of the era), the PC board must be removed from the chassis. Philco did not leave the underside of the board exposed. It did the same with several other lines. There were component combinations known as couplates (forerunner to IC chips). These will need to be rebuilt. Certain controls were known for failure. The Predicta runs hot (temperature). In most cases, Sams Photofacts gives the equivalent circuit. The same is true of Tellaides. Some collectors have installed muffin fans to improve venting. The Predicta is not recommended for first-time restorers.
Some collectors will use a standard 110 degree CRT for replacement, but the neck will stick out of the housing. There will be some rewiring necessary, as the Predicta's original tubes have a different basing from the standard 110 tubes. As always, a certified service technician should check the set before applying power.