Chromecast in a '70s TV is wonderful and weird
It's a clever, highly automated blend of kitsch and cutting edge.
You've no doubt seen some interesting attempts at melding vintage tech with the modern world, but few of them are likely to be as fun (and vaguely practical) as this. Gadget tweaker Dr. Moddnstine has modified a 1978 General Electric portable TV to include a hidden Chromecast, giving your YouTube videos a vacuum tube flair. It's impressive, and not just because he managed to get an HDMI device to talk to an analog set -- there's an auxiliary audio jack (the Chromecast can stay powered while the TV is off), and it'll even turn on and switch off automatically.
This isn't easily repeatable, as you might guess. It's not too hard to get the bevy of adapters you need to process the TV's input signal, but it's another matter to safely cram them into a decades-old set. And of course, the number of functioning yet compatible TVs is dwindling rapidly. However, Dr. Moddnstine is willing to show how most of the features work. We've embedded both the quick and long versions of his demo below, so you can check it out whether you're just curious or determined to build a retro Chromecast viewer of your own.
