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RCA Dimensia


Dimensia was RCA's brand name for their high-end models of television systems and their components (Tuner, VCR, CD Player, 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 produced from 1984 to 1989, with variations continuing into the early 1990s, superseded by the ProScan model line.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 in 1986, GE sold the RCA consumer electronics line to Thomson SA 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, but without internet access (see Technological convergence). 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 for the Dimensia was The Next Dimension in Sight and Sound.

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

The main unique feature of the Dimensia system was the MRT 003, a 32-kilobyte 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 found on the I/O panel on the back of the TV. The control bus was a unique RCA connector 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 kilobytes of computer memory.


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