In 1983, TVR introduced color television. Although the rest of the Eastern Bloc countries adopted the Soviet-backed SECAM system, TVR chose to implement the PAL system. Plans to introduce color television broadcasting date as far back as 1968, when the TVR trialed color technology. It was, however, deemed too costly at the time to impose color broadcasting, and plans were shelved up to 1983. Even so, by 1990, only some broadcasts were in color and only few people owned a color TV set.