Hi Jim.

Re. #1, yes that's my take.
I've also heard from another CN member with a TV-76, who reports it has similar color correction, which has been improved by using a diagonal prism. So, it's worth checking the other TV doublets for that, too.

Re. #2, It's my understanding that when converging light passes through a diagonal prism, a small amount of spherical aberration is introduced. I've read about this in other fora. It's a fairly small effect, especially if the objective lens is of long f/ratio.
I'm not an optician, so please don't ask me for the technical details...

P.s.,
Thanks to Allister for posting the article!