Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-09
R. c. A. MAY ENTER
| THEATRICAL FIELD
Development of TeIevision
Likely to Force Broadcaster
to Own Show Houses.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Corporation of Americas prospective
activity in the motion picture and stage
field that the controlling group in the
radio industry is looking to day not
far distant when it will need theatrical
subjects to broadcast for reception by
"televiSor" sets of its own manufacture.
Another indirect indication OF the
assured prospect OF television-more
properly called "fadiovision" when the
radio is employed instead Of wires to
transmit moving images-is seen by
official radio circles in the current re-
ports that the r. c. A. may soon form
a giant amusement holding company
with the Keith-Albee- Orpheum Cor
poration and the Film Booking once
Pictures Corporation. The radio con-
Germ already owns substantial In
terest in r. B. o.
No one will venture to predict when
radiovision will be ready for popular
acceptance. but it is generally agreed
that the first step will be the broad
casting of pictures taken from motion
picture film strips. That these viii be
'talkies" is regarded as quite certain.
for the synchronization Of speech with
the movies has already been accom-
plished and its adaptation should be
relatively simple after the radio picture
phases have been perfected.
Conducts Experiments.
The reason for expecting motion pic
ture subjects by radio first Is the fact
that the films lend themselves to ire
mendouS light concentration not other
wise available with such simultaneous
subjects as events on diamond, grid
iron or turf. In the Westinghouse Lab
oratories at Pittsburgh, Pa, DR.. Frank
Conrad, often called the father Of
broadcasting" for his pioneer work in
the audible radio field, is now expert
menting with the transmission of mo-
ton pictures from strip films and has
already demonstrated fair success.
The Westinghouse Co. Is in the group
which manufactures the radio receiving
sets now marketed by the Radio Cor
pOration of America. 1t is part of the
great patent pool which makes the
r. G. A. dominant in the manufactur-
ing phase of the industry. At the Bell
Laboratories the same problem is being
studied and even greater success has
been reported, especially with wire
transmission. The American Telephone
& Telegraph Co., though it does not
make sets for the r. G. A., is perhaps
the largest owner of radio patents, and
is also IN the great patent combine of
WHICH, III. ". "A. 1S JLlC 1Ou1lbaUk 1SdQ.
Reported to be interested also in the
radio theatrical merger is the General
Electric Co., largest Stockholder in the
r. c. A., maker of more than half the
radio sets which bear the Radiola
trademark, contributor of many more
patents to the pool and an investigator
IN its own right into television and
radioviSion.
Interests Interfock.
Such an interlocking of radio. cleo
trical and theatrical interests may be
expected to do for radiovision some
Machine Co.'s affiliation with the
R. c. A. has done for the National
Broadcasting Co., an r. G. A. subSid-
larry, or what the Columbia Phonograph
Co.'S afiliation with the Columbia
BroadcaSting System has done for that
chain-that is, make available the tai
ent and subject matter needed In
new art.
1t is believed that amusement inter-
ests will balk StrenuouSly In this regard
when the time comes for broadcaSting
motion picture or stage performances
to home receiving sets on the same
scale that audible programs are now
broadcast. This may be one Of the
reasons for such an apparently extrane-
GUS activity on the part Of the r. G. A.
in this very early stage Of television.
The immediate commercial reason Is
obviously the provision of theater out
lets for the photophone perfected by
the r. G. "A, which is not yet in use
on as large a scale as the vitaphone or
movietone.
Radio Corporation officials, along with
most of the important figures in radio,
have repeatedly cautioned the public
not to expect radio movies In their
homes in the immediate future.
Nevertheless, they have not heSitated
20 discuss the possibilities of moving
image transmission by wire and wire
less. Both wire, television and radio
vision demonstrations have been given
in the laboratories of the General Elec-
trio, Westinghouse and Bell Telephone
as rapidly as new features have been
developed.
Blurred pictures, lacking clear de-
1ineation and detail, are the best OBJ
tainable results so far. Wires are al
most always used to carry the images,
but the inventors claim that with Suf-
fciently wide wave bands and power
they can do as much with radio as
with the wires
An independent pioneer inventor In
this field, G. Francis Jenkins of WASH
ington, d. c., is now building a screen
on which he proposes to project in q
downtown theater soon moving pictures
transmitted by radio from his broad
casting studio uptown. He says the pic
lures will be in half tone and the fea-
lures of the actors will be recognizable.
His predictions regarding the immi-
nence of radioviSion are much more
confident than most Of the other In
ventors in that field.
copyright, 1928, by North American News.
Paper Alliance.)