Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21
Transmission of "TaIkies"
Within One Year Is Prob
able, He Declares.
BELIEVES ENGINEERS
ARE ON RIGHT TRACK
Plans Air Pictures of Significant
Events Within Two
Years.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR.

0peClal OlSpaJCn 10 Inc star.
NEW YORK. December 20.-"The
transmission of talking motion pictures
within one year is not only possible
but probable said Philo T. Farms
worth, Sd, the technical head of the
Television Laboratories at San Fran
cisco, and the young man whose re-
cent researches has stirred up an I'M
paralleled interest in the subject.
Within two years the picture trans
mission of foot ball games tennis
matches, base ball, and other sports
activities is Just as probable Vaude-
vile skits where the light is controlled,
are possible now. In the field of mo-
ton pictures. 'pre-view' may be seen
in thousand places at the same time
Motion picture leaders are fully aware
OF this soon-to-be-taken step"
Mr.. FarnSworth, who has been called
by the we'll known radio engineer,
Donald K. Lippincott, "one of the 10
greatest mathematical wizards in the
world" is only "a years old,%and was
born on his fathers farm in an indus
trlous Mormon colony in South Utah.
Il can't remember when I wasn't in
terested in mathematics" said this
blue-eyed youth, as we sat discussing
this latest sensation in science. 1T
came easy-in fact, so easy that I
couldn't understand why so many high
school students, so bright in other sub
1ectS, were in trouble much of the time
over some simple problems-at least,
that's the way they appeared to me.
In other subjects, was just an ordi-
nary student"
FarnswOrths Career.
After graduating from high school at
II, young Farnsworth entered the
Brigham Young University at Provo,
Utah, but left two years later when his
father died.
II never liked farming" he said. "I
hated it. I couldn't see anything in it
for me, for was primarily interested
In inventions Wireless television and
broadcaSting had always intrigued me.
Even in high school, had worked out
the new disSector tube in our television
transmission, in which we perform the
inverse operation of the receiving tube.
That was in 1921" He was then IA
years of age.
Four-and-a-half years ago, with the
financial support of william H.
Crocker, San Francisco banker. the
television laboratories were established
to enable Mr. Farnsworth to give his
full time to experimenting in this i'm
portant field. Now, at "a, he has an
nounced that his design is based "on
practical electrical television as against
experimental mechanical television."
There's vast difference between these
two points of view.
Mr.. Farnsworth explained that the
basis of his television invention is an
ingenious tube which, without a mov-
ing part, accomplished electrical scan
ming, converting light waves into cleo
trlcal waves and transforming them
back again into an image still or NOV
ing, after passing from transmitter to
receiver through a wire or through
space
Objection to TelevisiOn.
There is no noise, no mechanical
parts to interfere and the final picture
Is made by a spray of electrons.
The monumental objection to practi-
cal television in the past has been the
tendency Ito hog the air." The system
demanded too much space in the air
waves. In other words, teleYisior was
a good thing to talk about, but not a
practical thing. But young FarnSworth
was not discouraged. He has overcome
this objection by a distorted signal
which is transmitted, and then re-
distorted and changed back to its origi-
nal form, thereby widening the band
or frequencieS to the proper amount"
OF dynamite and revolution in the state
ment 1t means new heaven and q
new earth" to the television expert.
1t tells Mr.. Average Citizen that
televiSion images are now practical and
will require frequency bands no wider
than are used today in the average
broadcasting performance.
Are these new ideas for television
original with you?" I asked the youthful
inventor.
Not at all" was the response Many
people have contributed to make it pos
Sible. I think the basic idea in the
televiSion receiver comes from the brain
of Boris Rosing of Russia, from whom
Campbell Swinton of England got it.
Alexander Mclean Nicholson of the
Wired Radio Corporation contributed,
too. But it was theoretical patent,
never built.
New Transmission.
1.-THE transmission, however, is my
own invention" he added. IT have
told you about the new dissector tube
and the way it works. This is to us the
big thing; it does the trick With the
technical side out of the way, the bust
ness side of television is the next STEP"
will it be possible to attach this sys-
tenn of television to the regular receiv-
ing system of modern radio?" asked.
eyes, it will. think it can be at
tached for a nominal cost, although
radios of the near future will be sold
with television attachment, for we will
witness successful television within IL
What about a station to develop
television receiving?" was the next
question
plans for the erection of television
station in the vicinity of New York
City, Oh high-powered frequency, are
now being developed. 1t viii furnish
this service to the public as soon as the
are approved by the Fed
eral Radio Commission, who are now
giving intense study to the subject"
Copyright, 1880, by North American News
paper AllianceO