Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-31
R. c. A. TELEWS|ON
PROGRESS SHOWN
New Mystery" System Re-
veaIed Four Times as Eff
cient as at Present.
BY ROBERT MACK.


The farst iota OF ofIicial Information
concerning the R. C. A.-Yictor Co. S
new mystery" television system was
available today with the rather startling
claim that 1t Is four times as efflcient
as anything heretofore exhibited to the
public.
The disclosure came in an application
for an experimental televiSion station
to use the apparatus, and no doubt was
unintentional for utmost secrecy has
shrouded the development. The applica-
ton, requesting the experimental sta
ton for Portland, Me, today Is in the
hands Of c. C. holster, radio supervisor
at Boston. and within the next few days
will be submitted to the Federal Radio
Commission for action.
Thirty Exposures Per Second
OF greatest significance is the state.
ment that the apparatus is capable OF
transmitting picture of 240 lines with
30 exposures per second. The best that
has been attained in pictures exhibited
up TO this time is 60 lines with 20
frames per second. q degree Of defini-
ton too crude to warrant general public
acceptance.
Translated into lay language, engi-
neers explain that the quality of 240-
llIl6 plCbuF0 "a IabC
the practical introduction OF television,
provided other essential technical OBJ
stacles also are overcome. A picture
OF this definition should be unmarried
by Pickering and might even be COM
parable to moving picture In quality,
they say. The greater the number Of
lines. the better the picture, while the
increase In the number Of exposures
per second improves the general quality
and the EYE ease" in viewing visual
radio.
WCSH Buys Apparatus.
The application was filed by William
L. FosS, chief engineer of the Congress
Square Hotel Co, operating Station
WCSH. at Portland, Me, which has
contracted for the purchase Of the
r. G. A.-Victor apparatus. It Is under
stood to be the first of series of three
stations to be established in New Eng
land by the Rines Hotel interests. which
have acquired two other New England
broadcasting stations.
Moreover. the application seeks as
signment in the ultra high frequencies,
where ample space is believed available
to accommodate television, If those fire.
quencies can be harnessed for such use.
At present the ultra-high channels are
considered worthless for practical COM
mercial radio, but the experimentation
in these bands has been most encourag-
ing. particularly since all other portions
OF the radio spectrum are crammed full
with stations. The application requests
variable power of from 500 to 5000
watts, with the experimental televiSion
bands of $4,000 to $4,000 kilocycles
$500 to 1900 kilocycles and so 900 to
10000 kilocycles The recognized COM
mercial radio outpost is $4,000 kilo-
cycles.
Cost Is $20O, zoe.
The cost of the apparatus Is placed
at 5000, 900, of which sec, 900 would
represent the expenditure for the trans
mitter, $4,000 for q studio, and the
remaining $4,000 for experimental APP
paratuS and requirements. ConStruc-
ton would be commenced in go days
after granting Of the application, which
is considered likely, and the station
would be completed within 100 days.
The system does away with revolving
parts and with the complicated scam
ming disc in practically all exist
ing televiSion systems. These two fac
tors have been said to present the most
serious obstacles to practicable tele-
vision. The cathode ray tube, rather
than the neon light, was declared to
be the heart of the new system, with
an "electron gun" firing light rays into
the tube several million times q second
supplanting the scanning disc. The re-
suit Is said to be bluish-white pic
ture resembling the movies.
(CopyriEht. 1897