Evening star., 1935-06-09

are CEleHy economic.
Codel, heretofore a skeptic about
the imminence of adding sight tc
sound by radio. confesses to have be-
come an enthusiastic believer that ii
is nearer than many of the leaders of
American radio would lead one to be-
lieve.
Incidentally. Codel, a prominent
writer OF radio events, had just re-
turned from a trip abroad. What he
saw in England has removed most of
his former doubts.
HERE is what Codel has to say:
The radio and cinema powers
there have highly developed tele-
vision in hand On recommendation
of a parliamentary committee, which
last year dispatched expert investi-
gators to the United States and Ger
many to study comparative systems
they are going to introduce their visua
broadcasts on the air and their sight
With-sound receivers into the homes
Of London this year.
And they know what they are
doing. those traditionally slow-moving
Britons, Judging from the demonstra-
tons I was privileged to witness in
London. predict that they will sue
ceed in convincing the London public,
and then, as they expand their trans
missions. the entire British public
that the era of sight -with-sound on
the radio is definitely here.
Returning only last week, learn
the Radio Corporation OF America,
on the one hand. and FarnSWorth
Television, Inc. of Philadelphia. on
the other. are also shortly going 10
build first units of what may turn out
to be permanent and expanded tele-
vision transmitting systems. What
Philco, with whom young Philco
Fransworth broke off relations some
time ago. will do remains unanswered
but it, too, is supposed TO have g
highly developed television system.
What did I see in England that
] have not seen here and that makes
able advent of television, if not a
prophet as TO when it will come into
full bloom?
WELL, first let me explain that for
the last three or four years the
big experimenting companies have
assiduously excluded writer's from
their laboratories, and most of the
other television demonstrations We
have seen have been crude and un-
convincing Yet who have talked more
about the achieved technique and the
promises of television if not its econ
omic reality" than high officials Of
those companies themselves?
I'VE are assured by them that no
other country in the world is ahead
of America in television; that Eng
land has vastly fewer problems to
overcome than the United States; that
television will come in due time and
that the public should simply wait
until the problem as whole" can
be tackled. For reasons sufficient to
themselves they have refused to let
us in on the show-the real reason
probably being that they didn't want
to disturb the radio set market during
its recent rise and until funds and
general scheme of upbuilding were
we'll in hand.
"Unquestionably, it will require giant
financing to erect a suitable television
broadcasting structure for all the
United States. and undoubtedly the
radio powers here are acting the bet
ter part of discretion in proceeding
cautiously with first few properly
placed experimental transmitting sta
tions such as they plan. Even in
England, which seems to have forced
the television issue, the Sl000,000
officially set aside for the first public
offerings of television. l was told
is mere bagatelle to what will event.
ually be needed for a suitable struc-
ture for London alone
What I saw out at London's famed
Crystal Palace, situated on high
ground in the outer part of the greater
city, was a demonstration of the
Baird system in no wise related to
the American Baird) which is the
rival to the Electrical Music Industries
system, popularity known as E. M. I.
and a Marconi enterprise. Baird's
American affiliate is Farnsworth; E.
NJ. rs affiliate here is the r. C. A.,
and I am informed that Philco has
some foreign tie-ups, too. Baird Tele-
vision. Ltd. is controlled by the Gau-
lately have been making a strenuous
bid for supremacy over Hollywood in
the world motion picture markets.
WITHOUT attempting to go into
technical details (being no en-
eineer myself, I shall only describe
what I saw as a layman.
In a non-darkened room. I saw a
reel of German sound film run off and
projected from a cathode ray tube
onto a mirror IL by inches in dimen-
sion. A beautiful actress was sing
Ing, and her closeup features were
as clearly delineated in black and
white as they would be on a small
screen for the home movies that you
and I might project. The larger
scenes showed soldiers in military
garb and singing and dancing girls
all perfectly clear with adequate light
ing and shading and with the action
easy to follow. There was no eye
strain whatever in watching the mo-
ton.
1T was explained that, though these
projections were being transmitted
over laboratory wires, they were pre-
else counterparts of what might be
seen on the 7-meter wave band regu-
larly used for the Baird transmissions.
It Is a well-known fact that what
can be done on the wires can be
duplicated. and sometimes excelled
when wider frequency bands or paths
of transmission are available, over the
radio.
'~rhe pictures were being built up
by pencils Of light painting scenes
at the rate of Is per second at 240
horizontal lines per picture. The neat
cabinet receiver. was told, could be
marketed for about S400 at present
and less as the demand grew. The
same images were then projected on
an Sx6-inch screen, still as clear as
before but requiring a nearer view.
and I was informed that receivers to
pick up these same images with the
same number of lines and frames per
second would be marketed for $3.50.