The Washington times., 1937-10-07
TELEvISION seen
READY FOR SALE.
IN few MONTHS
Radio Engineers Labor
To Perfect Range
By WALTER KIERNAN
International News Correspondent

By WALTER KIERNAN
International News Correspondent
NEW YORK, Oct. Z GN.S0.
Has televlsloh come around that
corner it's been creeping toward
for 10 years? The answer is No
but if you peek around the corner
you can almost see it,"
Telvision-of SORTS here, but
television in terms of full daily
transmission schedules, close-to-
perfect reception. and a set for
every living room is not. Televi-
sion engineers agree it will not be
here until certain difficulties,
financial and technical, are elimi-
mated. That may be in a few
months, it may take another year
but, unlike pioneer radio. when
television comes in it will be as
perfected, practical medium Of ex-
preston.
RECEPTION LIMITED
Two chief difficulties stand in
the way. First, television has not
yet been able to overcome the bar
Tier of optical limitation" Trans
lated by televiSion engineers it
means that for reasons still I'M
known, the reception limit for tele-
vision is about the same as the eye
can see or, roughly, 35 to 40 miles.
Occasional visual waves regis
tered in America and in Australia
from British televiSion transmit
ters indicate connection between
sun spots and long range. 1t may
be necessary to create artificial
"sun spots" or a. least simulate
their effect to o. ercome present
limitation.
Second difficulty is financial
and dependent on the first.
Broadcasting chains doing expert
mental televiSon operate under an
experimental license. The Federal
Communications Commission has
not granted a commercial license
and has indicated it will not until
there is definite assurance tele-
vision is ready for the public as
radio was not, when the first "one-
tubers' pulled in equal quantities
Of static and alleged entertain
ment.
PREDICTION SCOFFED
One radio executive has pre-.
dicted television will carry the pic
ture of New York's Worlds Fair
in 1889 into most of the homes OF
America and nobody knows yet
whether he is an optimiSt or Q
peSsimist.
Lack of receiving sets seems to
be of no particular moment in
connection with this still.to-come
form of entertainment.
When we are ready the set
makers will be ready" said one
engineer. Until we know ex-
actly what we have, there can
not be perfected sets. For in
stance we have yet to select q
standard screen size. I have
seen television projected on a
two-inch by two-inch screen and
I have seen it flashed up on a
several foot square screen"
Newest development of the ex-
perimenters is the Mobile trans:
mitting unit which moves tele-
vision out Of the studio and to
the scene even before it is re-
leased for public consumption.
Early radio was tied fast to a
single mike and soloists and 80
piece bands alike played for its
one ear.
AUDIENCE TO BENEFIT
Television starts. when it does,
one UP on it's radio parent and
even one up on its film parent,
for Mr.. and Mrs. Television Audi.
ence never will be exposed to
mysterious wailings and scrapinss
as they were with the first
"talkieS."
At Radio Corporation of Amer.
ica, at National Broadcasting Com
pany and at Columbia Broadcast
ing, television is in the air fig
uratively and literally. Bigger than
any of its present studios, Colum-
bias television department moves
into quarters in the Grand Gen.
trail in a few months time and its
transmitter goes to the Chrysler
tower.