Evening star., 1950-10-29

WHO OWLS Nv SET or WOulQ
r whether the Federal Communi-
a glorious boon or committed
to rush out and buy either an
adapter or a converter. There will
be very few color telecasts of tine
most popular programs for a long
time to come. Even CHS agrees
to that.
The reason, of course, is incom-
patibility. No station is going to
divorce itself from it's audience.
now totaling more than 8.5 mil
lion receivers and almost certain
to exceed 10 million before years
end
No station can afford to color
cast to miniscule audiences. No
sponsor, except for some tempo
rary publicity value, buys TV time
unless he can show his product
to some one-to a lot of people,
in fact.
CHS itself is treading very
cautiously when it comes to prom
Using color programs. Its presi-
dent, Frank Stanton, says the
networks initial plans call for 20
hours of color weekly-but almost
entirely before and after regu-
lar black-and-white programmins
hours.
CHS has full control over only
one station, the one 1t owns in
New York-WCBS-TV. It must
rely on persuasion to get any sta
ton outside New York to accept
color from the network and re-
broadcast it.
CHS Chiefs Version
Manufacturers, of course, are
concerned lest the public lose con-
fidence in their hard-won brand
names. All of them, in every way
they know, are assuring people Of
the continued usefulness of their
sets.
Though CHS and the manu-
facturerS are at one anothers
throats, they stop growing long
enough to agree that the present
owners of sets have little to worry
about.
The two camps begin to part
company when they answer the
question: Shall you buy a regu-
lar TV set now?" Said Mr.. STAN
ton. in his broadcast:
II cannot give a fat answer.
because the answer may vary with
your preference and your pocket
book. But I can give you some
facts which may help you make
up your own mind.
THE first fact is that present
black k-and-white sets now on the
market will continue to receive
present ack-and-white pro-
grams. These programs will con-
tinue for a considerable period
of time, although at a diminish
Il ing rate within year or SO.
THE second fact is that most
sets now on the market can be
adapted, so that when there is
color broadcasting. the program
will be received in black and white.
And, of course, the sets can be
converted to receive color broad
casts in color
Therefore. if the manufactur-
ers give you their word that there
will soon be available adapters
and converters for the particular
black-and-white sets which you
are considering. you will have pro-
lection against obsoleScence.
"On the other hand. I want to
point out that it will be some
what cheaper and more satisfac-
tory to buy black-and-white
set which is already adapted, so
that it has built-in compatibility.
Furthermore, new combination
color and black-and-w white set may
be somewhat less expensive and
will be more satisfactory than
an ordinary lack-and-white set
adapted and converted for color"
Advice to Buyers
That last paragraph worried
the TV industry considerably for
a while. And set sales did drop
in some spots. At the moment,
sales seem to have recovered
fairly well. though the trade is
plenty worried about what may
face it after the holidays.
Immediately after Mr.. STAN
tons broadcast. the Radio-Tele-
vision Manufacturers Association
asked for time on the CHS net
work to reply to his arguments.
Time was granted and RTMA
President Robert c. Sprague went
on the air last Sunday with this
advice:
When friends of mine ask me
what they should do about color
TV, here is what I tell them:
The color system presently
authorized by the FEC produces a
picture in satisfactory color, but
it has these definite limitations:
"O Except for projection
type sets, which the public has
shown little interest in, the CHS
color system is limited in its
present form to pictures no larger
than 1212 inches.
"(2) Sets and converters now
require large mechanical disc
or wheel which rotates at a speed
OF 1440 revolutions per minute
and which, in my opinion, will
never be acceptable to the ma
Jority of set owners.
"(3) Due to the non-compati.
bility of the CHS color system.
color programs for some time to
come will be necessarily restricted
even in the few cities where
they are broadcast-to off hours
and the less popular entertain
ment.
go The recent color decision
of the FEC is now hefore q Fad