Evening star., 1950-09-10
Color TeIevision Plan
May Mean Millions
In Higher Prices
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, Sept. 9.-The
Federal Government in its lengthy
wrestling with color television has
chosen a course that will cost
future set owners millions Of dol
lars in higher prices.
The amount may run from ST to
$40 q set, or $42 million to $120
million more year just for black
and white sets.
The Federal Communications
Commission in its color announce
ment a week ago strongly favored
the Columbia Broadcasting SyS-
TENS color method. 1t told set
manufacturer it would hold the
door open for further considera-
ton of the color systems proposed
by Radio Corp. of America, Color
TeleviSion, Inc, and others only
on one condition.
That is that the manufacturers
start equipping their sets so they
will receive black and white i'm
ages from color telecasts under the
405-line CHS system, as well as
from present 525-line black and
white telecasts.
To Write OFF Present Sets.
Besides the higher costs for fu-
ture black and white sets, the
commissions color policy also
means:
l.. The commission is prepared
to write off the present 7 million
sets in use, SO far as receiving
black and white versions of color
telecaSts Is concerned, unless the
owners want to pay the cost of
having their sets adapted. Some
industry observers estimate that
would run at least $40 to $50 a
set, or $3.50 million to 1920 mil
lion. if everyone had his set
adapted. But CHS has estimated
it would cost only SIS to $25 a
set, which would figure out to be-
tween $105 million and SITS mil
lion. With the RCA and CIT SyS-
TENS, present set owners would
not have to spend anything on
their sets to get color telecasts in
black and white.
2. Color television itself still is
quite a way off for the general
public. Estimates of manufac-
turers range from one to three
years. from the time the FEC
hands down a final decision, be-
fore color sets appear on the mar
ket in sizeable quantities. The
Korean crisis and defense pro-
gram will make any changeover
to color all the more difficult.
Feels Advantages Offset Costs.
The commission apparently has
decided the extra cost of building
sets adapted to receive black and
white images from CHS color is
more than offset by the advan-
tages it feels are offered by the
CHS color system over competing
systems.
The cost of making future black
and white sets conform to FEC
specifications has not been esti-
mated officially. but rough esti-
mates can be made from testi-
mony given during the recent
FEC hearings on color in Wash
ington. Estimates of built-in
adapters with, manual switches
ran from 81 to $40 and automatic
adapters around $40 a set. These
would be to enable the sets to get
black and white pictures from
CHS color telecasts-converters to
bring in color pictures WOULD run
considerably higher.
6 Million Sets q Year Made.
With production now running
at 6 million sets a year or better
it would cost. then, minimum of
$42 million year for equipping
sets with manually operated
adapters and 1920 million a year
for automatic adapters. That is
aside from the expense to the
present 7 million set owners of
adapting their sets for black and
white images from CHS telecasts.
Neither of the other two color
systems formally considered by
the commission-those of the Ra-
dto Corp. of America and Color
Television, Inc.-would enable
present sets to receive color images
without converters. However, they
are compatible. That is, both
would enable present sets, with
out any changes whatever, to get
black and white images from their
color telecasts-and enable al
station broadcasting in color to
reach all sets. although only color
sets would get color images. If
CHS color were adopted-and the
FEC indicates strongly that it will
be-a station broadcasting in
color could reach only color sets
or those that had been adapted
to get black and white images
from color telecasts.
Plight of SO girls sold by their
parents for cash recently was in
vestigated in Malaya by the Sal