Evening star., 1950-10-12
Color N Faces Delay
As Competitors Move
To Fight Chs System
BY the Assoeioted Press

home color television today despite
an official go-ahead for the Co.
lumbia Broadcasting System
method.
The Federal Communications
Commission announced late yes
terday that it had made final its
previous tentative selection of the
CHS system as the national color
television plan. CHS Immediately
promised to "promite dt) to the
hilt."
But Isidor Goldberg. president
Of the Pilot Radio Corp, said in
New York his firm will seek an
injunction to stay the FCC's ac-
tion. Declaring that the commits
sion should have delayed the
decision for another nine months
Mr.. Goldberg said 1--WE very def
nitely plan injunctive proceed
ings.'
The action also came under fire
from the Radio Corp. of America
developed of one competing color
TV system ruled out by the FEC
The other was developed by Color
Television, Inc
Sarnoff Assails Action.
David Sarnoff, board chairman
of RCA, said in a statement in
New York that the public interest
will not be served by forced adop-
tion of a degraded" and incom-
patible system.
What engineers call the incom-
patibility of the CHS system is the
fact that its color signals cannot
be picked up. even in black anc
white. by existing sets, of which
nearly 8 million are in the hands
of the public.
1--WE regard this decision as sci
entifically unsound and against
the public interest,"" Mr.. Sarnofl
said. THE hundreds of millions
of dollars that present set owners
would have to spend and that fu.
ture set owners would have to pay
to obtain a degraded picture
reduces today's order to an alb.
surdity."
Mr., Sarnoff also hinted thai
RCA will not accept the FEC de.
cision without a fight, saying:
Regardless of what any one
else may feel called on to do, RCA
will continue its efforts to advance
the bedrock principles on which
the sound future of color televi
sion can be built and will be
built"
In effect, the FCC's decision
granted Columbia an exclusive
franchise in the color television
field for its system, based on a
mechanical color wheel. CHS
has promised to make its color
patents available to every one in
the industry. The royalties in
volved have been estimated at $50
million.
In advance Of the Injunction
threat from Pilot, a set manufac-
turer. CHS President Frank STAN
ton had expressed confidence that
"all segments of the industry will
now unite" to get color before the
public
CHS Promises Quick Action.
Columbia's new authority is
dated to become effective Novem-
ber 20, and Mr.. Stanton asserted
that within two months CHS ,-ill
have about 20 hours of color pro-
grams on the air each week. much
of it networked over the inter-
city cables.
Mr.. Stanton has said that if
the set manufacturing industry
generally does not respond with
production of sets built to re-
ceive Columbia color, his COM
pany will move to stimulate in.
terest among businessmen" in q
new $50 million company devoted
to turning out CHS color receiving
equipment.
CHS. strictly a broadcaSter
reiterated that it does not intend
itself, to enter the manufactur.
ing field.
Manufacturers who have op.
posed the CHS systems incom.
patibility also object that because
of the size of the color wheel
CHS color pictures will be limitec
to screens of 1912 inches or less
The wheel diameter must be more
than twice the size of the screen
Columbia has countered the in.
compatibility argument by assert.
ing that existing and future set.
may be adapted to receive thu
color signal in black and white
with a gadget costing SIS to $25
and that with an additional $50 tt
$75 outlay, they can be converted
to receive color broadcasts il
color.
Adapters to be Produced.
CHS has estimated that branc
new CHS color receivers can bt
retailed for 5000 and up, depend
ing on picture-size
The Webster Chicago Corp. an
nounced in Chicago that it sool
will market devices to adap
present sets. It said adapters t.
permit black and white reception
of CHS color signals would sci
for about $25 and converters t.
permit color reception on presen
sets for $50 to $75. But the com
pany said large-scale promotion
cannot be expected before the frs
of the year.
In order to carry out it's deci
sion, FEC is now proposing so
called bracket standards TO
televising-that is, one standar
for present black and white, an
another for CHS color. 1t is pro
ceeding on the assumption tha
set-makers will redesign futur
receivers to pick up both. Mos
of the manufacturers say thi
oonnnt ha S0no until eoy,oo f;,,o