Evening star., 1950-10-12
By WiIIiom A. MiIIen

Oy NYutoHu ~ NutbSu
Washington's present 174,000
television sets are likely to be
around for quite some time, be-
cause at least three of the four
television stations here will con-
tinue to broadcast black and white
pictures.
This was determined today in a
poll by The Star of various seq
ments in the television field. on
the heels of yesterdays Federal
Communications Commission de-
cision, favoring the Columbia
Broadcasting System method OF
color television.
Washington's sets will number
around 100000 by the end of De-
cember, one official said. There
are about 8 million black and
white sets operating all over the
country, served by LOG television
stations. .
Engineers say that the labor
cost on adapters would be very
high. Service shops will find
some present sets difficult to
adapt to color, depending upon
the circuits involved.
Washingtonians seeking to con-
vert an existing set to color on
their own would have to buy a
color wheel with a motor to re-
volve at proper timing, the en-
gineers explain. Where there is
extensive conversion with either
a converter or adapter for exist
ing sets, service shops would have
to charge quite a lot-maybe as
high as $100.
In the opinion of many tele-
vision engineers, these make
shift sets would never be really
satisfactory.
mo one is in favor of the CHS
system except CBS," said one en-
gineer bluntly.
Broadcasters Size Up System.
Radio broadcasters here thus
sized up the situation:
There is nothing in the COM
missions orders that would force
any broadcasting station to put on
color shows using the CHS system.
! 1t is possible to adapt a black
and white television camera for
color, but this might cost more
than to purchase a color camera.
But these are not being manufac-
tured generally. The only ones in
existence are those built. to CHS
specifications.
! Unless present manufacturers
of black and white sets go in for
color sets to receive the CHS pro-
grams, CHS would have to go into
the manufacture of color sets by
purchasing some factory or start
ing up it's own plant.
Broadcasters say even if they
wanted to go into color at this
time, they could not. There are
no reception facilities in Washing
ton. CHS color can not be received
either in color or black and white
until color receivers or adapters
are made available to the general
public.
The Radio Corporation of
America is considered likely to
continue experimenting with its
system of color television, which
depends on electronics entirely,
rather than a combination of elec-
tronics and mechanics. 1t will
continue to do so as long as the
FEC continues its license. The
RCA color system could be re-
ceived on regular television set
in black and white
Color receiving sets are mostly
experimental and are in the
laboratories. Engineers say it is
possible to send color television
over a co-axial cable such as now
used for black and white trans
mission.
Columbia Officials Pleased.
Station WTOP-TV, Columbia s
outlet here, was gleeful over the
FEC decision favoring that sys-
tenn. John S. Hayes, vice presi-
dent of WTOP, Inc, said:
"WTOP -TV officials were
highly pleased with the decision
They recalled that it was from
WTOP studios and over WTOP.
TV facilities that the historic
color demonstrations were made
earlier this year for the FEC and
the public.
plans for color broadcasting by
WTOP-TV are still in the forma-
tive stage.
Frank Stanton, CHS president
said in the next two months the