The Cine Technician (1935-1937)

The Journal of the Association of Cine-Technicians 30 PICCADILLY MANSIONS, 17 SHAFTESBURY AVENUE, LONDON, W.I. TELEPHONE : GERRARD 2366. Volume One : Number Two. AUGUST, 1935. Price Ninepence. Television Its Technique and Future Foreword By Captain A. G. D. WEST, M.A., B.Sc. by the radio industrx-, to come verv .suddenU', As television is now definitely leaving the experimental stage and entering the commercial stage, I recommend all technicians engaged in the cinema and radio industries to obtain knowledge of the principles employed, and if possible some practical experience. In spite of much opposition television for the home is going in fact before the end of this year. There has been much pressure behind its exploitation in this form, and the time has come when resistance to this pressure has had to give way. A little foresight, however, indicates that television for the home will add, eventually, very considerably to the revenue of the radio manufactiuing companies and will revive what at the moment appears to be a saturation point in the marketing of radio broadcasting receivers. The position is rather different in the case of television and the cinema industry, because policy and technical progress are more or less in the hands of the trade itself to use to their best advantage, in a straightforward rational manner so that it will emerge as an extension or development of present cinema methods, technique and commercial presentation. In either case, whether television is for the home orfor the cinema, it must proceed, at any rate at the transmitting end, along lines familiar rather to the cinema studio technician than to tlie broadcasting engineer. The former, of cuurhc, studies both picture and sound, both in production and in tlie results achieved, whereas the latter o/l Composite ^-Article by Capt. A. G. D. WEST, ma., b.sc. TccJiiiical Director, Baird Telci'isioii Ltd. : Foniicrlv Assis/iuit Chief E}igii!ecr, British Broddcastiiii; Corporation ; Late of H.M. V., A.T.P. Studios, etc. J. D. PERCY Engineer-in-charge, Film Scanning Transmitters, Baird Television Ltd. ALAN LAWSON Cameraman, Baird Television Ltd. Late of A.T.P. Studios, Stall Studios, etc. considers sound only, without any reference to the visual effect. When television comes into the home, it will be found that although both will be necessary, the picture is the more important of the two. Therefore there should be good opportunities for all those who have had experience of television technique, whether it he in organising the production, taking the picture, processing it and editing it, or dealing with the iiecessary sound that goes with it. At the receiving or projection end, the projectionist with his previous experience should do well when it comes to equipping and maintaining television on the full-size screen in the cinema. Another point that must be remembered is that television takes its men from all scientific and technical callings ; it needs the physicist, the chemist, the optician, the photographic expert, mechanical and electrical engineers, the vacuum worker and the radio engineer. They all contribute to the present art of television, but in spite of what has been achieved, there is still much day and night work to be done to continue the rate of progress which has recently been effected. When asked to advise how best to obtain television experience, it has been rather difficult to reply, because the development work is located in only one or two centres. On the other hand, much can be picked up from reading, if it is of the right sort. Technical magazines, and in particular a recent weekly series on television, provide much material which is of value in getting an insight into modern theory and practice. A