International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1936)

November 1936 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST 29 round." What stage magician would show the audience how he performs his tricks? What great dramatic company on the stage would invite the audience to watch the scenery being shifted and to inspect the prompter at his work? Even the concert soloist keeps himself in desirable seclusion until the moment comes for him to step upon the stage. The motion picture industry has well realized this and has practically closed its studios to the public. This wise measure might well be adopted by television broadcasters who are in a similar position as regards entertainment possibilities. Speaking frankly, we realize that building studios for home audiences only, conducting them in a practical, modest, and businesslike way, and retaining the illusion and consequent enjoyment of the home audience will involve some sacrifice of vanity on the part of client, agency, and broadcaster alike. But, as has been said, the entertainer is a vendor of illusion and a seller of glamor — or else he is nothing. Why then should he deliberately destroy part of his stock in trade? We have often heard persons who have just left a studio broadcast protest that they would not enjoy radio nearly so much now that they had seen the way in which program matters were actually handled or had a clearer picture of their favorite and previously idealized performer. We have listened to the annoyed protest of those who conduct broadcasting and who are compelled to go through useless motions and elaborate procedure for the hundreds in the studio in disregard of the millions in the home. Let television broadcasting, at least, be democratic and devote its efficient, concentrated, and exclusive attention to the home audiences who purchase the receivers, who watch the performances and who give television broadcasting its very life. So far as the commercial leaders and engineers of the radio manufacturing industry are concerned, their tasks in the new television field will be heavy indeed. Every mistake or omission of the past 'should be carefully remembered and as sedulously avoided in the future. If the industry elects to make a "breadbeard model" of a television receiver one day and to turn out allegedly commercial manufactured product immediately thereafter, without adequate field tests and painstaking engineering study and improvement in the interim, the public will gain a most unfavorable impression of the quality, performance, and returns of the resulting product. Quality Image Essential It is hardly possible to devote too much care to the engineering design and test of the first large group of television receivers which the public purchases. An unfavorable first impression at this point will take years to eradicate. And in such engineering work, let us remember that although the skilled technician can handle a multiplicity of new, complicated, and delicate adjustments, the average tired man or woman at home neither can nor will go to the trouble of learning how to juggle a small-scale switchboard nor take the time and effort necessary to continue to use the electrical cross-word puzzle which is thus presented. In other words, the engineers must be "home-minded" and leave the rarefied air of high but complicated technical achievement to come down to the lower and safer levels of simplicity and comfort in the use of television receivers. Television comes into the world at a time when its nearest relatives have grown to maturity. For a relatively small sum, the public can see large, clear, and well-planned sound-motion pictures in impressive surroundings and under favorable physical and psychological conditions of presentation. In the home, not all the conditions arc so favorable. Noise, stray light, interruptions both natural and man-made, inadequate seating arrangements for the audience and the like must be anticipated. Thus, we need the brightest, sharpest, and largest picture which can be economically and technically produced; and we must continue to improve the picture (and sound) in these regards as time goes on to hold public favor. Further, it would be a wise investment to enlarge markedly the testing and supervisory force in factories devoted to television receiver manufacture. At best these new devices must be expected to "Just As Good" Won't Do In The Projection Room That's Why Projectionists Prefer STANDARD PROJECTION EQUIPMENT P HMTinMMI , V THEATRE SUPPLY COMPANY { \\a\v\\\w For Perfect Projection F S C R EFLECTORS and CONDENSERS EXTRA HEAT-RESISTING FSC condensers are ground and highly polished to precision accuracy in curvature and focus. They will not discolor. Made of Pyrex type glass to withstand the heat. 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