Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 3 TELEVISION DIGEST— 7 • • • • MANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTION, FINANCE TUNER MAKERS READY FOR UHF TRANSITION: There's heavy bidding for TV mcmufactiirers' xihf 1' business by the 4 major vhf timer manufacturers when all-channel law goes into effect next year — and it's |‘ possible that several more companies wUl enter tuner field in next few months. j Roundup of timer & uhf converter manufacturers shows substantial agreement on few points: (1) ' Prices of uhf tuners hove come down already and will be reduced further with large-scale production, but ;i probably not enough to cut the $25-$30 differential between vhf & all-channel sets. (2) Substantial improve) ments in uhf tuner noise level & reliability hove been made in last 3 years, (3) Biggest need now is for "simplified tuning" (pushbutton, detent, signal-seeking or other method) on uhf. (4) Virtually all tuner makers I hope to enter converter field, and converter makers ore looking at tuner field. Otherwise, there's tangle of disagreement, conflicting statements and proprietary secrecy among timi' er manufacturers. On only one other fact is there at least some general concurrence — that 1963 will see con|i tinuation of trend to greater production of all-channel sets, but no groundswell. Such production last year |j totaled about 590,000 receivers, greatest since 1957. I General Instrument has been biggest manufacturer of uhf tuners. Other 3 tuner makers — Standard 1 KoUsmon, Sarkes Torzion & Oak Mfg. Co. — have been in & out of uhf business. The 2 major uhf converter makj ers are Blonder-Tongue & Gavin Instruments, Here ore some of the opinions of these manufacturers : Nobody's tipping his hand in advance, of course. But with one exception — which may become major exception — tuner makers say 1964 will not see any major timing innovations reach retail-counter stage. The exception is Gavin Instruments, year-old Somerville, N.J. converter maker, which will enter OEM tuner market, according to Pres. Joseph Kemer, with new tuner offering "simplified positive channel identification" at price competitive with regular continuous radio-type tuners. He declined to elaborate, except to state that industry would be sampled within 90 days and marketing could start 2 months after receipt of orders. Other uhf tuner manufacturers were inclined to scoff. Even Vice Chmn. Monte Cohen of General In:j strument, which demonstrated pushbutton tuner last summer (Vol. 2:31 p8), scdd he feels vast majority of all: channel sets introduced in 1964 will be of conventional continuous-tuning type. "While pre-set devices may have real sales appeal," he said, "they will add reasonably to costs, which will be a deterrent in early oll! channel selling." He added that he expects "limited introduction of tuning aids" in 1964. GI has shown both I 4-button & 6-button mechanical pushbutton tuners. "Easy tuning is the largest problem in uhf," we were told by Standard KoUsmon engineering vp Fred Edwards. He said S-K had several simplified tuning approaches in mind, but he saw "no volume availability to the consumer in 1964." For remote-control sets, he predicted many manufacturers would continue use of uhf i strips in vhf tuner — along with legally required all-channel tuning. "Pre-selection is the 2nd phase," said Oak tuner product mgr. Paul A. Wheaton. He told us Oak is working on mechanical device which will permit advance selection of 8 or 12 channels on dial, but that there was little possibility of producing such devices of good quality at reasonable cost before late 1964. Oak's continuous tuner will be available, he said, around end of first quarter. Are any electronic breakthroughs in sight? Set manufacturers ore anxious to get "single tuner" — vhf & uhf combo using same oscillator and in some package. Tuner makers all soy this is at least 2-4 years off. As to transistorized tuners, there ore various schools of thought. Nuvistor tube is featured in many of