Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

10— TELEVISION DIGEST MARCH 4. 1963 IPs Are Better Than Ever: rca Victor is launching “largest & most extensive advertising & promotion campaign in record industry history” — $2.3 million worth — to plug what it calls “an evolutionary advance in the recording art.” The advance goes under name of “Dynagroove,” a system which involves complete re-evaluation of recording process for higher fidelity in both stereo & mono recordings. Highlights of process include recording from tape machines operating at 30 inches per second (vs. normal standard of 15), and specially developed devices to prevent overload which causes tracking difficulty, to provide same fidelity of response at any playback level, and to re-form disc groove to eliminate erratic movements of playback stylus — especially noticeable on inner groves of disc. Net result, says RCA, is that process boosts “the apparent quality of any phonograph.” First 10 Dynagroove releases, at regular prices, will be issued this month. Anticipating RCA’s announcement, Columbia Records revealed that it has been using “exclusive new master groove-cutting technique” for last 6 months. “Essentially,” said Columbia, “it is a process in which groove-cutting distortion is measurably reduced, thereby insuring optimum vertical tracking.” System is claimed to result in greater clarity & record longevity. It was understood that new Columbia & RCA Victor groove-cutting techniques are similar. Average factory sales price of Japanese b&w TV sets during first half of 1962 was slightly less than $108; color sets averaged $485 each. These figures are derived from tabulation of first-half Japanese electronics production figures released by U.S. Commerce Dept.’s Business & Defense Services Administration. Production for the 6month period totaled $797 million, up 20% from $660 million in same 1961 period. Consumer electronics accounted for more than half of total. Output of specific products for first-half 1962 (similar first-half ’61 figures in parentheses): TV sets, 2,523,400 sets at $269,240,000 (vs. 2,040,300 at $217,223,000); color sets, 881 at $427,000 (no comparison available); total radios, 7,035,400 at $100,315,000 (6,536,600 at $97,340,000); radio-phonos, 445,600 at $30,959,000 (316,900 at $17,638,000). First 16-in. color set will be shown at IEEE Show in N.Y. March 25-28 by Toshiba. Company says set has 16-in. square-corner 3-gun shadow-mask tube, measures 29-in. wide, 16-in. high, 24-in. deep in consolette cabinet. Set is unpriced, and merchandising plans unannounced. It’s one of fii’st to use Asahi Glass’s new 16-in. color bulb. The 16in. color tube will also be displayed separately by Toshiba. It has 70-degree deflection, is 21-in. long, weighs 15 lb. Toshiba will also show 16-in. 114-degree b&w picture tube with PPG laminated safety plate, and an ultra-slow transistorized tape recorder which provides up to 6 hours on 5-in. reel, at ^’yir.-inch per second. GE enters model railroading field with “Astrac,” control system which pennits user to control up to 5 trains independently on one electrically continuous track. Heart of transistoi'ized receiver mounted in train is pair of silicon-controlled rectifiers. Dual-control unit will retail for about $55, including 2 receivers. Five-channel control will sell for around $25, with optional micro-receivers at about $10 each. IEEE's Far Frontiers: Information & data processing, microcircuitry, new semiconductors & microwave devices and aerospace will share spotlight in technical papers at IEEE international convention March 25-28 at WaldorfAstoria & N.Y. Coliseum. Few of the papers or the 850 engineering exhibits will apply directly to consumer electronics— but almost every development there will be somewhere on far frontier of consumer product sciences. Consumer product engineers probably will attend most closely the sessions on semiconductors and on microelectronics— as overtones of molecular revolution already begin to resound in consumer field (Vol. 3:5 p7). Of direct interest to consumer product & broadcast engineers will be March 27 sessions on broadcast & TV receivers, audio, broadcasting. Receiver session will feature papers by Owens-Illinois’ B. W. Spear on Kimcode picture tube, by Armour Research Foundation’s Mar\in Camras on electron scanning for \ideo recording & playback, by GE’s E. K. Von Fange on solid-state uhf converter, by Purdue’s W. H. Hayt Jr. on ETV. Broadcast papers will include 2-part re\iew of S.C. ETV by S.C. ETV Center’s R. L. Kalmback & Bell Telephone’s W. R. Knight Jr., compensation for ^deo-tape dropouts by 3M’s Irving Moskowitz, and papers on N.Y. uhf project by FCC’s Daniel Hutton & G. V. Waldo. Good sales continue: Emerson TV sales are running about 15% ahead of last year. Pres. Benjamin Abrams told stockholders meeting. He said 70% of company’s sales now are in portables & table models, while color TV sales are running about double last year’s figures . . . Webcor’s consumer product sales for Jan. were about 20% over last year’s same month, dmsion sales ^'p Charles Dwj'er said. He attributed heavy share of increase to tape recorders . . . Zenith Sales Corp. Pres. Leonard C. Truesdell tells us Jan. was “biggest single month in our 45-year history” and that “we’re sold out on our full production through May”. . . RCA portable TV sales by distributors to dealers are up 44.2% so far this year over same 1961 period, reported Sales Corp. mktg. vp RajTnond W. Saxon. Other sales gains: color TV, 34%; portable radios, 40.4%: tape recorders, 50%; portable record players, 63%. For total 1963, he expects industry sales of phonographs to improve to about 4.8 million, domestic radio sales to slip to neighborhood of 11 million. RCA is “carefully evaluating” 16-in. set market, but has made no final decision, according to RCA Sales Corp. Marketing \q) Rajmiond W. Saxon. He said reports indicate “a sampling reaction [to 16-in. sets] on the part of dealers, but with rather disappointing reorder business.” He added: “We would like to be convinced that the 16-in. market is more substantial than it seems to be at present.” Standard Kollsman’s entry into uhf converter business (Vol. 3:3 p7) will be with 2 models at $29.95 and $39.95 via parts jobbers & TV dealers. Campaigns featuring newspaper ads vrill break in cities with uhf outlets on air or anticipated — in Chicago; Montgomery, Ala.; Columbus, Ga., Dallas, and other markets. Hofifman Electronics reportedly may re-enter stereo console field, with made-to-order equipment under Hoffman brand name. The Los Angeles firm is currently marketing Japanese-made transistor radios, recorders and other items, left TV receiver manufacture in 1961.