Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

38 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD October 4, 1930 Western Electric has added another customer in France. This time it's the BraumbergerRichebe Company, representatives of which are shown at Paris signing the contract that licenses them to record by the Western Electric sound system. Reading from left to right are: Pierre Braumberger, Samuel Simonson, Frederick R. Marion, general manager of Western Electric in France; de Boissiere, publicity director of Societe de Material Acoustique, and Roger Richebe. RCA Head Sees Television Big "Technical Problem" of Future Television, in the opinion of E. E. Shumaker, president of the RCA Victor Company, is still a technical problem in the field of radio development which will require much time and a great deal of money for adaptation to practical home use. It is a problem literally 100 times harder than that of radio, he says. Shumaker calls television a "laboratory success" but offers the suggestion that the time for its general use still appears to be a long way off. He says RCA Victor engineers have been working on it for a number of years and have made phenomenal strides. They have overcome many of the technical barriers and made successful demonstrations, but, the radio executive points out, "the apparatus necessary to carry out successful television today is totally unfitted, by its character, to installation in homes. Broadcasting Another Problem "Quite apart from the development of television receivers," asserts Shumaker, "is the problem of equipment for broadcasting television. It will take both time and money to parallel the transmitting equipment of the present broadcasting networks with equipment for broadcasting visual impressions. The erection and cost of a multitude of expensive transmitting stations, the proper and complicated choice of wavelengths for distortion-free transmission, the building of compact, attractive, simple and reasonably-priced receivers which will operate automatically and give a picture of satisfactory size, color, brilliancy and detail— these are vital factors in the problem television presents." What of the Programs? Program will be another big problem after television has been put into general use, Shumaker believes. What sort of a program it shall be, how it shall be co ordinated with the musical or speech program, and how it will be paid for, are questions which will have to be answered. Whether actors and actresses must be handsome as well as mellow-voiced, whether they must have elaborate costumes and complicated backgrounds are other problems which must be faced when the time comes. Shumaker asks the question: "Are we inheriting all the problems of the motion picture producing industry?" and answers it with "Apparently we are, and these things are not to be solved in the next few months." Television Belongs to Radio "We have noticed," says Shumaker, "a certain amount of public curiosity as to what effect television, when it does come, will have on radio receivers of the presentday type. The answer to that is fairly obvious, I think. Television will be a part of the radio set — a vital part, and it will add immeasurably to the entertainment value of radio. I think there is a perfect parallel in the motion picture field. Motion pictures were a going concern in a high stage of development before the coming of talking pictures, yet it was sound that really brought them to life. "In the movies, sight came first and was subsequently joined with sound; in radio, sound same first and will certainly be united with visual impressions. Combination receivers for sound and television are logical, and inevitable." Thriller Auto Ride For Richardson (Continued from preceding page, column 3) in British Columbia curves are CURVES, and too much is plenty. Next day we sent The Princess to the Willys-Knight to have its innards examined, as the speedometer has turned well past the 10,000-mile mark. Incidentally, they've always told me it is about 3,000 miles from New York City to San Francisco. Well, I know better, for we've wound off more than 9,000 miles, and we're not at the Golden Gate yet by some 700 to 800 miles. However, it must be admitted that our route was a wee bit crooked. Incidentally, those of you who may wish to trace our course from Calgary to Vancouver may do so by looking up these towns: Banff, Lake Louise, Castle Mountain, Radium Hot Springs, Windermere, Cranbrook, Yahk, Kitchner, Creston, Nelson, Trail, Rossland, Grand Forks, Rock Creek, Osyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Merntt, Spence's Bridge, Lytton, Hope, Chilliwack and Vancouver. * And now we again come back to motion picture projection. Next day came a br-r-r from the phone and it was our old New York City friend, J. E. Robin, now with Roth Brothers & Company and the Brenkert Light Projection Company, for which corporations he acts as salesman. We had a great time talking over old times for, as you know, Robin is a dyed-in-the-wool oldtimer in this business. Then a bit later appeared J. F. Foster, president; Locksley Clark, treasurer; John C. Richards, secretary; B. Pollock and W. Woolridge of the executive board, and G. Gerrard, member, all of Local Union No 348IATSE&MPMO, Vancouver, who did the honors completely and well, finally kidnaping Friend Daughter, who, I suspect, is having a real swell time, since at this writing, 6:00 p. m., she still is missing. This is my second visit to the city of Vancouver. There has been considerable correspondence maintained through a period of many years, and many years ago Local Union No. 348 elected your editor to honorary membership, and in token of that action sent him a very beautiful membership card in gold. A I have always found the Vancouver men to be thoroughly progressive strictly up-todate and in not a few instances some jumps in advance. The last time I was there the treatment accorded your editor was perhaps even finer than the always fine Canadian treatment. The sincerity of the welcome was beyond doubt. This time it was the same, only I am getting nervous. I think maybe they did me wrong. They not only eloped with Friend Daughter for the day, but also they presented her with a very beautiful sterling silver hairbrush and comb, which latter act has seriously interfered with the work, because I find myself unable to dictate more than two paragraphs before she jumps up, stops everything and dashes to the mirror to adjust her beautiful locks. The brush is engraved "To Nellie Richardson, from Local 348, Vancouver, B. C." I did not visit any Vancouver theatres. I was weary from the long mountain drive and I thought it unnecessary anyway. I am very sure Vancouver men are putting on satisfactory results. I might remark, as a matter of interest, that the local has just signed up all theatres, including the Fox houses, on a one-year contract. This agreement calls for two men in the projection room.