Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1930-1949)

126 TELEVISION FORUM DISCUSSION August establish standards by which the industry can be guided. As an example, when the 16-mm film is in question, we should establish an aperture size that should be adopted by the broadcasters, and likewise establish a standard as to what the aspect ratio of the picture should be. If someone wishes to change that, then he is not abiding by standards adopted. MB. R. M. MORRIS: I should just like to throw in for consideration the fact that the same problem of aspect ratio exists with respect to our nonrecorded presentations in broadcasting just as much as it appears in the matter of the presentation of recorded picture transmission. The aspect ratio of 4 X 3 is set by the Federal Communications Commission regulations at the present time, and unless it is approached from that standpoint, I do not know that it is a matter especially for an SMPE or any other engineering society standardization. It has been considered by the Commission, and unless there is good reason to change, I suspect that that is one of the things that we can consider fairly well established. The matter of masking shape, I think we all considered was more or less well established until two or three manufacturers, apparently for commercial reasons, chose to try to make the receiving tube more efficient in its utilization of area rather than making the system efficient from the utilization of bandwidth, and I think it is obviously something which some organization is going to have to make recommendations on to the end that there be a standard receiving picture mask established. It is a thing in which the broadcasters, of course, are as much interested as anyone else. MR. EDWARD P. SUTHERLAND: I have seen many motion pictures via television, and it was only recently that I noticed the Lucky Strike series. It is impersonal opinion that the picture and sound quality are about the best, and I was wondering if Mr. Gudebrod or anyone else here could tell me first of all whether itis a projection print of 35-mm or 16-mm and also what the gamma is. MR. GUDEBROD: I am not enough of an engineer to tell you what the gamma is. The network is fed by 35-mm print, 16-mm prints being made available for all nonconnected stations. We have had as I indicated, some considerable argument about the contrast range or gamma of the prints which we are using. We have finally prevailed upon the producer and some of the engineers on the West Coast to reduce the contrast more in keeping with what we think, by rule of thumb; is right for television transmission. About the first six or eight films of the series were pretty harsh. We got edge flare. We got halation. We had troubles with it. The later ones in the series we think we got pretty well corrected. We have seen them on closed circuit, but that, of course, is an ideal situation. It varies considerably when you get it actually on the air. DR. NORWOOD L. SIMMONS, JR. : I should like to add to Mr. Gudebrod's answer regarding the series of productions which were made by Grant-Realm Productions for the Lucky Strike show. These pictures were produced in Hollywood and the 35-mm negatives were developed to a gamma value of 0.65 to 0.70. The 35-mm prints were made on regular release positive film, developed to a gamma of about 2.40, until recently. Then an experimental print was made on fine-grain master positive film, developed to a gamma of about 1.40. The printing density used for the low-contrast master positives is light, not as would be used for ordinary motion picture duplicates, but rather in the nature of those shown by Mi1. Bertram