NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1941)

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION TELEVISION GETS GREEN LIGHT Following is the FCC report, giving commercial tele¬ vision a green light for July 1: REPORT ON MARCH 20, 1941, TELEVISION HEARING Docket No. 5806 By the Commission (Fly, Chairman, and Commissioners Walker, Payne, Thompson and Wakefield concurring; Commissioners Case and Craven not participating) ; On March 20, 1941, a hearing was held for considering when television broadcasting “shall be placed upon a commercial basis” and for considering rules and regulations and standards for such stations. Upon the hearings held in January and in April of 1940, the Commission found the industry divided upon the basic question whether television was ready for commercial broadcasting, and also found the industry divided as to transmission standards for television broadcast stations. Some believed that television had not reached the point where it could offer sufficient entertainment value to justify commercial operation and that standardization would result in the freezing of the science at the then level of efficiency. Others were determined to proceed at all costs with the launching of television on a large scale. In its report of May 28, 1940, on the April hearing, the Com¬ mission declared: “As soon as the engineering opinion of the industry is prepared to approve any one of the competing systems of (television) broad¬ casting as the standard system the Commission will consider the authorization of full commercialization. That a single uriiform system of television broadcasting is essential — so far as the basic standards are concerned — must also be amply clear. The public should not be inflicted with a hodge podge of different television broadcasting and receiving sets.” Because the situation was one which threatened to hold up coordinated television development indefinitely and to delay public service on a widespread basis, the Commission offered its coopera¬ tion to the industry along lines in furtherance of the achievement of higher standards by research and development. First, it provided for new experimental television stations in various sections of the country to engage in practical demonstra¬ tion of prevailing competing systems. Later, it collaborated with the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA) in creating the National Television System Committee (NTSC). The RM.^ felt that “Because of the inadequacy of ihe various suggested standards for television” all existing systems should be explored and de¬ veloped, and new standards formulated. The NTSC was given this task. The Commission now finds the industry entirely in agreement that television broadcasting is ready for standardization. The standards as finally proposed by the NTSC at the March 20, 1941, hearing, represent, with but few exceptions, the undivided engineer¬ ing opinion of the industry. Some difference of opinion exists among broadcasters as to the date when commercial operation should begin. The National Broadcasting Company and the Columbia Broadcasting System, in effect, urged some delay in beginning commercial television. However, the Commission is of the opinion that the reasons advanced for the delay are not controlling. Other leading figures in the industry that earlier op¬ posed commercialization, such as Philco, Zenith, and De F'orest, now express the view that the present stage of scientific develop¬ ment warrants prompt standardization and commercialization. The demonstrations conducted by different broadcasters and manufacturers for the benefit of the NTSC and the Commission revealed the merits and demerits of the systems upon which stand¬ ards could be based. The eleven volumes constituting the pro¬ ceedings of the Committee and its subcommittees stand as evi¬ dence of the great volume of work done. The Commission ac¬ knowledges its appreciation to the RMA and NTSC for their co¬ operation in performing this worthwhile work. The three-color television system demonstrated by the Columbia Broadcasting System during the past few months has lifted tele¬ vision broadcasting into a new realm in entertainment possibilities. Color television has been known for j^ears but additional research and development was necessary to bring it out of the laboratory for field tests. The three-color system demonstrated insures a place for some scheme of color transmissions in the development of television broadcasting. The NTSC proposals provide that color television be given a six-month field test before standardization and commercialization. The Commission finds this requirement necessary. However, im¬ mediate experimental color program transmissions are encouraged. The standards proposed by the NTSC provide for most of the improvements held out as readily possible a year ago for monochrome transmissions (black and white pictures). These standards fix the line and frame frequencies at S2S and 30, respec¬ tively.^ The 52 S lines provide for greater detail in the pictures transmitted than the 441 lines advocated a year ago. They give substantially equal resolution and more fully exploit the possibili¬ ties of the frequency bands allocated for television. Different line and frame frequencies will likely be required for color transmis¬ sions. This, however, is a matter for future consideration after color transmissions have been adequately field tested. A year ago one of the weakest phases of the proposed television standards was an unreliable synchronizing pulse which frequently caused the loss of the picture under interference conditions. A few weeks before the March 20, 1941 hearing, developments were brought forth for greatly intensifying the synchronizing signals transmitted. These developments have been incorporated in the new standards. The demonstrations witnessed by the Commission impressively showed the tenacity with which this new form of synchronizing signals hold the picture in place under extremely adverse interference conditions. The proposed standards require frequency modulation for sound accompanying the pictures. Television is therefore benefited by the recent development of frequency modulation. The standards proposed by the NTSC reasonably satisfy the requirement for advancing television to a high level of efficiency within presently known developments. These standards are adopted by the Commission and made effective immediately. The Commission feels that this state of the science affords some reasonable assurance against early obsolescence of equip¬ ment. At the same time, it must explicitly recognize the advanc¬ ing and necessarily fluid state of the science. Accordingly, pro¬ cedure has been provided for the consideration of new develop¬ ments, including, but by no means limited to color television. Procedure is also provided for expediting completion of the tele¬ vision stations now authorized by the Commission. Existing 1 Certain experimental systems require variable line and frame frequencies. However, the fixed values proposed appear to be best for monochrome trans¬ missions, because only 30-franie pictures have been fully developed and as ions as the frequency band for television channels (aural and visual) is limited to 6 meBacycles not more than 525 lines can be employed to ad¬ vantage with 30 frames. 428 — May 9, 1941