NAEB Newsletter (Nov 1958)

1. Try to have the best possible technical facili¬ ties, operations, and operating and mainten¬ ance practices. 2. Have a long range plan for technical improve¬ ment, which I would revise constantly. 3. Sell my staff on my station and its program be¬ cause this is one of the best and most effective ways of promoting the station. 4. Determine the type and tastes of the audience I am trying to reach and program accordingly. We believe that the above points, applied to any operation, would do much to make it a successful one. _N A E B— We also want to mention a paper presented at one of the briefing sessions at the NAEB Convention, presented by Richard Vogl of WOI, at Iowa State College. Dick outlined their experiments in stereo¬ phonic broadcasting at Iowa State. He’s promised to send us a copy which we’ll mimeograph and dis¬ tribute to you. —NAEB— A sub-committee of the NAEB Engineering Com¬ mittee, and a committee set up by the Educational Radio and Television Center have begun work on the suggestions made at the NAEB Video Record¬ ing Workshop in May on Kinescope Recording Standards. The NAEB sub-committee met Sep¬ tember 29 in Chicago, with Carl Menzer, Keith Ketcham and Cecil Bidlack representing NAEB and Allen DeLand representing ETRC. The following projects were cited as needing study: 1. A procedure for calibrating densitometers. 2. Use of EIA grayscales in live studios and evalu¬ ation of their use for proper studio camera ad¬ justment. 3. An accurate technique for measuring print den¬ sity ranges. 4. Determination of optimum print density ranges considering affiliated ETV stations. 5. Kinescope exposure adjustment including check list for beginning kinescope operators. 6. Standard film chain reproduction character¬ istic. Since the ETRC Committee has been established as a short term project, while the NAEB Engineer¬ ing Committee is a continuing one, there appeared to be work for both groups to accomplish both short and long range projects with a minimum of duplication. Consequently it was agreed that both organizations would work on item 1 above; that ETRC would also work on items 3 and 4 since these are of immediate concern to the Center and it is desired that they be brought to a successful completion as soon as possible; that NAEB would also work on items 2, 5, and 6 which, while desirable, would take additional time which the ETRC Committee would not have. On October 19, the ETRC Committee met in Ann Arbor, with representatives from the NAEB, ETRC and its affiliates and film processing lab¬ oratories. It is hoped that within six weeks the three items above assigned to the ETRC Committee, can be implemented and sufficient data obtained to hold a second and final meeting to agree upon standards. These projects are densitometer calibration, elec¬ tronic measurement of print density range and optimum density range for ETV prints. Since two of these projects will require the production of ma¬ terials for densitometer calibration as well as the pro¬ duction of test prints with varying end points and density spans for evaluation on station film chains, the cooperation and prompt action of all stations will be necessary to complete the project within the de¬ sired time. That is why we are mentioning this proj¬ ect so that you will be alerted and be ready to par¬ ticipate. It is hoped that before this column gets into print, the data for the modification of the galvanometer mounting in GPL kinescope recorders to accommodate the I-prime galvo will have been secured, duplicated and made ready for distribution to kinescope oper¬ ators. We’ll keep you advised on further progress in the NAEB portion of this program. —NAEB— The 84th Semi-annual Convention of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, just concluded in Detroit, featured many papers on the uses of film and television in education. We believe a new high mark was set in the attendance of per¬ sonnel from educational stations and institutions. Educational television technical personnel made a significant contribution to the program of the con¬ vention with papers presented by Keith Ketcham of WOI-TV, Fred Remley of the University of Mich¬ igan, C. M. Braum of JCET and John Brugger of Hagerstown, Maryland. Allen DeLand of ETRC and Keith Kossuth of Wayne University served as chair¬ man and vice-chairman respectively for the evening session October 23 while the writer served as chair¬ man for the morning session on the same date. Eight papers were presented by representatives of film, audio-visual or instructional departments of educa¬ tional institutions. Cy Braum made history by presenting his paper via closed-circuit TV. He read his paper from an ad¬ jacent room where the video signal from an RCA vidicon camera which was focused upon him was fed to a GianTView projection receiver providing a 6 x 9 foot picture on the screen in the Crystal Ballroom of the Sheraton-Cadillac. His voice was carried over the PA system. The demonstration was highly suc¬ cessful. Both picture and sound were excellent. NOVEMBER, 1958 9