NAEB Engineering Newsletter (Feb 1955)

-10- t M _.. resolution increased at least 100 lines. No wonder their film programs looked soft. How*s your linearity? Are your circles round? I know it is difficult to pre¬ serve proper.aspect ratio on video monitors, but blanking widths are specified by ; the FCC• 'If your horizontal blanking is a little narrow, and your vertical blank¬ ing a little wide, then you will have poor linearity on your transmitted picture and.your aspect ratio will be incorrect regardless of live camera alignment on : test pattern. There*s another place where we can pay attention to details. Proper camera expan¬ sion with slight "corners" showing on the air are the mark of a good video engi¬ neer. They are masked out on most sets—but how else can you determine if deflec¬ tion has drifted if you do not show "corners." And in showing them you are using maximum target area which will give you maximum resolution. Time should be al¬ lotted just prior to air time for a final check of live cameras on test pattern. How much you should allow depends upon the skill of your cameramen and video engi¬ neer. At least 1$ minutes should be allowed for two live cameras with experienced men. If they can do it faster, well and good; however, it*s a good thing to have a short break before going on the air. When you put the cameras on test pattern, use the standard 18 x 2k inch pattern and not one cut from a magazine. And use at least a 90 mm. lens on camera for the job, with the pattern mounted on a good stand and its center at lens height. A line normal to the center of the test pattern should run through the optical center of the lens. If you need a standard size test pattern, a note to the NAF.B Television Engineer will bring you one by return mail. Good'lighting is important too. The eye has an automatic iris which adjusts with variations in light level. For this reason it f s quite difficult to light a set properly by eye. Incident light meters are not expensive. With reasonable care they*11 last indefinitely. How else can you knowhow much light there is on a set and how do you determine the proper ratio of back light to front light without a meter? Lighting isn»t a very glamorous job, in fact it*s usually hard, dirty work but good lighting makes a world of difference in picture quality. These are just a few details that cannot be neglected if you are to produce a good television signal. Perhaps you think they*re not important. But if you*re a critical viewer (and who isn*t if you*re in the business) you*11 agree that it is attention to the multitude of small details of programming, production and engi¬ neering that adds up to make a good television production. WUOA BEGINS SIXTH YEAR WUOA-FM "The Voice of the University of Alabama," will begin its sixth year of ed¬ ucational broadcasting in December with increased power of approximately 16,000 watts. The increase from U,800 watts will triple the station’s present coverage area and provide for the first time coverage of the metropolitan areas of Birming¬ ham and Montgomery, Alabama. University approval of the power expansion was one result of a recent listener- response campaign conducted by WUOA staffers. Graydon Ausmus, WUOA manager and director of the University Radio and Television Broadcasting Services, reported that a six-bay FM antenna has been purchased and will be side mounted on a new 200 foot tower now under construction. The present WUOA radio tower is 100 feet.