Projection engineering (Sept 1929-Nov 1930)

Projection Engineering, September, 1929 Page 21 Television in the Makim Two Definite Schools of Research and Engineering Development, What They Mean to the Future of This Young Art and By Austin C. Lescarboura Member, I. R. E.; Member, A. I. E. E. TELEVISION is far from dead. A year ago there was much shouting about television. We were told that television was just around the corner. Many of us expected to see the inaugural parade in Washington flashed on the screen of our combination sight and sound broadcast receiver. Talk, more talk, and still more talk — and yet nothing was forthcoming by way of backing up the talk. Finally, the talk simmered down. The industry assumed that television was simply a flash in the pan, quite attractive while it flared up and, in contradistinction, just as dead when it died down. And yet, to those privileged to peep behind the scenes, television is making rapid progress, just the same. As far as we can personally determine, there are two definite schools of thought in this television development : first, there is the nothing-short-of-perfection school, which is working on minute detail, pictures in color, and other attributes of ideal television. However, this school stops at nothing in the way of intricate and costly equipment. To begin with, wire lines, particularly telephone lines, are employed, and as many of them as may be necessary are available for all experiments. Only too often the radio and motion picture industry, but more particularly tlie laity, gaze at our relatively crude radio television results and turn away in disgust, after insisting on drawing comparisons with the splendid work of the telephone engineers working on wire television. Then there is the second school, The latest model of the Jenkins televisor. The Image is viewed through the lens set in the shadowbox. The buttons and crank control the neon tube, the loud speaker, the motor and the framing of the picture. which does not aspire so much to perfection as it aspires to something that is simple, inexpensive, readily manufactured and salable. A progressive element in this school is, at the present time, burning plenty of midnight oil in an attempt to place on the market a practical television receiver which will receive some sort of pictures from sight broadcasting station so as to launch television into the everyday world. To our way of thinking, this group is quite correct : we cannot start out with perfect television results, any more than sound broadcasting started out with flawless loudspeaker reproduction. Television must develop in everyday use. It must be transplanted from the laboratory soil, where it is pampered and petted along, to the rugged soil of everyday use, if it is to develop along practical and commercial lines. . The quicker this transplanting is carried out, the better for all concerned. The Future It is interesting to dream about the future of television — for it certainly has a real future, no matter what may seem the obstacles today — and see where the two schools of television thought are bound for. As we see the nothing-short-of-perfection school, it is largely a question of developing still another application for telephone lines. The Bell System has left no stone unturned in developing additional uses for its long-distance lines. Sound broadcasting, which it helped develop through the splendid work of W10AF and the original network, has paid handsome tolls to the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. And now, the same far-seeing management is looking into the possibilities of sight broadcasting, not only with future wire net works in mind for air audiences 1ml also for theatre. auditorium, stadium and other large gatherings. In other words, we believe thai television is going to develop in several different directions: first, the sighl broadcasting, as a supplement to present-day sound broadcasting; sec ondi.v screen presentation for large audiences, with the signals coming direct by w Ire net work ; i birdly, as a sup plementary telephone service in social or business life, whereby Bighl as well us sound will be available tO telephone subscribers. Lei us analyze these three ways and see what they may menu in pracl Ice : Future news events will he broadcast over wire net works to many gather IngS Of people In important centers. Thus i championship wlze flght will be televised and flashed over telephone lines to theatres, stadiums, auditoriums, fair grounds and so on whereever people congregate. The living pictures, "hot off the griddle," will be flashed on the screen much after the manner of the movies, except that there will be a red hot news value to the televised pictures which can never be claimed for the second-hand news The synchronous motor, scanning drum, and revolving switch for flashing the four plates of the neon tube, of the Jenkins televisor. The framing crank revolves the motor and drum to frame the images. of the movie newsreel. Whereas the fastest newsreel represents a matter of hours or days before it can be developed printed and transported even by airplane to the distant audience, the televised news event will be instantaneous. We confidently predict thai the day will come when theatres will show televised events along with til in news events. And of course, where Hie subject interest is the main consideration, nothing short of excellent detail, comparable with film detail, will he tolerated. Il is for this reason, then, that the telephone engineers are working on the basis of the nothing-short-of-perfection ideal. Irrespective of costs, number of wire lines. or engineering talent required tor actual operation. II Is a l':ir cry from our simple teleVision demonstrations of today to something even remotely approaching the usual motion picture presentation. and yel we dare predict tiiat this school has an easier _ j « • I > before it thai the other school working for a single picture with crude detail. I'lea-e note (hat the telephone engil rs have excellent channels available for their transmission, as compared with the uncertain medium of space through which the other school must flash its sik<,iaK Again, the telephone engineers can make use of any number of channels,