Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

exclusively. We cannot believe that the Commission would outlaw the RCA system and all other systems. "Should the Commission adopt the RCA system, or any other sys- tem which meets the three require- ments of the broad standards I have discussed." General Sarnoff said, "the road ahead is clear." RCA I uhc Inspires Confidence "Our confidence in the new RCA tri-color tubes, which have been demonstrated l)efore this Commis- sion and the industry, is so strong that we are already iiroceedin^ with plans for acquiring' a new factory and the machinery necessary to produce these color tubes in quan- tity. These steps involve heavy financial commitments on the part of the RCA. By .June of ne.\t year we expect to commence the manu- facture of color tubes on a mass production basis. In the meanwhile we will have completed our com- mercial design and development of these color tubes. By that time also our pilot plant will have pro- duced a sutlicient number of color tubes, to meet not only our own needs for testing and design pur- poses, but also to supply those tubes to competitors in the set and tube industries for the same purposes. "Within sixty to ninety days frnm now we expect to have about ten development model color re- ceivers usinjr the tri-color kine- .scopes available in the Washington area for field test purposes. "Durinjr September of this year, we expect to build five or six re- ceivers each week from a pilot as- sembly operation. This pilot oper- ation will continue until a sufficient numl)er of sets have been made to fulfill our testinjf requirements and to make color receivers available to other manufacturers for their test- ing and desijfn jHirposes. "If final standards are adopted and commercial operation in color is authorized .soon, the RCA could and would be in factory production of color television receivers by .June of next year. This woidd amount to a weekly production rate of 200 color receivers. By the end of that year, our color receiver rate of pro- duction will have reached over 1,000 per week. Thereafter, we exjiect [6 RADIO AGE] Dr. EInior W. Engstrom \'icv President in Charge of Kesedrch, RCA Laboratories Division. production iiuantities to rise sub- stantially. "We assume, of course, that com- petiuK' manufacturers would like- wise near their facilities for pro- duction of color tubes and receiving sets once the Commission deter- mines the standards. "The question was asked as to what percentage of the 20,000.000 sets, which it was estimated will be in the hands of the iniblic in 1954, will be black-and-white if the Commission should adopt the RC.A system. "I think the estimate of 20,000,- 000 sets by the end of 19.54 is too low," said General SarnofT. "If normal business conditions prevail and if more television stations jjo into operation reasonably soon, it will be much greater than 20,000.- 000. In my opinion, there will be 20,000,000 television receivers in the hands of the pul)lic by the end of 1952. "We have faith in the RCA color .system and we feel strongly that if it is approved by the Commission a larjre percentajre of the sets out- standing in 1954 will be color sets." Plan Demonstration of Converter General Sarnoff revealed for the first time that, within the next six weeks. RCA will demonstrate an RCA color converter employing an RCA tri-color kinescope. "This all- electronic converter," he explained, "will provide a method of convert- inK existintf black-and-white tele- vision receivers to color." With rejrard to the third color system beinjr considered by the FCC, General Sarnoflf said: "I am informed by our engineers that the CTI .system has not been demonstrated to have satisfactory picture quality in color, nor to ^ive a satisfactory picture on present sets. However, if the CTI system overcomes these defects, if it meets the three requirements of the broad standards I have discussed, and if the Commissidii should adojjt the CTI .system only, then in jreneral our policies would be the same as if the RCA .system had been adopted. Broad or Multiple Standards "If the three basic requirements —the ()-me>racycle bandwidth, com- patibility and picture quality equal to existing' black-and-white — are adopted as broad standards, our policies Would be the same as if the RCA system had been adopted. "If the multiple standards are m adoi>ted by the Commission, and " by that I mean standards that will jiermit not only the RCA system but also systems which do not meet the three basic requirements of the broad standards, we would do what I have outlined in the event the RCA system were adopted." As to receivers capable of re- ceiving and reproducinjf transmis- sions of all the various systems. General SarnofT said that such re- ceivers would necessarily be com- plex and more expensive. "How- ever, we would manufacture and sell multiple receivers." he said, "to the extent of public demand." . In concluding his statement. Gen- i eral SarnofT analyzed the RCA and the CBS systems in relation to his three basic re<|uirements of color | television standards. I "By the adoption of horizontal f dot interlacing. CBS has conceded that its system ouRht to have im- ., proved picture quality. If CBS, in ; spite of its testimony that it cannot " visualize the tri-color tube bein>r (Continued on page 10) *