Talking pictures : how they are made, how to appreciate them (c. 1937)

Talking Pictures die to green and blue; and the last to red and blue. A thin yellow coating under the top blue-sensitive emulsion prevents blue light from going through to the other two emulsions. Light comes through a single lens without any intervening optical system of prisms and no filters are needed. Special cameras are not required. An excellent three-colored transparency is produced, but the disadvantages in this system, and those similar to it, lie in the fact that duplicate prints are difficult and rather costly to produce. But its utilization is so simple that when it reaches the final stage of development there can be no question as to the final worth of this method. There are still other color processes, but space does not permit their presentation. It should be sufficient to say that the most successful methods prove conclusively that color is progressing out of the experimental laboratory. How soon will color be finally perfected? No one can safely answer that question. Edison certainly did not think that it would take nearly forty years to produce a practical talking picture, but it did. On the other hand, color has advanced so far during the last few years that its general commercial use may come very soon. It is with fear and trembling that the author approaches the controversial subject of television. There are some enthusiasts who will tell you that television is here now, that its practical use in millions of American homes is to be expected "within two or three years." There are still others who feel that its present somewhat limited use cannot be extended until serious scientific [278]