Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1955)

10 Color Trends & Briefs; Most sponsors seem to like color spectaculars — and with only a couple of exceptions they’ve signed up for another season. On NBC-TV, Oldsmobile has renewed Sat. evening series wth $5,000,000 budget; RCA & Ford, $5,000,000 Mon. evening show; Sunbeam, Sun. evening “color spreads,” to be sold on partic. basis every 4 weeks beginning Sept. 11 for series of 14 shows running right through summer of next year, also with total budget of about $5,000,000. Hallmark, which occasionally has used color for operas and other “specials,” will sponsor 8 Sun. afternoon Maurice Evans color shows at total outlay of some $2,500,000. CBS-TV’s Shoiver of Stars once-a-month color programs will continue next season — Jack Benny starring in 6 of them — ^with Chrysler staying on as sponsor. Network revealed a little more this week about its series of ten 90-min. Sat. evening shows, “the majority of which will be broadcast in color.” Two will feature Bing Crosby in musical plays, 3 will star Noel Coward with Mary Martin co-starring in first one, 3 will be produced by Paul Gregory. Beginning next fall, CBS says it will telecast at least 2 shows a week in color — in addition to Omnibus, vrith several complete shows in color and segments of others. Note: Milton Berle told newsmen this week that all of his shows next season may be done in color from NBCTV Burbank studios. * * * An all-industry standard color stripe, to be transmitted during monochrome programs to aid servicemen adjusting color sets (Vol. 11:11), would be preferable to variety of stripes using different standards, FCC told RETMA this week. Commission said it has no objection to stations’ transmissions of RETMA-recommended signals and said: “It is gratifying to know that an industry standard has been developed, so that the alternative transmission of a number of different signals is unlikely. The fact that the RETMA standard is not mandatory raises the possibility that alternative signals may be transmitted, with resulting confusion. It may be desirable, when at a later date the usefulness of the RETMA signal has been proven, to consider its adoption into [FCC Rules].” “Color-effects” equipment, which permits telecasters to originate slides and artwork in color without color camera or scanner, is being shown by RCA at NARTB convention in Washington and is now available. Described as an “intermediate step” before addition of complete color facilities, the equipment makes it unnecessary for a station to return to monochrome for station breaks in network color shows. It permits station to use any of a group of 12 pre-selected 2-color combinations as substitute for black and white portions of monochrome picture. Colors in the picture are “produced” rather than “reproduced.” All of the equipment elements are standard units which will be required when the station later adds color origination equipment. The color combinations are produced by colorplexer and vary according to the combination of channels into which the blanking and monochome signal are fed. Other elements of the equipment include color-bar generator, color frequency standard, burst flag generator — at total cost of about $12,500. “Color TV is coming faster than many people think,” RCA consumer products exec. v.p. Robert A. Seidel told NARDA group in Milwaukee this week. “I am sure you are aware of the fact,” he said, “that newly-designed and completely re-styled 21 -in. compatible color sets are about to be offered by a number of manufacturers.” [So far, Hoffman and Hallicrafters have announced new color models, Vol. 11:17-18.] Advent of color won’t hurt black&-white sales, Seidel said. “The greatest opportunity for increased sales and profits this year, next year, or perhaps during our lifetime, will be in TV,” he stated. “It’s now a billion dollar industry. With the advent of color, and it’s coming fast, it will top $2 billion annually.” Air conditioners, he added, would bring “the second greatest opportunity for increased sales and profits for at least the next 10 years.” Upcoming network color schedules: NBC-TV — May 30, Producers' Showcase, “The Petrified Forest,” with Humphrey Bogart, Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall, 8-9:30 p.m.; June 4, Max Liebman Presents, “The Chocolate Soldier,” with Rise Stevens, Eddie Albert, Akim Tamiroff, 9-10:30 p.m. CBS-TV — June 9, Shower of Stars, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Unique technique of producing live color for limited kinds of programming, using flying-spot scanner principle, will be shown by DuMont during NARTB convention. DuMont’s claim is that for price much less than that of conventional 3-tube color camera, a station can present fair variety of live material in excellent color. As demonstrated to us at DuMont research labs recently, system did produce very good color, and claims of “no registration problems” seemed substantiated. “Vitascan,” as DuMont terms new system, works on same principle as its film scanner. CR tube “scans” live scene, and clusters of multiplier phototubes, located about studio, pick up light reflected from scene and feed signals through normal channels to transmitter. Studio must be “light tight,” i.e., permit no extraneous light to enter. At recent demonstration, studio was dark except for dim light emitted by CR tube. Engineers said plan was to install stroboscopic lights at NARTB demonstrations — flashing on and off 60 times a second, supplying adequate light for reading, etc., during vertical blanking period. Experiments have been conducted with both mercury lights and special CR tubes. Six clusters of multiplier phototubes were used during demonstration. Each had 4 tubes — 2 for red, one each for blue and green. Each cluster is located where floodlights would be in normal TV system. In fact, whole arrangement is precise reverse of normal TV — the “cam era” (CR tube) emitting light and the “floodlights” (photubes) picking up light. Number of clusters used is detennined by nature of program. DuMont officials say they don’t tout system for big “spectaculars” and the like, but they claim it’s a very economical method of presenting commercials, news, debates, panel discussions, etc., where action is confined to limited area. Major claims are economies of installation & operation and absence of registration problems involved in present 3-tube live color cameras. They say one-man operation is possible and tubes are inexpensive. Stationary light source was used, but plan was to have one on dolly, to be moved like live camera. System may also be used for monochrome. DuMont officials admit that they hope “Vitascan” will help sell film scanners, of which DuMont has already delivered more than 60; of these, 15-20 are color-equipped. From price aspect, DuMont stresses that station which already has flying-spot scanner, costing $40,000$45,000, can add “Vitascan” equipment for much less than the $49,500 it would pay for regular 3-tube live camera. If station already has DuMont color film “MultiScanner,” the “Vitascan” gear can be added for $15,692; if it doesn’t, cost is $32,570. Stations with monochrome “Multi-Scanner” can add live monochrome equipment for $9207; without it, price is $18,415. Delivery 30-60 days after convention is promised, and DuMont plans to install system at its o^vn WABD, N. Y. and WTTG, Washington.