Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1950)

7 Engineers, consulting and operating, seemed even more enthusiastic than laymen, generally stressing system's potential. Some of their comments: Stuart L. Bailey, member of famed Condon Committee, now disbanded: "This shows that the Condon Committee recognised capabilities of the dot-sequential system, and this demonstration proves the correctness of the committee's evaluations. It's a tremendous improvement over what was shown before. Color fidelity over long periods of time is good; fidelity problems have been cleaned up. I'll reserve judgment on resolution; after all this was a closed-circuit demonstration. But there's no question resolution is still not up to the optimum permitted by the system." Dr. Newbern Smith, Bureau of Standards, member of Condon Committee: "Considerable improvement over the performance last spring." He wouldn't be drawn into technical evaluation, comparison with CBS, discussion of public acceptability, etc. E. K. Jett, former FCC commissioner and chief engineer, now director of Baltimore's WMAR-TV, basic CBS-TV affiliate: "Very good. A tremendous improvement. If you put this side by side with CBS picture, CBS's would probably show up better, but this needs only a fev; months of development to make it perfect. Besides compatibility, the most important distinction this system can claim is its complete absence of flicker. It's commercially acceptable now. If they've done this in just a few months, just think what they'll be able to do in a few more." T. A. M. Craven, former commissioner, now engineering consultant: "This is 1000% better than the last show. It isn't up to CBS for fidelity, however. It would be interesting to see what CBS would look like with the tri-color tube. The importance of this demonstration is that it's commercially acceptable and com^patible. I don't know what the FCC will do but I know what I'd do — adopt this in addition to CBS. This would win out." * * * * J. R. Poppele, WOR-TV, TBA president: "This is the answer. Tremendous improvement. Just shows what research can do." Frank Marx, ABC chief engineer: "CBS has a better picture but this has infinitely more possibility of improvement." Neal McKaughten, NAB engineering director: "Whale of a difference since April... I'd like to see the April pictures besides these, just to see the progress." Robert Kennedy, consultant: "This is more like it. It needs some cleaning up, but there's no question about doing it." E. C. Page, consultant: "This has no flicker. Pictures are vastly better but the color values aren't as good as Columbia's. They're sort of pastel, but that's merely a matter of getting right phosphors. There's no doubt RCA has done the job." James McNary, consultant: "Very impressive. Superior. .. it has no flicker whatever. " A. D. Ring, consultant: "Mighty good, and tremendous progress for such a short time. In its present state, this is good enough." Millard Garrison, consultant: "No doubt about it... on the right track." * ♦ * ♦ From Washington's radio attorneys, savvy as to care and feeding of commissioners, but preferring to remain unidentified, we distilled this consensus: (1) System isn't so perfect yet that FCC simply has to adopt it. (2) CBS system is unquestionably stymied by RCA's great improvement. (3) Feelings are so high that Commission will let things ride, 6 months to year, reexamine situation critically then, adopt RCA system if it's fully matured. (4) War makes whole subject moot, anyway. Sample quotes: "This is the end of the argument." "Tremendous improvement. I don't see how CBS can stand up against this. The few defects are bound to be cleaned up." "Too much green in there for me. They've got a lot of work to do yet." Most frequent questions: Can tube be mass-produced economically? How does it look on coaxial? How about interference, ghosts, weeik signals? John McCoy, who was chief of FCC's TV legal section during whole color