Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1962)

8— TELEVISION DIGEST JULY 30. 1962 Zenith's Rauland Corp. isn't changing immediate plans either. "We're presently setting up to make color tubes at the start of next year," we were told by vp-gen. mgr. W. E. Phillips. Coming move will "have no effect whatever on our program." He said Rauland could make either 70 or 90-degree 21-in. round tubes. He pointed out that rectangular color tubes present "no insurmountable problem" and that Rauland developed & tooled 21 -in. rectangular color tubes 6 years ago. While approving of evolutionary development of rectangular tube, he said he felt there'd be at least one more year for round tube as only color display device. Motorola Consumer Products Pres. Edward R. Taylor saw Coming's move as "encouraging," because it meant "we're getting support in our attempt to develop a better-looking and more salable color set." Development will have "no effect" on Motorola-National Video development of 21-in rectangular color tube, he said. If sets with Corning rectangular bulbs won't be ready before 1965 models, he predicted "we'll be ready ahead of that." He declined to give further details on Motorola's color timetable. It's evident that tube & set makers are hungry for more information before making definite pronouncements about rectangular color tubes. It will be long time coming. First, bulb design must be agreed upon, then sample bulbs delivered, then real development of tube, life tests, cost studies, etc. However, no one pretends to be disinterested, and rectangular tube is well on way. UHF PUSHBUTTON TUNER DUE IN YEAR: Stepped-up uhf tuner development, in anticipation of effective date of all-channel law, is becoming apparent on several fronts. General Instrument, for example, has already shown set manufacturers design for pushbutton uhf tuning. New simplified tuning device could be in production within year, General Instrument Chmn. Monte Cohen told us last week. It uses mechanical-type pushbuttons (like auto radio), has proven to have good stability & repeatability. Big problem, of course, is cost, and how much set manufacturers feel they can add to price of set to provide simple uhf tuning. New continuous uhf timer has already gone into production at General Instrument. Using nuvistor oscillator tube, it's smaller than previous models — but big advantage is said to be tube life, claimed to be up to 4 times longer than previous models. It also is reported to be more drift-free. New tuner is now available to set manufacturers. Best hope for improvement in sensitivity & noise figures of uhf tuners, Cohen believes, is in use of solid-state devices. Although tuner makers are working in this field, according to Cohen, it's "not a nearterm development.” He sees trend to simplified tuning — through pushbuttons and other devices — as first major change in uhf tuners. Oak Mfg. announced its re-entry in uhf tuner market last week, as predicted in Vol. 2:23 p7. Oak also will move into consumer field for first time. Pres. E. A. Carter said Oak is ready to produce uhf tuners comparable to those now on market and also has in final design stage a compact tuner & a converter. "Converter sales will mark Oak's first entry into the consumer products field," Carter said, "and units will retail initially in the $30 to $35 range." GE GOES TO IRELAND — NEW TREND? There's interesting story behind announcement last week by GE radio receiver dept, that it will establish plant in Ireland to make components for some of its radios. Announced reason for move was to "remain competitive with the increasing Japanese radio competition." It's understood that components to be made are miniature parts for pocket radios. One of these parts is now being imported by GE from Japan; other is made in U.S. Interestingly, GE surveyed entire world for plant location before deciding on Shannon. Among locations rejected, presumably because of higher costs, were Puerto Rico, Israel, Africa — and Japan itself. New subsidiary, to be known as E.I. Co. Ltd., is slated for completion next January, with production to start in March. Mgr. will be William N. Maddox, now mfg. mgr. of GE radio receiver dept, in Utica. Parts made in GE's Irish plant will all be shipped to U.S. and used only in U.S.-made radios, according to GE spokesman, who disclaimed any European Common Market ambitions in connection with new plant, officially described as "small." GE will have interesting electronic neighbor in Shannon — Japan's Sony Corp., now making radios there for sale in Europe.