Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

NEW SERIES VOL. 3, No. 7 TELEVISION DIGEST— 9 NEW BONDED TELEGLAS GAINS ACCEPTANCE: FUding on twin booms in 16-in. & color\sets, Pittsburgh Plate Glass believes 1963 will be first really big year for its bonded Teleglas picture-tube implosion shield. PPG has just announced new type of glass for bonding process — "the first major new TV glass we've made in 12 years" — and its officials soy tubes using its bonded glass in 1963 will be "for more than double" last year' s figure. In excitement over dramatic development of Kimcode, and recognition of acknowledged lead of Coming twin-panel bonding process in 23-in. size, it's easy to overlook inroads being made by PPG bonding system. Facts are, of course, that most manufacturers are still a little nervous about Kimcode (the implosionresistant tube with no implosion shield) and everybody's waiting for someone else to make first move, and that PPG's bonding process has made biggest progress in tube sizes for which no Coming twin-panel bulbs are available. On positive side, however, are these facts : All OEM picture-tube manufacturers except Westinghouse are currently set up, or setting up, to make PPG-type laminated tube; substantial percentage of color & 16-in. black-<S-white tubes use PPG process; PPG laminated tubes sell for somewhat less than equivalent Coming twin-panel versions. PPG's new glass is companion development to its recently introduced 1 /8-in. Teleglas. It's new version of 1/8-in. glass with light transmission lowered to 55%. It has some color & transparency as present 1 /'8-in. glass (which has 70% transmission), and meets JEDEC standard for transmission for old 1 /4-in. safety glass. Big advantage, of course, is greatly improved contrast, as compared with earlier 1 /8-in, Teleglas. Tube manufacturers will receive samples by end of this month, with production scheduled to start by end of March. Difference between PPG & Coming bonding processes is that PPG glass, is plate glass curved to contour of picture tube, while Coming's is moulded glass cap. PPG, which mokes raw glass for TV safety plates (independent glass-forming companies make actual implosion plates), has always had lion's share of external implosion-plate business, developed its lamination process when its leadership in implosion plates was threatened by Coming's twin panel. It claims its process results in lighter, cheaper & easier-to-build tube. PPG's bonded Teleglas originally was 3/16-in., and its new thinner glass has now been approved by UL in 16-, 19 & 23-in. tube sizes (Vol. 2:51 p9). It has met with its first success in 16-in. size, and all U.S.made 16-in. tubes except GE's (which have GE's bonded-plastic Lomilite shield) now use bonded Teleglas. Vast majority of color tubes now being made ore equipped with 3/ 16-in. bonded Teleglas, and PPG hopes to develop 1/8-in. Teleglas for color, too. Neither Coming twin-panel nor Kimcode process is currently available for 16-in. or color tubes. PPG is delighted with success of 16-in. sets, and believes that market will absorb 500,000 U.S.-built ones this year os almost every set maker enters 16-in. fold. PPG will also be ready to move with bonded Teleglas for 10-, 11 or any other smaller sizes which crop up this year (although GE's 11 -in. tube will probably use GE's own Lomilite process). Company is hoping its new higher-contrast glass will make inroads into 19 & 23-in. markets this spring — particularly 23-in. This is area where Coming's twin-panel has achieved acceptance and where PPG can increase its total business by greatest amount. PPG can be expected to give lower priority to 19-in. market, because Coming twin-panel approach has not captured large segment of this field, and most 19-in. sets already use another PPG product — external safety shields made of PPG Teleglas. Thus latest report from picture-tube-shielding race indicates it's still largely a 2-woy battle : Coming laminated twin panel vs. PPG's external glass & its up-&-coming laminated Teleglas. Owens-Illinois' Kimcode process seems to be a late starter, and GE's Lomilite entry has succeeded only within the GE stable. TV-RADIO PRODUCTION: EIA statistics for week ended Feb. 8 (6th week of 1963) : TV Total radio auto radio Feb. 2-8 Preceding wk. 1962 wk. '63 cumulative '62 cumulafive 137,780 148,355 142,731 767,827 765,980 333,793 337,704 372,325 1,878,797 2,063,082 151,488 154,258 125,431 868,900 773,450