Show Television Sciences Science's Youngster O Starts Wearing Long Trousers I 1 United States Stales and Great Britain Battle Transmission Obstacles Pave Way for Successful Staging Singing of See Hear Radio Shows I By JOSEPH W. W LaBINE In Manhattans Manhattan's Radio City a few weeks ago fashion mannequins mannequins mannequins man man- paraded before a strange new camera In a neighboring neighboring neigh neigh- boring building a distinguished audience saw these young women on a miniature motion picture screen meanwhile hearing their gowns described by a commentator In London a 9 movie audience witnessed a program being being being be be- ing enacted at Alexandria palace 30 miles away In Philadelphia each day regular motion picture news newsreels newsreels newsreels reels are fed to a mysterious new cable In New York 90 miles distant the news reels are viewed on a 7 by inch 10 screen Such is the magic of television a powerful new communication communication com corn medium whose possibilities are being explored in America by broadcasting interests in Eng Eng- l land by the British Broadcasting System and in Germany by the state Each has accomplished something massed together these accomplishments are tremendous In the Western hemisphere greatest greatest greatest great great- est television experiments have been made by the Radio Corporation Corpora Corpora- tion of America and its subsidiary the National Broadcasting com corn pany Each day in Radio City experimental experimental ex cx- programs are televised to whoever might be watching within the 25 to 35 mile radius that present day television covers The Bugs Ar Are Gone Actually RCA's engineers have already ironed out most of the bugs in transmission and developed developed devel devel- several great improvements in reception A studio technique has hns been devised for h handling the scope or televising c camera mera A larger cathode r ray y tube has been perfected to show a 7 by inch 10 image Another tube projects it to toa toa toa a 3 by foot 4 screen The sickly green color that characterized ear- ear 4 S S s' s Ss y fr 55 S S r I ky i S. S j S 4 id Z e c-e 1 W V W 1 I H Ji W An sj s i v 1 S j P f J v l 1 y C 11 i M t J. J F. F Z j L' L i z 1 ly y television receiving screens has been jeen eliminated and changed to black and white Today RCA is experimenting with portable transmitters which shoot street scenes flash them by ultra sh hort rt wave to the main transmitter in n Radio City and thence by rebroadcast rebroadcast re- re broadcast to the receiving sets UI Ul- portable tran transmitters will willbe wille be e the heart of successful television bringing all sorts of public events to o the waiting wailing world RCA receivers now show an image mage clear as that of the average home lome m movie vie projector carrying lines compared with last years year's Characters move without jerky mo mo- Ions Hons more smoothly in fact than motion pictures for the tile scene i is televised televised televised tele tele- 30 times a sec second nd compared with 24 on the movie screen RCA's chief obstacle is distance Radio television c carries from 25 to 35 5 miles depending on the transmitters transmitter's transmitters transmitter's trans trans- mitter's milter's height No commercial sponsor will wm use television when it covers such a small audience but RCA is confident its engineers will eventually conquer distance An equally likely development is that television will eventually be piped over the country just as today's chain radio broadcasts anc and carried to key points by wire Telephone and Television Working on that assumption Bell Telephone company engineers are arc experimenting with the coaxial cable already laid between New NewYork NewYork NewYork York and Philadelphia a at a cost of a mile The resultant transmission transmission trans mission is even clearer than that of or radio television according to Bell engineers Fog and static marks chara characterizing radio pictures are missing in the coaxial version and a 01 line image is being perfected perfected perfected per per- to exceed RCA's line line re re- re- re S production The possibilities of television via telephone are tremendous It may develop into a way two-way telephone conversation in which the speakers ers actually look at nt each other The way two stunt was tried successfully successfully successfully success success- fully with radio television ision in London London London Lon Lon- don when two men seven miles apart saw and heard each other Another television telephone television possibility pos pos- lies in a theater home-theater service service service ice by wire paid for just as we pa pay our monthly telephone bill today The coaxial cables cable's feasibility is exceeded only by its expense Under Under Un Un- der radio t televisions television's present dis distance distance distance dis- dis tance handicap p it would require 2000 transmitters to cover the United Unit Unit- ed Stales necessitating miles of c coaxial cable at a 01 mile Total cost would be bc almost Besides RCA and Bell Ben Telephone other American experimenters with wilh At Radio Ci City televised broadcasts are arc guided through the control room right out over the thc mammoth antenna far Car above Manhattans Manhattan's 1 a n hat tans tan's streets and into receivers such as that at the thc left where the image is reproduced reproduced reproduced re re- produced on a 7 by 10 inch screen S' S I iti television include me tue Columbia Broadcasting system with a 2500 experimentation program under Gilbert former newspaper newspaperman man and the Don Mutual Lee-Mutual network network network net net- work on the Pacific coast A prominent prominent prominent prom prom- radio concern plans a n transmitting transmitting trans trans- station in Chicago Great Britain at Work Although Germany claims a radio television record of miles Great Britain readily admits she leads the world in experimentation with this amazing new child of science For more than a year the British Broadcasting company has been televising daily programs to an audience of some receivers in the London area Headquarters are at Alexandria palace and although television covers coy cov ers but a mile 50 radius from that S j S 41 sW Heres Here's the inside of an NBC television tele tele- vision islon camera showing center the or eye cye of television The cameras camera's work is isto to transform a pattern of lights and shadows to corresponding electrical impulses center officials say the area is being being being be be- ing Increased steadily They have already adopted coaxial cable in Great Britain BBC's BECs programs are arenow arenow arenow now piped from London to Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham Bir Bir- mingham and the cable is being exten extended ex ex- ten tended ed to Manchester Leeds and Newcastle lc Like the radio io television is ra n expected ex cx- peeled eventually allY to be invaluable for or military use Secret e experiments arc are already beIn being made with a French lightweight transmitter to tobe tobe tobe be mounted in an In airplane for lor spotting spotting spotting spot spot- ting artillery fire Another British accomplishment is the televising of color Early in December John C. C Baird one of England's pioneers in the field announced announced announced an an- he had transmitted a colored col cot ored ofed image of ot the Union Jack Bairds Baird's t television levision system is one of two now in use across ss ss the sea having having haying hav hay ing been started in 1926 BBC BEC began began be be- gan its transmissions in 1932 and three years later the government provided for or a research commission to pave the way for lor general broad broad- casts Movies lo See Possibilities The projection of televised entertainment entertainment en en- to a 1 movie theater screen is one of BBC's greatest accomplishments accomplishments accomplishments ac ac- ac- ac to date A British motion picture concern is already seeking permission to televise variety variety vari van ety programs exclusively to a group of thea theaters terse Television may eventually fall directly directly di dl- into the motion picture industry's indus indus- try's lap simply because no other entertainment field has perfected a studio technique comparable to that required for successful staging of shows Several Hollywood studios iJ p 4 L i S 'S ap 6 E wm y are already said to be investigating the possibilities Government control control control con con- in England has placed a stumbling stumbling stumbling bling block in the path of such de do- BBC has a m monopoly on television broadcasts and public exhibition of television programs is barred Americas America's most popular television question today is is When do we get it Scientists claim the United States tes leads Great Britain in this development development develop develop- ment but that does not make commercial commercial com corn mercial television practical Though RCA has adopted a line image Bell Telephone will soon otter offer lines Receivers capable of handling one of thess images cannot accommodate accommodate accommodate the other In other words definite transmission standards must be established by all participants participants participants pants before television will become practical Sending and receiving equipment must dovetail in every respect America Proceeds Cautiously Though Americans may envy the British their commercial television the wise scientists guiding American American Amer Amen ican experiments have saved us millions millions millions mil mil- lions of dollars Admitting the embryonic embryonic embryonic em em- status of their plaything these men have refused to sponsor receiving sets that would become obsolete almost immediately Not Nota a single receiver available 18 months ago could be used today Americas America's second most popular television question is How will it affect the newspapers magazines motion pictures and other entertainment tion-entertainment media Since television requires eye attention attention at at- as well vell as ear car attention it cannot hope hope generally generally speaking speaking- to win wide nation wide audiences except In the evening recreation tion hours When people watch and listen to news events their reactions will be much the same as under the present form of radio news coverage Television Television Tele Tele- vision will give only the highlights as much as the ordinary person would sec see today when watching a abig abig abig big fire And as in the case of the fire the average person will eagerly await his newspaper for complete details Magazine motion pictures and legitimate stage performances will continue in popularity because Americans are arc natural gadabouts unwilling to devote all their recreation recreation recreation tion time to one given entertain- entertain ment Televisions Television's biggest audience will come from our present radio listeners All AU we need then is greater transmission distance cheaper piping facilities and standardized transmission and receiving equIpment equip equIp- ment Whether these developments are just around the corner or a v fe miles ahead we wc cant can't say for Cor tain tam But Bui this much is true true ito no one i i- at the scientific infant Some Som day ay it will grow crow up and us ri right h l in the eyes Western Newspaper Union tinSon |