TELEVISION AND THE FILMS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 55, 27 November 1937, Page 10

TELEVISION AND THE FILMS

Rumour has been busy in the te!e«. vision world during the last week or so, says.The Observer, London. We have been told that each of the theatres of a big London, cinema circuit is to be equipped with television apparatus, working on . the normal cinema screen. We have been told that the Post Office has allocated many thousands of pounds from broadcast licence fees for the development of television. Further, statements have been made that the erection of a tolevismn trana mitter near Birmingham is to start immediately. None of these rumours has proved to be true; but they may be, regarded as intelligent anticipation of the inevitable. Television in Great Britain is a year or perliaps two years, aliead of any other country. Twelve months of daily working has" proved it to be better,botb in quality of pictures and in . entertainment value, than its most devoted servants oxpected. Engineers have worked miracles, and the production staff at Alexandra Palace have not been behind in . achieving. the apparently impossible. Those who now onjoy television in their. own homes soon, find themselves impatient of the lack of sight when listening to ordinary sound broadcasting. Inevitably, the picture receiver will replace the one-sided and unbalanced sound receiver in every home. It is only a question of time before the B.B.C. will be forced, by public demand, to accompany all its sound j broadcasting with pictures. The change will take years — but it must come. In any attempt to discuss the development of television in the cinema we are not on very sure ground. The cinema now gives entertainment which pleases millions. The industry ig.highly organised on a commercial basis, and the new form of picture art must aemonstrate its drawing capabilities before it can iind any sure place in the cinema. Whatever development does take place will he entirely separate from the efforts of the B.B.C., for no cinema hall will attempt to show pictures which anyone can see equally well in his own home. Certain cinema theatres already sandwich music hall turns between the pictures and- this suggests a possibility. It would be cheaper for the owners of a circuit working on these lines to televise the "actuality" lteras from a central tlieatre than to employ a number of separate companies touring its halls. The apparatus, once installed, could be used for showing news items — things bappening at the moment. The B.B.C. has already shown the way in this direction with its fine pictures of *the Coronation, with lawn tennh* and ' football. Prom such a beginning' it is possible to forecast the televising of whole pro grammes from a central transmitter to a grqup of theatres either by landline or by wireless. ^ilm and actuality could be proportioned fo 'meet the needs of patrons. Apparatus to be used in some such way is already in a very forward state of development, In a year it will be possible to show television pictures equal in every way to those given by firm through the normal projector.