Television

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 48, 15 June 1928, Page 2

Television

wv AMERICA TO BEGIN ee ’ BAIRD’S PATENT BOUGHT LATEST mail advices from America state that the Baird Television Company have just sold the American rights of their recently-perfected machine to an American syndicate, The syndicate, an official of the company stated, sent experts all over the world to find a television apparatus which would be commercially possible, and their visit to England synchronised with the completion of the new Baird televisor, with which they expressed themselves completely satisfied. They propose to set up their own broadcasting station in America forthwith, The Baird Company are to have a 50 per cent. interest in the new venture, and will send directors to the oard, A Liner to be Fitted. NOTHER newspaper account supplements this bare announcement with the following details :- The Leviathan, the colossal flagship of the United States Lines, will be the first liner in the woxld to have a permanent television transmitter and receiving abroad. This is stated by Herbert Z Pokress, one of the three Americans controlling the Baird television rights in America. "The recent reception of television transmission accomplished ahoard the Berengaria-an Fnglish-owned vessel," Mr. Pokress said, "was just a demonstration of the practicality of the apparatus , .. but when we secured American rights to the Baird apparatus we also arranged that the first ship to be equipped with permanent apparatus be an American one." Pokress arrived in New York recently on the Leviathan, together with Nathan Feldstern, of Philadelphia. With Charles Izenstark, of Chicago, Pokress and Feldstern control the Baird rights in America. and will operate under the name of the Amcriean Baird Television Corporation. Sir Charles Higham, representative of the English Baird group, was also on board the ship. Other Nations Plan Television. FATERVIEW SD in the temporary headquarters at the Hotel Astor, Pokress, acting as spokesman for the three, stated that he understood that Baird television rights for France and Australia also had been closed in London at the time of his departure. "Tt will only be a short time, it seems," continued Pokress, "that television will be an international proposition." Two of Baird's engineers, Captain W. Gerard and Captain Jerry W. Clapp, were brought along by Feldstern and Pokress to supervise the inauguration of the system. Captain Clapp had previously visited the United States with Captain O. G. Hutchinson, another Baird engineer, "John L. Baird, the inventor of the apparatus, will arrive here with Captain Hutchinson within sixty days," he said, "when television broadcasting will be undertaken either by single stations or hy one of the national chains, "Apparatus will soon be in the process Of manufacture, and kits will be sold very soon-sooner than the public expects," Assembled Sets May Be Sold. ALTHOUGH the company will only sell kits at the start, Pokress remarked, it ig expected that assembled sets will follow shortly. While he would not assert what metropolitan station will broadcast television, Pokress said that he has received inquiries from a large number of stations, including WOR and also the Gimbel Brothers interests, which control four broadcasting stations. He asserted that a private Press demonstration will soon be arranged and the apparatus will also be demonstrated at the Radio World's Fair in September. Wait and See. (COMMENTING .on the foregoing news, "Popular Wireless," the British journal, says: "We do not propose to make any comments on this matter, as it is outside the policy of ‘Popular Wireless’ to pass any criticisms except on matters purely technical or matters connected with the policy of the B.B.C. We can only remind readers of our already wellknown views on the matter, and the views of such men as Sir Oliver Lodge, Dr. Lee de Forest, Dr. J. HW. T. Roberts, and others. "Whatever the activity of financial groups in connection with television development, it is now a generally accepted fact among scientific men of repute, and men who have taken the trouble thoroughly to investigate the scientific and the commercial practicability of television systems, that teleyision in the home, or any television service designed as a public utility service, must inevitably be delayed until some new principle in connection

with television systems has been discovered, So far that system is unknown. It might be discovered tomorrow, or it might not be discovered for fifty years, "Only time can show the truth of the criticisms passed in this journal and of the soundness of the policy we have advocated in connection with television. In other words, we can but repeat that very well-known political slogan, ‘Wait and See’-a slogan, by the way, the last word of which has a meaning particularly apt when expressed in connection with television?*