Television

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 52, 13 July 1928, Page 3

Television

IN A POPULAR FORM Se "A LONG WAY OFF" TT ELEVISION in practical everyday form is a long way off, says Mr, Il, M, Clement, chief engineer, Fada | Radio. The ‘wrong impression is’ created upon the layman when he is led to believe that television is here. Ina sense, it is true that television is here, but there is a vast difference between teleyision in what we engineers call the experimental stage and its practical application, To explain further, an invention may be perfect technically and yet still be in the experimental stage in the sense in which I am now using the word. Ali old-timers in radio know that radio itself was an engineering fact a long time before it became a practical matter put to practical uses, so far as the general public was concerned. To-day television, even in the laboratory, is practical only in what is known as a limited area. I shall explain that, but before doing so, I want to agree with the director of the Radio Manufacturers’ Association and our own general manager, both of whom recently pointed out that television must in reality be a separate piece of mechanism from what’ we to-day yisualise as a radio receiver. Most people have the idea that television will be accomplished by a simple attachment for a presentday radio set. Not so at all, As Mx. Richmond and Mr. Kiein pointed out in r viewing the commercial possibilities of television, not only does teleyision at the moment involve a costly and elaborate equipment, but the very nature of television means distinct apparatus. As' I see it, veal television requires a speech channel, 4 picture channel capable of hundling modulation frequencies up to 30,000 cycles and either au synchronising channel or a crystal control synchronising equipment. In addition to the radio ejuipment, amplifiers and control equipment «are required, I do not mean to belittle television. It is coming, and will some day-five years or more from now, possibly more-be in more or less general use, but there are erroneous opinions about it, and those who have rushed into print, in many cases in half-baked fashion, are responsible to some considerable extent for the impression that has been created in the minds f the Jaymen of the world. Limited Area Drawback. SHALL now try to explain in non- technical language, the limited area feature, which, fundamentally, is the most striking reason why television does not now, nar will it for a loag time be able to, catch up with the imagination of its well-wishers. At present the effective area for the transmission of "sight" radio is limited, That is ta say, at the present stage of development, from 2 practical standpoint, you could not "send" a ball game, a play, or even a single scene

from a play, much less a prize fight or any event encompassing an extended line or area of vision for the looker. on, Consider for yourself the practical demonstrations of television at bene time mean a vision aren of, say, two or three feet square, Not that ‘this, theoretically, cannot be extended, and, indeed, there is nothing to pre vent a much greater spread, but the fact remains that in its present stage, television represents the transmission of very limited areas eyen in the exa periments being conducted. While television is a fit subject for the engineering world to discuss and. work on, there is, as I have said, a misunderstanding on the part of the general public through no fault of ity own. I might go on and delve into the technicalities of the matter, but what ‘has been explained about the area of present laboratory transmission is, per haps, the best method of visualisating! for the lay citizen the fact that television as a practical proposition hag not arrived. Features are Explained. ERTAIN phenomena of television, as in the case with our presentday radio, are highly interesting to the lay observer, a3 well as to the engin eer, For example, some types of static on the "illuminated sereen" of tele vision apparatus look like handfuls of sand being thrown, or drops of water, being dashed against the surface, An English publication, devoted to ‘television, and ‘said to be "the world’s first television journal," says editori« ally: "We might, perhaps, be criticised as being premature in introducing » journal devoted solely to a subject which has as yet hardly emerged from the laboratory, but television, while ij is not ret available to the general pud« lic, has long since emerged from the realm of theory,’ etc, No one cam vightly deny this statement, for if ‘sums up the situation very accurately, ‘put one can with justice take excep: tion to statements that would place ‘television at this moment alongside of | radio as we know it in the receivers of ‘to- day. To say that such talik is, pre mature is putting it mildiy.