TELEVISION.

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 25, 3 January 1930, Page 6

TELEVISION.

e "THE development of television is reaching a stage when the public. . are focusing their attention upon it, and asking when. it will be in the home. An English television periodical has answered by an announcement printed on its cover in large letters, "Now." The journal points out that the television broadcasts from English stations can be received in the home with a special apparatus attached to the amplifier of the radio receiver. ° : It adds that television is already here in a practical form, and points out that the delay in its becoming popular is a matter of disposition on the part of those controlling an ether monopoly rather than because of technical difficulties. They are agitating for the broadcasts to assume a form more acceptable to the public-not to the experimenter. On the other-hand, Captain P. Eckersley, late chief engineer of the B.B.C., states: "I am impressed by the enthusiasm of the television and telepicture experts, but am unable to agree that in the present stage of development the science of television allows an immediate service aspect." . , It seems, taking’ all evidence into account, that there are grave difficulties confronting the progress of television in its present form. These are in brief, the size of the image, which is rarely larger than a magazine illustration and does not allow of detail, the necessity of breaking up the image into two million small impulses. per second for a satisfactory picture, and the expense and size of the requisite apparatus. Like radio, television is subject to atmospheric disturbances, and the same difficulty is met in overcoming them. — Recent experiments in America lead us to believe that television must be confined to the laboratory until a radically new system -has been evolved. The fact that several American stations have ceased to broadcast television strengthens this view. The: transmissions from the British stations are interesting to the public, but of use only to the experimenter, and the present indications are that this state of affairs will remain until the whole system is recast. OSCILLATING VALVES: THIS menace to the listeners’ tranquillity does not cease; in fact it is on the increase. During the Christmas and New Year holidays, when some of the stations were.on the air at different times to the others, city listeners found it almost impossible to listen-

- in when the local station was not operating. Short, sharp squeals,. ~ long, prolonged whistles and speaker shattering screams were allay could hear while ‘endeavouring to listen to 3YA on Boxing Day, Whether through ignorance or carelessness the offenders. should he brought to account. Ignorance is unpardonable, the owner of a home-built set should have sufficient knowledge to neutralise and operate it, the owner of a commercial neutrodyne should leave it. alone and consult ‘a radio expert when it becomes noisy. The careless operator does not deserve to have the privilege of listeningin, and we feel that if measures were taken by the Post and Telegraph Department to bring some of the offenders to account a great service would be done for radio. LS