1937-03-22 — Page 18

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1937.

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The B.B.C.'s Alexandra Palace television station now broadcasts full scale programmes. Here a radio correspondent, the first person to "look.in" to America, describes the work of the pioneers and the developments which have. produced present-day practicability.

W

TE have heard and now we sect Bcience has performed an- other miracle and given the world radio oyes na well as radio cars. The ether is now throbbing not only with dots and dashos, fat stock prices and entertainment, but with faces, scenes and objects. For television has arrived.

I say "arrived" with some reserve, for it is only in its in- fancy-of an experimental nature. Programmes are, how- ever, being broadcast every day, and the few persons near Lon-

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BIRTH."

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Born at the French Hospital, on March the Twentieth, 1937, to Mr. and Mrs. Charles McQueen Gee, a son, Michael Moulton.

The

Hongkong Telegraph.

MONDAY, MArch 22, 1937.

ATLANTIC AIR

SERVICE

for a sultable receiver are "looking-in" to whatever is televised from the Alexandra Palace.

Television 19 not ከነርህ Britain. Moving

pictures, very crude and small when .compared with present re- sults, were tele- vised by the B.B.C. as far back as 1930. But there Is at a large number of per- sons who are very vague about tele- vision and what

do con

at Its present stage of devolop- ment.

It

01 probably

many

of

can pierce

their

the onc's

in.

more importance Despite formidable difficulties, is what it cannot there seems every prospect of do, for lurking in experimental aviation services minda is a BUR- on the North Atlantic route be-picion that tele- ing put into operation by the vialon is end of the present year. Sir Peeping Tom with Philip Sassoon drew attention to X-ray eyes, which some of the many problems in- walls of volved when introducing the Airuanroom, or er Estimates in the House of Com-able wives to keep an eye on hus- mons Last week. The ex-bands "detained at the office."

One glance at the massive and perimental flights are likely to

compileated

the apparatus at be high-speed land machines. Alexandra Park television station One of the reasons for the pos- and at all the paraphernalla meccs- sible adoption of land planes on sary to broadcast images of scenes the crossing is to be found in the and persons over a mere 30 miles difliculties of operating a flying would at once dispel all doubts boát service which would have that television will ever be

menace to one's private life. a terminus in Canada or New-

a

Seeing is believing, and it is cer-

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are ice-bound in winter, or, if they are not frozen over, the cold is often so intense that spray made during a flying- boat's manoeuvres on the water would freeze over the machine. According to the aviation cor- respondent of a London journal, in the coming experiments Bri- tain will try out more than one operational method, and it is possible that a regular service may not have to await the de- velopment of a new type of air- craft, say, a 50-ton flying-boat, Experiments will be made by two of the new Empire flying boats which have been specially tanked for long-range work, and by the De Havilland "Albatress" four-engined land aeroplane, a type embodying several P murkable but at present secret features. This new type may

ing is far more satisfying than merely hearing the alleged sounds of her feet.

During the few days that 'experl- mental vision programmes have been broadcast, I have seen a golf lesson, a display of new cars (when the bonnets were lifted, the rotat- ing fan was clearly visible), model airplanes dying in the open, ballet and variety turns in the studio.

News Blins have also been tele- vised with good results, and per- fectly synchronized sound accom-

panies the vision.

And all this has been made pos- sible by an inherent falling of the

was

The camera with which a model acroplane meeting was recently televised.

TELEVISIONARY

Douglas Walters with his early apparatus. The tuning was done behind his back-by himself!-

human eyel Neither television nor cinematography would be feasible in their present forms if it were not for an optical pecu- llarity known as Persistence of Vision.

Although the eye can discern ob- Jects at amazing distances and take in a wide scene in a sput second, it cannot discriminate be- tween a series of consecutive move- ments much faster than, 12-13-a second.

At the Alexandra Palace there are two distinct television trans- mitters on trial-cach developed and installed by rival companies-- and each operating in a different manner. One of these employa 25 and the other 50 separate plotures a second.

The development of this new science, involving immense optical and electrical problems, has been comparatively rapid, although from the first shadowgraphs. which provided a jerky silhouette

by DOUGLAS. WALTERS

of moving images.

to

the present

high definition

- pictures with ng good deta!) ՈՐ any home cine- matograph, it has Been

uphill path.

I well remem- ber seeing in my own home the finish of the Derby

1920. In Results with the -old low definition system were admittedly crude. but I could easliy distinguish the horses and a policeman who crossed the course after the race. That spectacle' provided a great thrill for the excited group of per- sons who crowded round my ex- perimental apparatus, with its re- volving aluminium dise, its flicker- ing orange neon light and large Icrises to magnify the size of the far too small pleture.

And I had a great thrill when, September, 1930, I picked up a tele- vision programme direct from New York on entirely experimental ap- parntus.

This was the first time that any- one in America had been seen in England by television:-

The detali and clarity of present- day television bears no resem- blance to the old system, and there is no reason why fortunate owners of television receivers should not obtain a far better view of the Coronation procession next year than many of the thousands who will have paid fabulous' prices for route seats..

But there is not a Coronation, a Derby or a big fight every day. Will televizion be as much a part

THOUGHTS ABOUT WAR

*

·

AVERYONE remembers the boom in she la therefore content to be allowed The wildest extravagances of Nazi on a greater scale repent the war books that took place a few to possess in tranquillity the spoils doctrine, which is a means to on end, British design triumph won by years ago. It was surprising to those already in her grasp,

not a philosophy, are no doubt de This makes our plea that British_signed for consumption in the most the "Comet" of England-Me- who had believed that old and young bourne race fame. The "Alba-alike held that the sooner the Great armaments are purely defensive seem numerous, that is the stupidest,

War was forgotten, the better for all, more sincere than like protestations market.

They do tross" is a 14-senter of a cruising

not prove that man for To-day there is again a boom in from some other quarters.

man the Germans have suddenly gone m.p.h., and a range of some books about future warfare. It is a 3,000 miles. In connection with significant, perlings ominous, change. feverish stage of a persistent In- is no nonsense you cannot get people to profess if you can onco convince We have stopped thinking about the ternational disease. pioneer Atlantic flights, it has to last war because

loo busy. Though he argues with some skill consists in their doing so and once them that the foundation of society be borne in mind that more have thinking of the next.

and eloquence, one has difficulty in they do so that in just what it does been made in November, De- In this country there are no writ- discovering the purport of Ital- become, for so long as it lasts. cember, January, February, orrs that dare to glorify war; the The discourse leads nowhere in par-

totalitarian

States are describ- March, and with only three ex-terary cudgellers are all ranged on ticular,

the other side.

ide. This country is one ceptions all the successful flights of the most peace-minded it u als of facts. Much better would it have totalitarian.

The book, Mr. Plumb warns us, wili ed as those which are organised on a

In time of war all the

all the States become were made in the May to Sep. If it be again dragged into a dis of a matter of arguments rather than war footing in time of nominal peace. tember period. This is evidencastrous conflict, that will be very been to maite his story an amalgama- Russla," Mr. Plumb says, "ore simply

spéed probably exceeding 200 war books, but this time they a AR, 0s the author sees it, is the any madder than ourselves, for there!

we are

The

оде

"Germany,

cult season of the year. On the themselves. But in some cases the For all our boasts of modernity, we realising this and in having applied

·

Victor

must in

*

an

tion of arguments much against its will.

and facts. The of the existence of a very diffi-

move ahead of ourselves in True, all the nations say that of two do not usually go ill together.

to preparation the principles which in the author's eyes, west to east direct crossing there disavowal is more convincing than in are

any case apply to action." Have been 22 successes and 13 others.

The general excitement about this HE author does not exactly sug failures, but on the east to west

THE TT is less than fair to the Govern- or that "record," the desire to save

gest that we should stop the ax- crossing, with the same number.

time at all costs without any notion ment and people of this country, of failures, there have been only therefore, to write of them as if they of games and especially the profes- Pansion of the Air Force, but he ap- 10 successes. This illustrates were free agents in the matter. The signsalism of amateurs, the slavery ears to look upon it as a hopeless

enterprise. machine, the proliferation of paco is act for us on the Continent. of the the special difficulty of the east we can but follow where others lead, books, most of our clothes, our all too. This is because we

expect damage on to west journey. These real even though the whole business la de successful efforts to reduce the in- to inflict as much ties, however, only serve to testable to us.

telligence to the level of a filling- enemy country as that country's air us' in the illuminate the confidence, dug to That is where writers like

Mr. cabinet, our belief in "democracy force could inflict upon.

of the same space of time. new aircraft designs and im-Charles Plumb, whose Paradise Re- and culture" and the justice of the As a target this country is beyond

what we jected (Alexander MacLehose) is de English legal system and proved engines, with which the scribed as "A Study in War and rend in the newspapers these are all comparison the most vulnerable t coming experiments will be Society To-day," make their chier minor evidences of inner confusion, a the world Aro Westion? faced. There is abundant reason mistake. They seem to assume that mental indigestion, which naturally down and wait for

So far as this country is concerned, for astonishment at the progress wo are in this calamitous contest be- makes it difficult to find on appetite the audior thinks that armaments not enuse we like it. They are much for the real pleasures of living when only are unable to prevent wars, but in the technique of flying and of more facile in seeing the other they come our way,

have also in all probability ceased to the flying machine which has follows" point of view thar that of

be able to wirs them. Na vpr been made since Alcock and their own country.

WAR, we are told, is not a disease Whitten Brown made the first. Mr. Plumb, it is true, admits that so much as the symptom of a AME direct North Atlantic crossing ventures, but that is because she has violence is a by-product of the come A but exactly to what section of Britain has no desire for further addiesase. The Infiiction of physical 1 B. Plumb, it is plain, is a pacifist.

M by air only 18 years ago.

bitten of more than she can chew; petitive spirit.

[Continued: on Page 5.):

then, to

of our daily lives as the radio? An ordinary radio set does not Interfere with the normal occupa- tion of the home, One can read, write, taik, knit even go to sleepi-to the sound from a loud speaker. But with television it is necessary to rivet one's attention to the screen, and it is far more comfortable to have the room in darkness,

The B.B.C. television producers will have to provide far more novelty, variety and interest in their

programmes. Flims are probably the easiest material to televise, and they will undoubtedly Ogure prominently in forthcom- ing programmes, but it is doubtful whether the B.B.O. will televise full-length nima..

It would be very costly to pur- chase full-length Ums that have not been seen before in public and there is not such a large sum

available for spending on the early programmes. Morcover, I doubt whether anyone would care to follow a flim lasting, say, an hour and a half on the small size of screen at present used.

The day bound to come when, television images will be projected on to a screen, or wall, and although I And the present size, averaging about: aine by seven inches, sumclently large to be of real entertainment value, there is no doubt that pictures several feet square would be far better.

Television has opened up an en- tirely new field for experiments in atudio technique, presentation and make-up. With ordinary sound broadcasting, artists are able to read. their parts from script. They can meve about the studio, and one person can all several roles. But all this is impossible with television, where every .movement is visible,

For television, special make-up ex- perts daub the faces of artists with cosmetics-clilefly a des blue pigment, which experience has shown to be the best for the television "eye." But ench of the two systems of tranIS- mission in use at Alexandra Palace requires its own special forma of make- up.

Every home television receiver must be adjusted when the transmissions change from one system to another; this is usually accomplished by simply manipulating a small switch, but the fact remains that the use of two dif ferent systems introduced numerous complications.

A logical-conclusian to be drawnt from present tendencies in television research is that eventually it will be possible to project high-definition images on to a screen comparable in size with, a cinema screen, and it is possible that the vision programmes will be shown at cinemas equipped with At present the necessary apparatus. the B.B.C. Holds the copyright of all ' matter broadcast, but some arrange- ments with regard to television pro- grammes is inevitable.

Unlike ordinary sound programmes, the clecizie television currents cannot be sent over ordinary telephone wires, but a specially designed cable suitable for vision signala has been laid be- tween Birmingham and London, and this will soon be extended to Man- chester, which indicates the likelihood of the next television station being erected near one of these tow119.

Because the effective range of the metres wave-lengths around seven used for television is not more than about 40 miles, and considerably less than this whuh hills or steel bulidings intervene, to provide a vision service for the more densely populated areas In the country & will be necessary to erect a large number of stations.

The cost of such a scheme would bo prohibitive. By the end of this year the Alexandra Palace station will have oost the B.3.0. £180,000, and there are. no television licences to provido addi- tional revenue.

Wo have heard, and now we seal British television leads the world.

To-day's Thought | NYBODY" tan start some

thing,

A. SHEDD.