Colour TV “Far Too Expensive”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29851, 18 June 1962, Page 11

Colour TV “Far Too Expensive”

The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON, June 17

Technically, colour television was now good enough, but it was far too expensive, said Mr Frits Philips, president of the board of management of the Philips international organisation, in an interview.

“A colour television set costs three or four times as much as a black-and-white set,” he said. “And there is no chance that the price of colour television will ever drop to the vicinity of the standard set “It is like saying that motor-cars will eventually cost the same as motorcycles ” said Mr Philips. Mr Philips said that colour television had not been as successful in America as manufacturers claimed. The number of sets bought in relation to the number manufactured was very small.

There was not much point in spending a large sum of money on a colour television set for the sake of watching one or two hours a night of colour. “What is more,” Mr Philips said, “the black and white pictures which can be accommodated on colour television are not very good.”

The high cost of colour television w’as because of the need for three simultaneous pictures in the primary colours—red, green, and blue.

Mr Philips said that one ol Philips organisation’s strong-

est competitors was Japan, but this did not worry the company.

“We think our portables can stand any competition from Japan,” he said. Mr Philips is the son of Dr Anton Philips, one of the co-founders of the firm ■which began in Eindhoven in 1891. Before he left Christchurch for Sydney Mr Philips opened a new picture tube factory at the Naenae plant of Electronic Development and Applications Company, a member of the British Philips Trust. He also had talks with Philips Electrical Industries of New Zealand. Ltd. As president of the board of management of the Philips international organisation, Mr Philips deals w’ith all broad policy matters and problems concerning the organisation in all countries.

Big Party Leaves From Auckland IN.Z Press Association)' AUCKLAND. June 17. A large group of electrical retailers, with their wives and children, left Auckland on Saturday by air to attend a sales convention at Surfers' Paradise, Australia. The group of about 70 from all over New Zealand were given a farewell by the Mayor of Auckland (Mr D. M. Robinson) and a Maori concert party. The convention has been organised by an electrical firm and is believed to be the first New Zealand sales convention of its type to be held overseas. Organisers said the convention was being held in Australia because of the need for closer economic relations with that country, and it also provided the opportunity of studying their business methods.

The group will return to New Zealand on June 27.