TV Technical Standards

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30367, 17 February 1964, Page 3

TV Technical Standards

Sir,—l have been interested in the technical side of television since reading a prophetic account in Arthur Mee’s “Children’s Newspaper” in 1922, and more than 30 years ago I assembled the first Baird “televisor” in this country. In spite of the advances made, and the excellence of the equipment as shown by the high quality of outside broadcasts, the technical standards, generally, are deplorable. Defects are so common that apologies are now seldom offered. The trade depends on a pattern of squares transmitted daily for adjusting sets, but this is not compatible with the test card transmitted later. I inquired from CHTV-3 how much we should see of the test card, and was told by an engineer that the standard 23-inch tube cannot show the full transmitted picture, and that is why title material, in particular, is cut off at the sides —Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. February 11, 1964. [The v regional engineer of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (Mr R. O. Tulloch) said: “With the greatest respect for the tech-

nical knowledge of Mr Wilson, we do not agree with his statement that the technical standard generally is deplorable. In fact, we have been congratulated on numerous occasions by English and American engineers and overseas visitors to this country op our high technical standard and quality of transmission. Technically we comply with international standards, and in this respect I would point out that the dimensions of a current 23inch picture tube is not quite compatible with the international standard picture ratio, 3 x 4, which we transmit. We are proud of our equipment and have always welcomed inspection from the local engineering societies, electronics and the radio trade. Accordingly we would be pleased to invite Mr Wilson to Channel 3 at a convenient time to see for himself the technical equipment and the standards that we maintain and actually transmit from the station premises. At the same time the corporation would be pleased to arrange for the English Marconi representative in. Wellington to meet Mr Wilson and to discuss any comment which he may desire.”]