Hard work behind the scenes

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33873, 19 June 1975, Page 15

Hard work behind the scenes

Behind the scenes—or behind your screens—a vast amount of work has been going on in all television centres throughout New Zealand. The significant result has been that one day programmes were in black and white, then suddenly the next day—colour!

This did not happen overnight. but began a year before “colour day.” Now this work is continuing until TV2 goes on the air. At TV2 headquarters, Shortland Street in Auckland and Gloucester Street in Christchurch, obsolete monochrome equipment has been progressively replaced by up-to-date colour equipment. The first step in implementing “colour conversion” was taken late in 1972. when two modern colour outside broadcast

vehicles, or, more correctly, colour mobile control rooms (C.M.C.R.) were ordered from Britain. These were delivered in time for the highly successful colour coverage of the Commonwealth Games, viewed world-wide via satellite. One C.M.C.R. remained in Christchurch and the second was driven to Auckland. Since then, when not on assignment, these vehicles have been parked alongside studio buildings to help produce colour programmes while the studios were converted to colour. Modern ‘ colour cameras, telecine chains—which project colour film, video switchers —enabling a particular shot or scene to be selected from a number available, video tape recorders—which produce recordings indistinguishable from the original scene—and control desks to

provide high quality sound to match the new look in pictures were bought. Studio lighting and its control systems were up-graded to meet the stringent demands of colour production.

In addition there was the ancillary equipment for processing colour film and slides, sophisticated test equipment and myriad devices for controlling, routing and timing of all the signals in the entire studio centre.

Much of the ancillary equipment was not available from overseas so it was custom-designed and built in New Zealand. To do this a team of design experts was established to produce elegant items of circuitry and hardware which are the envy of many! overseas broadcasters. These include assignment; switchers, which provide i

flexibility of machine usage, so reducing the total number of machines required; and data links, which place control functions of machines on one wire for distribution instead of the hundreds otherwise required. A network control system enables any studio centre to accept signals from another without annoying picture disturbances, and a highly flexible sophisticated system for control and distribution of sound signals. All of the complex units were designed by B.C.N.Z.

draughtsmen and women. The metalwork and hardware was produced by B.C.N.Z. workshops, while almost all the intricate wiring was done in B.C.N.Z. electronic workshops. Local industry played a vital part providing components and metalwork and complete items such as amplifiers, television receivers and picture monitors. New Zealand electronics factories helped reduce the heavy work load by producing a great number of the printed circuit wiring boards.