MARVELLOUS TELEVISION.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue 86, 13 April 1927, Page 2 (Supplement)

MARVELLOUS TELEVISION.

SEEING BY WIRELESS

MENACE TO THE MOVIES. (By .Ronald F. Tiltman, F.IS.S.A.) J. L. Baird’s new discovery, seeby telepathy, or television, may revolutionise our daily life within the next few years. Television, the latest wonder taut science has prepared for us, exvitMi fresh discussion when further revelations were made of its military and commercial possibilities. -television, to put it briefly, is reproduction of sight. It enables us to see the image of any object on a receiving screen just as it would appejr to ihe eye of an actual observer on the spot. "Seeing by wireless" is the popular title given to it, but, strictly speaking, television means seeing b) teiegrapiiy—either with or wuhuui wires.

For fifty years scientists of man) countries nave wrestled with the problem of television and we may be prouu of the fact that it was Mr. John L. Baird, a thuty-five-year-oid British scientist, who has finally and indisputably solved ihe problem with his invention "the televisor," and made the dream oi wireless sight a wonderful reality. ihe first demonstration of true television ever given in the world was tha. arranged by Mr. Baird early m 1920 Detore members of the Roytu Institute, one of the leading scientific societies.

Rival to the Cinema. In a recent interview with the inventor i was tolci mat the nrst teievis um sets ior home use will do on sale within, the next few mourns, and it is expecreu mey will cost about Ap patently we are on the threshold or u new era wim stupendous possibilities, and, just as we now listen to voices xrom omer countries by radio, so we shall soon * ‘ look-in ; ’ upon our television screen ana witness scenes, cveals and people at a distance. Although the inventor believes that television is unliiieiy to supplant entirely the cinema and legitimate stage, there is not the slightest doubt of liltimmense influence n is bound to have on them both. It is already predicted that special television theatres wiii spring into being, each equipped with a screen, but no mm or orchestra. These will be Linked to one of. the television broadcasting stations, where the orchestra and artists will perform. No less am authority man Bir James Perry D.L., says: "It is only a matter of time until television pictures will eliminate topical films aimgemer, a. they will be supplied from a central station to every cinema throughout the land.” 1 believe this will be a development of the comparatively near future, and later developments will constitute a greater menace to the prosperity ol the film industry.

Vital Principle Found. Every claim made by Mr. Baird has been substantiated by unquestionable proof. Amazing demonstrations were given last year to Press representatives at the office of Television, Ltd., Loudon. Transmissions were made from a studio on the top floor to a small theatre several floors below, and, equally successfully, over a distance of :en miles from Harrow to London. Living human faces, with all the proper gradation of shade, light and half tones, have been transmitted and reproduced faithfully on a ground glass screen at tho receiving end.At these early demonstrations the results were, of course, by no means mechanically perfect, but tho vital principle lias unquestionably been discovered. There was a constant flicker over the image seen on the televisor screen, and it could be likened to the early cinematograph films with their constant "rain” effects.

At demonstrations given some months ago by the inventor it was necessary for the person being 1 ‘televised,” or transmitted, to sit before an intensely bright light supplied by a battery of electric lamps the intensity of this light being so great as almost to blind the sitter. Mr J. L. Baird came to the conclusion thiat the necessity for this enormously brilliant light must be dispensed with before his " televisor" could be considered an unqualified com. mercial success. He cMieentrated on the problem, with such success that it, is now possible by means of the "televisor” to see a person who is in total darkness. Tho other day he announced that ho could trace the movements of an aeroplane on the blackest night. In the same way ships could be seen in the densest fog and their movements broadcast any distance. Some Possibilities. Tho possibilities in war of such a discovery are, of course, enormous. But, unfortunately, it has also tremendous possibilities in peace. Television, as popular entertainment, will not be the least of the revolutions brought about by this annihilation of darkness. It was recently announced that *a number of additional television broadcasting stations will shortly be opened in various important centres in the British Isles. There is no doubt that this wonderful new invention has come to stay, and it is destined to play a big part in our lives—how serious la rival to the film it will prove remains to Le seen. Mr. J. L. Baird has boon experimenting with television since 1912, and in 1923 he succeeded in transmitting the shadows of moving objects by wireless, thus bringing it a little nearer. He later invented a new light-sensitive system which proved to be the key to the solution of the problem, and now he has the proud distinction of being the only man in the world to demonstrate true television.