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Originally Posted by Aussie Bloke
I've lately been researching the art of early mechanical television and from what you described makes me wonder if it could be John Logie Baird's early experimental mechanical colour TV set from 1928? Question, was the red, green and blue segments on the disc a series of red, green and blue holes like in this picture http://www.earlytelevision.org/image..._colortv_1.jpg or was it like this colour wheel http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/...946/colors.jpg ? And I read that Baird's colour mechanical set used at least two lights, a white lamp for the greens and blues and a neon orange lamp for the reds, did this set have two or more lights? |
I don't think it was an experimental set; too well finished. I don't remember it having a makers name either. Thinking back (it was over ten years ago that I saw it) it may have been built by RCA. I was told that it was from the directors office and assumed (wrongly?) that it was brought over from the 'States. I can't remember the shape of the inserts in the colour wheel, but I think it only had one light under it.
Baird built and publicly demonstrated a freestanding unit that was able to receive BBC 405 line black and white broadcasts as well as his own 600 line colour broadcasts. It had a record player and radio built in.
After WW2 the Pilkington Committee was set up. They recommended to the UK government that as it was compatible with BBC b & w broadcasts, his system should be given the go-ahead. The problem was that he was a difficult person to work with. The director-general of the BBC loathed him with a passion and told the committee that they would not co-operate with him, so he didn't get the required license to make public colour TV broadcasts.
At a radio show just after WW2 various Baird b & w sets were on display, all priced at around £100, but there was one set in his catalogue (but not on display) priced at £1500. At this time he was still hoping that his colour system would be given the go-ahead; maybe this was a tentative price for one of his colour receivers, test marketed to see if anyone would be willing to pay that sort of money.
There's a persistent story that after his death, RCA got their hands on some of his equipment.