Regular Scheduled HD Television is 75 Years Old

[Penthode]

On November 2 1936, the BBC began regular scheduled HD television, the first broadcaster to do so in the world. It was referred to as the "High Definition" service by virtue of it being (in the EMI System’s case) fully electronic and capable of 405 interlaced scanning line resolution. This was no small feat in 1936: the Baird system was 240 lines progressive and RCA was experimenting with 343 lines interlaced at this time.

The BBC studio and transmitter was located at Alexandra Palace in North London. The transmitter was constructed by Marconi and the studio systems were divided between the Baird Intermediate Film system and the EMI system which employed the "Emitron" tube camera. The Emitron was EMI's version of the Zworykin iconoscope.

The link between EMI and RCA is interesting. RCA merged with the Victor Talking Machine Company in January 1929. EMI was formed as an amalgamation of the Gramophone Company ("His Master's Voice") and Columbia Phonograph. The Gramophone Company was formed in 1898 from Emile Berliner's Gramophone. The same Emile Berliner provided the impetuous for Eldrige Johnson to form Victor in 1901. Victor actually acquired The Gramophone Company in 1920 and although the tie diluted by the late 20's, the link remained after the RCA merger, hence the sharing of early television patents. EMI must be credited with much of its own television development which resulted in a very advanced system for its day.

A Television Commission was formed in 1935 to help determine the future of the BBC Television service. However, with much apparent lobbying from Baird Television Limited, a clear decision as to what system to be used could not be made prior to the launch. Hence the Baird System ran alternate weeks with the EMI system until February 1937 when the EMI system was declared the best system. Baird did not employ interlace hence with a picture repetition rate of 25Hz, the flicker proved a considerable distraction. Less so maybe because of the earlier dim displays minimized the flicker to a degree. Baird's attempt to stay in the running was set back by the Crystal Palace fire later in November 1936 as that was where his company was located. (On a side note, I many years ago acquired a small machinist’s lathe which was purchased by an ex-Baird employee after the fire. I later acquired the lathe from his son. I now use it regularly in my workshop. It dates from the early thirties and I imagine it was used possibly to manufacture mechanical TV parts!)

Anyhow apart from the intervention of WWII and a three week hiatus in late summer 1937, the 405 line system in London (on the same "channel 1 frequency) continued running until January 3, 1985 to the final closedown at 12:10 am. The original BBC Television from 1936 (now known as BBC1) and ITV (Independent Television) from 1955 ran on 405 lines exclusively until 1969. BBC 2 began in 1964 as the first UK 625 line service and BBC1 and ITV began dual 625/405 transmissions from 1969 until 1985.

I have attached a few photos of 1936-7 paraphernalia.

1) You will see the first TV Listings supplement from the "Radio Times" from Monday November 2, 1936(The Radio Times is the BBC's magazine of listings and information first published by the BBC in 1923 and still published!) Note that the television service was for just two hours per day: 3 to 4pm and 9 to 10pm.

2) I have included an ad for EMI Televisions. Note the “His Master’s Voice” logo. The link extends before Victor. The original painting hangs today in the EMI Board Room. Strange as it may seem, the dog and the gramophone trademark was first used by the Berliner Gramophone Company in Canada in 1901. Eldridge Johnson used is a little later in 1902 and it did not appear on Gramophone Company products until 1909, which it displaced the “Recording Angel”. Since RCA and its successor BMG now have rights to the trademark usage in the US, EMI uses the recording angel in the US and Canada. JVC (the Japan Victor Company) has rights for its use in Japan.

3) I thought the January 1937 article on photographing television interesting. Note the photograph from the play “Marigold" which was broadcast the first week: you will see it in the listings.

4) You will find below the You Tube link to the BBC Film “Television Comes to London”. You will discover on the first evening's telecast at 9pm November 2, 1936. Look for Vladimir Zworykin's visit during the construction of the Alexandra Palace station.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pps6aWcvReA (part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbRPeRbZDIA (part 2)