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November 1963 Radio-Electronics
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Radio-Electronics,
published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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 In this 1963 issue of
Radio-Electronics magazine, editor Hugo Gernsback reflects on the early
days of television, noting that the first regular daily TV broadcast began on
August 13, 1928, over radio stations WRNY and W2XAL, which were associated with
his former publication, Radio News. Initially, these broadcasts were
silent, featuring only moving images the size of a postage stamp, and it wasn't
until 1931 that TV broadcasts included sound. Gernsback critiques the slow
progress in improving the audio quality of television receivers, pointing out
that despite advancements in high-fidelity and stereo audio technology, most TV
sets still lacked these features due to regulatory restrictions by the FCC. He
expresses hope that recent petitions to the FCC to allow stereo audio broadcasts
will succeed, enabling the production of TV sets with advanced sound systems.
Gernsback envisions future TV sets with adjustable, high-quality audio systems
tailored to the acoustics of individual rooms, facilitated by a proposed
multi-audio-tester to scientifically assess sound quality, drawing parallels to
the precision of modern camera technology.
Television and Sound
... Future TV Instrumentation Will Change Radically ...
by Hugo Gernsback
When daily programmed broadcast TV first started on Aug. 13, 1928, it was done
over a regulation radio broadcast station, WRNY (326 meters), and W2XAL (short wave
30.91 meters). These stations belonged to the writer's former publication Radio
News. This was "The first regular, daily, television broadcast service the world
has known," according to the September 1928 number of Radio News. The newspapers
at that time - 35 years ago - ran their first daily TV programs beginning August
21.
The New York Times of Aug. 13, 1928, heralded the new event with a front-page
story, of which the following is a short excerpt:
" ... The television broadcasting scheduled to begin today will be made a part
of WRNY's usual programs, Mr. Gernsback said. After a singer or other entertainer
has finished, his or her face will be sent out over the air by television. Thus
the schedule for the television will be the same as for the regular broadcasting
of this station ... "
Note particularly that in 1928 TV had no sound - it was completely soundless.
The picture in motion was there - as large as a postage stamp - but it ran in majestic
silence.
There are those critics today - and their number probably runs into the millions
- who look back to those halcyon and nostalgic days of 1928 television, and perhaps
wish that the later accompanying sound had never been invented! Indeed, full TV
and simultaneous emissions over a broadcast station did not evolve until 1931.
It seems anachronistic to us that after 32 years of TV with sound, there has
been so little improvement in the regulation modern TV receiver. For many years
now we have had excellent high-fidelity reproduction, stereo and every audio improvement
one could think of outside of our TV receiver.
But most television receivers still to a large extent remain the "sound" stepchild
of the industry! There are few commercial TV sets that have hi-fi equipment and
stereo incorporated in a single cabinet.
It is only fair to state here that, up to now, the Federal Communication Commission
has not allowed television stations to transmit stereo audio. It is mainly for that
reason that TV receivers have rarely been equipped with stereo.
Last October, however, General Electric petitioned the FCC to allow stereo audio
to be broadcast from TV stations. We hope the move succeeds.
It is conceivable that the industry could soon bring out TV receivers with the
most up-to-date sound equipment. Admittedly, such high-grade musical instruments
will not sell as readily as the present-day mass-produced "lame-ear" sets, but we
honestly believe that there is a large and growing market for hi-fi, stereo TV today.
We all agree that such sets will be expensive at first, but we are also sanguine
that the public will buy them. If music lovers are avid for hi-fi and stereo equipment,
why should they not welcome it combined with a TV set?
Admittedly, many attempts have been made in this direction. A few sets with multiple
loudspeakers simulate hi-fi and stereo, but the experts tell us that they leave
too much wanting. They also know that if the sound is a "live" broadcast the quality,
and therefore the placement of the musical instruments, must start at the TV station.
One cannot receive a brilliant concert from a TV receiver if the brilliance does
not originate at the transmitter. Hence it would be useless to build expensive sound
receivers if the stations did not reform their transmissions first. This seems elementary,
but it is not the whole story.
In our estimation we do not as yet possess the necessary instrument to judge
scientifically the quality, the timbre, the brilliance, the sonority and the correct
volume of the reproduced sound. Today, "we play it by ear." But most people's ears
are far from perfect - hardly ever are both ears alike acoustically. Hence what
is one music connoisseur's excellent reproduction is another's audio flatness.
With today's advances in audio electronics, it should not be too difficult to
design at reasonable cost a multi-audio-tester that does for audio what a modern
automatic light-exposure meter does for a luxury camera, when held 6 or 10 feet
from the receiver. It is gratifying to note that steps in this direction have already
been taken.
At the present time, most of our TV receivers still have fixed loudspeakers.
We can visualize a future TV cabinet with removable and mobile speakers at both
sides behind normally concealed doors. Such loudspeakers with attached flexible
cords could be extended from the cabinet and placed in the best locations for maximum
performance. At least one manufacturer has marketed a TV-FM radio-phono console
with a similar arrangement.
Another future requirement for loudspeakers will be their audio adjustability.
Loudspeakers should be able to be adjusted to fit their environment.
In the recently opened New York Philharmonic Hall, suspended from the ceiling
are 214 six-cornered sound reflectors, which can be raised or lowered to alter the
sound characteristics of the hall. Conversely, the loudspeakers of the future high-performance
TV receivers must be adjustable audio-electronically to the room's sound characteristics.
No two rooms are alike audio-metrically. The ceiling, the walls, the floor, the
furniture, the windows, the drapes, window shades, the placement of the receiver
and loudspeakers, all are acoustic variables. For this reason, speakers must be
placed and balanced for the optimum acoustic degree of the room. And this in turn
requires a multi-audio-tester which we mentioned before.
This may all seem complex and difficult to attain. We assure you it is not, once
the right instrumentalities have been evolved. Correct and efficient engineering
has always overcome apparently impossible tasks - it will do so in this instance,
too.
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