Comments on: A Requiem For Analog TV http://televisingtherevolution.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/a-requiem-for-analog-tv/ An occasional compendium of useful information without technobabble. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:19:31 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Martin C. http://televisingtherevolution.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/a-requiem-for-analog-tv/#comment-8 Martin C. Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:07:50 +0000 http://televisingtherevolution.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/a-requiem-for-analog-tv/#comment-8 This isn’t the first time the FCC has threatened to make existing TV sets obsolete (or at least incompatible). This happened before with the development of color television when the CBS color system (aka field sequential color system) was slated to become the national standard. There were 2 major hindrances to the acceptance of the CBS system (which many say was a far superior system). Firstly, the system required synchronized rotating color wheels be used in front of the TV camera as well as the TV receiver’s screen. I’m sure that if this system had been put into use nationally, an all electronic version would have come about in short order. The other and possibly bigger hindrance to the acceptance of the CBS color system was the fact that the system wasn’t compatible with the existing NTSC system. The CBS system would necessitate that a fairly inexpensive converter be used in order to see television images on “old” B&W TVs. This incompatibility was touted aggressively by David Sarnoff/RCA/NBC as they tried every way they could think of to stall the coming of color TV (even taking things to the Supreme Court). The FCC had initially decided that the field sequential color system (aka CBS color system) would be the accepted standard for the US in 1950, but with the stalling tactics of Sarnoff et al, they were ultimately able to have their inferior, though compatible, dot sequential color system (still the current standard) made the standard by 1953. This was due in large part to the fact that by this time there were so many B&W sets in use that the FCC was reluctant to make all of these sets obsolete. Now existing analog TV’s are being made obsolete with the coming of digital TV and no one’s squawked. Hmmm……. BTW, the decision to use the RCA color system I feel also helped to significantly hinder the spread of color TV. After the initial excitement of color broadcasts in late 1953 and sales of color TV sets beginning in 1954, the spread of color stalled and actually declined somewhat even with yearly predictions by David Sarnoff of the bright future of color TV. In reality, the RCA color system was inferior and sets were very costly (“mechanical” color sets using the CBS system would have cost less). It wasn’t until the late 60’s that network television had completely converted to color. This isn’t the first time the FCC has threatened to make existing TV sets obsolete (or at least incompatible). This happened before with the development of color television when the CBS color system (aka field sequential color system) was slated to become the national standard. There were 2 major hindrances to the acceptance of the CBS system (which many say was a far superior system). Firstly, the system required synchronized rotating color wheels be used in front of the TV camera as well as the TV receiver’s screen. I’m sure that if this system had been put into use nationally, an all electronic version would have come about in short order. The other and possibly bigger hindrance to the acceptance of the CBS color system was the fact that the system wasn’t compatible with the existing NTSC system. The CBS system would necessitate that a fairly inexpensive converter be used in order to see television images on “old” B&W TVs. This incompatibility was touted aggressively by David Sarnoff/RCA/NBC as they tried every way they could think of to stall the coming of color TV (even taking things to the Supreme Court). The FCC had initially decided that the field sequential color system (aka CBS color system) would be the accepted standard for the US in 1950, but with the stalling tactics of Sarnoff et al, they were ultimately able to have their inferior, though compatible, dot sequential color system (still the current standard) made the standard by 1953. This was due in large part to the fact that by this time there were so many B&W sets in use that the FCC was reluctant to make all of these sets obsolete.

Now existing analog TV’s are being made obsolete with the coming of digital TV and no one’s squawked. Hmmm…….

BTW, the decision to use the RCA color system I feel also helped to significantly hinder the spread of color TV. After the initial excitement of color broadcasts in late 1953 and sales of color TV sets beginning in 1954, the spread of color stalled and actually declined somewhat even with yearly predictions by David Sarnoff of the bright future of color TV. In reality, the RCA color system was inferior and sets were very costly (“mechanical” color sets using the CBS system would have cost less). It wasn’t until the late 60’s that network television had completely converted to color.

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