Television in Great Britain

Abstract

The development of television in Great Britain is treated in this paper and a short historical background is given, tracing the development of television in Great Britain from 1929, when the British Broadcasting Corporation first gave the Baird Television Company facilities for experimental transmissions of low definition television from an ordinary broadcast station. In May, 1934, the Postmaster-General appointed a Committee to consider the development of television, and to report on the conditions under which any public service of television should be provided. The Committee recommended in 1935 that no low definition television service should be adopted for a regular public service, and was of the opinion that high definition television had reached such a standard as to justify the first steps being taken towards the early establishment of a public television service of this type. The British Broadcasting Corporation was entrusted with the development of this service. The paper then gives a brief technical description of the London television station, which is the practical effect the British Broadcasting Corporation has given to the Television Committee's recommendations. The station has been built at Alexandra Palace, some six miles north of the center of London. Two complete television systems were installed, one by Baird Television, Limited, and the other by the Marconi-E.M.I. Television Company, Limited. Each consists of studio and control room equipment and a vision transmitter. A third transmitter common to both systems provides the sound program.