On Tue, 24 Dec 2002 08:43:08 -0000, "Julian Davies"
<julian_davies@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Trying to distance this from the Logie Baird debate....
My understanding is that the NTSC was a branch of the NPL at Teddington.
Oh, I don't think so! It just so happens I took time out from uni to
work for the BBC when they were doing limited trials of a 405 line
NTSC system. The line structure was very coarse but the monitors we
used were well set up and the "off-air" signal was literally from
"next door", so no phase errors to worry about.
The
UK rejected the results of their deliberations as inadequate, and quietly
abandoned the whole idea until the Germans (primarily) came up with
PAL.Meanwhile RCA took on the NTSC system, and implemented it as the only
available system, despite the same concerns over quality.
It certainly was some time after that when proper broadcasting began,
using a 625 line PAL system. Part of the delay was also because a core
network of UHF transmitters had to be established to supplement and
replace the VHF ones, with a sufficient "dual standard" time to allow
the older VHF receivers to become life expired. In fact a lot of
monochrome dual standard (405 line VHF, 625 line UHF) sets were made
during those years.
A major issue that restricted colour TV technology on both sides of
the pond was the need for compatibility: monochrome sets must render a
good monochrome picture from colour transmissions and vice-versa. Both
NTSC and PAL systems did quite well with this issue, but it is
interesting to speculate what might have been if this requirement had
not been present.
Nadolig Llawen
John Gruffydd (Mold, Wales, UK)