1946 Why 405 lines?

[peter scott]

I know this topic has been discussed before but I was looking for the official enquiry/report leading to the decision and found an on-line copy of the Hankey Television Committee that was appointed as early as September 1943 to examine the question. I agree with the findings but I think it still makes interesting reading.

Here is the list of witnesses:

   

Peter

[ppppenguin]

Thanks for digging that out. The Hankey report is just one part of a big document covering all sorts of government affairs. pp167-189 are the Hankey Report.

It's interesting that they mention the US 525 line system but with no mention of the different frame rate. 625 lines was, I think, a post-war development.

[peter scott]

They do say that "the frequency of electricity supply in each case is not the same" so I guess they had thought about it.

Peter

[ppppenguin]

Japan is the nightmare case. Both 50Hz and 60Hz in the same country. Either use DC lighting or make sure the filaments were heavy enough to not give a noticeable 10Hz beat when making programmes in 50Hz areas.

[Mike Watterson]

The 1945 restart of TV in the UK was totally political and the only practical thing was to simply continue with pre-war 405 lines.

European / Russian 625 line transmissions started in 1948. As to when it was actually proposed by the Russians and others?
The 1946 405 lines was a typical egotistical political decision. Hardly anyone compared to radio had sets. Initially one transmitter in London and then a second in Birmingham. It was only a rich elite that could receive. People argue over how many sets from 1939 were actually operational or repairable. I think that misses the point.

There were huge shortages of materials and radio makers couldn't even get enough wood to meet their allocated permitted production. Hence sets in steel and perspex cabinets as well as Bakelite. Bakelite needed expensive to produce moulds/presses. So restarting UK TV before 1949 was crazy. Two volt battery valve sets still being released in 1949. A fifth of of the UK in 1948 didn't even have mains electricity!

Then from the late 1960s to 1985 the UK had the cost of dual transmission. Even Ireland politically made the decision to start TV with 405 in some regions, and 625 in others when they started on the 31st Dec 1961. Due to imported 405 sets for BBC (and later ITV) in Dublin and border areas.

The 1946 restart of TV in the UK was far too soon. It was 405 lines simply so that existing TV sets in existence in 1939 would work. The French also suffered with the NIH syndrome by going for 819 lines (I think about 441 before it closed due to WWII?). The Belgian 819 was totally crazy.
The USA didn't close their TV during the War, but ceased production of sets sometime after 1941. The post WWII 525 lines was a compromise to achieve at least 16mm news film quality, before that they had similar to pre-war French and German numbers of lines, 44x something. They also changed FM radio (pre war Band I) to Band II, 87.5 to 108 MHz in 1945. Germany started Band II, but maybe originally only up to 102 MHz in 1949 due to US, French, UK and Russians taking over German AM frequencies. So unlike UK which stupidly only simulcast from 1955 to nearly 1971 on VHF-FM and also only had BBC, despite starting ITV in 1955, the German VHF-FM was popular and the first portables were from 1952 or 1953 (EC something, DC90 then DF97 for VHF osc/mixer).

[peter scott]

The 1945 restart of TV in the UK was totally political

If we are to believe that the committee genuinely listened to and accepted the views of the witnesses then it was largely the decision of industry rather than a government edict.

Peter

[Mike Watterson]

What industry apart from EMI?
No-one had been making TVs since 1939. It was then a niche for very rich people.
It was still a rich person's niche. Ordinary people needed HP to buy a radio! There was no commercial sense to it. It was hard enough to get cabinet wood to meet permitted radio production. Zero TVs could be built without Government permission, nor could the broadcasting take place.

Everything was rationed and in short supply. It actually got worse for a while after VE and then VJ.

BTW, I meant 1946, not 1945.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationing_..._World_War

1945 to 1947 or 1948 Radio makers were not even able to produce their allocated production due to shortages.

[peter scott]

What industry apart from EMI?

3 from GEC Ltd
2 from Scophony Ltd
4 from STC Ltd
6 members of the Radio Industry Council
and J.L. Baird ???

Peter  

[Geordie McBoyne]

"A fifth of of the UK in 1948 didn't even have mains electricity!"
And four-fifths did have mains electricity.
Most 1946 TVs were pre-war designs. HMV 1804, Marconi VT50, Cossor 900 and Ekco TSC30. Pye B16T and Invicta TL39 was new.

Geordie McBoyne.

[Mike Watterson]

What industry apart from EMI?

3 from GEC Ltd
2 from Scophony Ltd
4 from STC Ltd
6 members of the Radio Industry Council
and J.L. Baird ???

Peter  

People either with vested interests in 405 or totally obsessed with restarting TV (Scophony Ltd and Baird). EMI had the largest investment in existing 405 line, which is why I mentioned them.