05-02-2019, 07:57 AM
Steve, thanks for that very comprehensive summary. To get any further than this would require some significant research in several national broadcaster and PTT archives. While the engineers and politicians who set the RF parameters had many differences in what they thought was best at least those on the video side settled solidly on 625 (with 819 and 405 exceptions). As a result, there was full interchange capability between all 50Hz countries without standards conversion.
The French 819 system must have suffered quite badly when videotape was introduced in 1956. Although 4 standard Quadruplex machiines were available (the Ampex VR2000 was 405/525/625/819) I'm pretty sure that they couldn't achieve anything like good performance with 10mHz video BW.
Steve has examined the question of protectionism in the supply of hardware. This is basically means receivers since the amount of studio equipment is relatively small and mostly adaptable to the different standards. I don't know if there was an unintended consequence of protectionism in programme material. Optical conversion was always possible. I don't know if ORTF followed the BBC in devising electronic 819<> 625 conversion. In any case, there must have been practical solutions. I have a distinct memory of seeing an episode of the Forsyte Saga in Brussels on 819 lines. Date would have been the late 1960s. I don't know if this was on French or Belgian TV. Reception wasn't very good but I remember the line whistle as inaudible.
The French 819 system must have suffered quite badly when videotape was introduced in 1956. Although 4 standard Quadruplex machiines were available (the Ampex VR2000 was 405/525/625/819) I'm pretty sure that they couldn't achieve anything like good performance with 10mHz video BW.
Steve has examined the question of protectionism in the supply of hardware. This is basically means receivers since the amount of studio equipment is relatively small and mostly adaptable to the different standards. I don't know if there was an unintended consequence of protectionism in programme material. Optical conversion was always possible. I don't know if ORTF followed the BBC in devising electronic 819<> 625 conversion. In any case, there must have been practical solutions. I have a distinct memory of seeing an episode of the Forsyte Saga in Brussels on 819 lines. Date would have been the late 1960s. I don't know if this was on French or Belgian TV. Reception wasn't very good but I remember the line whistle as inaudible.
www.borinsky.co.uk Jeffrey Borinsky www.becg.tv
