On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 13:18:28 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote:

Sigh. The ceramic resonators were used as a chroma trap. Quartz
crystals were used for the color reference. As far as 'Never The Same
Color', network programing was carried across the US on buried coaxial
cables or by microwave relays. Unlike tiny European countries, we
couldn't broadcast from a singe site. Because of this, they were video
amplifiers and equalizers spaced at regular intervals. Because it was
mostly tube, and there were thousands of them in each network they
required constant maintenance. When the network switched to a
different feed from a different studio, there was a phase difference.
temperature changes on the coax caused it's properties to change, as
well. That was why VIR and VITS were developed. It allowed for
automatic equalization to compensate for temperature changes, or when a
signal had to be rerouted. There were a lot of redundant paths, to
allow for equipment failures, or live remote feeds in the days before
STL equipment. The flexibility of the system was proven when Bell
Telephone technicians tied every TV station in the country together in
a couple hours, to allow full, live coverage of the assignation of
President Kennedy. I was at school when it was announced over the PA
system. Less than an hour later, all the students were in the
auditorium watching the news coverage live. By using some spare
equipment and knowing the system inside out, they were able to adapt it
to a use it wasn't designed for, with no permanent changes.

This is basically backwards. The US had high quality, phase-linear
transmission systems. Europe did not. The problem with NTSC was sloppy
studio standards.

Lots of TV programming was not in color here until 1967. I remember an
old Soap called Dark Shadows. I remember when they first started airing
in color. Must have had problems because they when between B&W and color
almost every other daily episode for weeks.



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Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Pretty Corpse