Principles of Television Engineering

PRIOR to the War, Great Britain had established a very advanced position in the application of radio communication to television broadcasting. The inauguration by the British Broadcasting Corporation of the London television station at Alexandra Palace in August 1936 marked the beginning of the first public television service in the world. Much scientific research and technical development in this subject were being actively pursued in several other European countries, and more particularly by various commercial organizations in the United States of America. Since the outbreak of war, the public development and application of television to broadcasting has been brought to a standstill in Great Britain, whereas the technique of the subject has continued to be very actively pursued in America during the past eighteen months. There is good reason to believe, however, that when happier times return, Great Britain will be able to recover a place in the front line of television broadcasting. A good deal of the technical work now being carried out for war purposes by radio engineers and physicists will probably find ready application to television problems when peace comes; while the recent demonstration given by Mr. J. L. Baird of television in natural colours indicates that the small amount of experimental work still in progress is already producing fruitful results.Principles of Television EngineeringBy Donald G. Pink. Pp. xii + 541. (New York and London: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1940.)