Versatile Multichannel Television Control Equipment

The production of high-definition television programs has necessitated the development of equipment which is particularly adapted to both the technical requirements of the system and the operating requirements of program presentation. This paper describes control-room apparatus which is suited to modern television program technique by its flexibility, ease of control, and dependability. The division and grouping of the operating controls and indicators are such as to co-ordinate the action of the several operators effectively, yet providing for a wide variety of effects and precision of control. Provision is made for switching cameras into and out of the line, fading up or down, and lap-dissolving any two channels in any order or type of change-over desired. The circuits used and the arrangement of equipment within the control room are such that the expansion of facilities (such as addition of new channels) can be accomplished without disturbing existing equipment. Improvement of program service by such expansion is expected in most installations because the initial equipment must be simplified as far as possible and yet be capable of continuous use at peak performance. Interesting features of the many components of a complete studio control setup are pointed out and described briefly. These include the pulse generator, video-frequency amplifiers, camera sweeps, channel and line monitors, picture-quality controls, control console, cue equipment, and audio-frequency equipment.