BBC Helps Rank Cintel in This Edition of ENG Inf
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No. 10 - Autumn 1982 Please Circulate The Quarterly For BBC Engineering Staff BBC helps Rank Cintel In this edition of ENG INf BBC AND RANK CINTEL Page 1 THE MERRIMAN REPORT Page 2 Q I TRANSMITTERS OPENED \I I Page 2 EDITORIAL Page 2 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING CONVENTION 1982 Page 3 AUTOMATIC REVERBERATION TIMER Page 4 VIDEO ROSTRUM CAMERA Page 4 View of the prototype line-array telecine. HEADPHONE LlMITER On the eve of the International television cameras, domestic television Page 5 Broadcasting Convention in Brighton cameras based on their use are now came the announcement of two obtainable. However, it was recognised FIBRE OPTIC TRANSMISSIONS important agreements between the BBC from the outset that they could find an Page 6 and Rank Cintel. The first was the earlier application in the televising of result of a collaborative agreement for fIlms. This is because the motion of the LS 5/9 LOUDSPEAKER Research Department to conduct film as it runs through the telecine can Page 6 research into improvements into fIlm be used to provide one of the two transmission techniques as applied to television scans; thus a simpler solid- TYPE 5 CMCR telecine machines. This has resulted in state sensor, consisting only 0 f a single Page 7 some novel features that will be Hne of around 1000 picture elements can be used, as compared with a two- incorporated into Rank Cintel STEREO TV SOUND machines. The second agreement allows dimensional array of nearer 0.5 million Page 7 for the manufacture under licence of elements which would be required for the studio stills store (described in Eng television camera applications. ELECTRONIC TEST CARD F Inf No. 8) and now to be marketed Although the flying-spot scanning Page 8 under the name of "Slide File". method using a CRT and photo- Line-Array Telecine multipliers is preferred for post- Engineers at Kingswood Warren production work, the latest line-array have been conducting research into the sensors are capable of producing broad- use of solid.state image sensors in cast quality pictures and offer several broadcasting since the end of 1972. advantages over camera-type and flying- Although solid-state sensors have still spot systems: not found a place in broadcast-quaHty 'continued on Page 8' 'ENG INF' Autumn 1982 - Page 1 Editorial Merriman The reputation and standing of the BBC engineers has, once again, been Report enhanced by their contributions at the Earlier this year in June, the recent International. Broadcasting Home Secretary, in a written Parlia- Convention. Hardly any delegate or mentary reply, set up an independent visitor could fail to be impressed by the review of the radio frequency spectrum high standard of technical papers or from 30-960 MHz. quality of engineering exhibits. This As part of the review he charged hard won reputation should be guarded the Chairman, Dr. J .H.H. Merriman CB, closely, and not allowed to slip. The OBE, F.Eng. and his committee, introduction of cable television, and Air Vice Marshal, A. Foden CB, CBE additional satellite channels in the and P.M. Vine, Esq., CBE, DL, to make . L..c.\1i'wE., (,.\-1(.., Q,f\'r1'E::,(t.,'1._' not too distant future will undoubted- a recommendation with some urgency fC-a::'fAG\.., .._ \ ly provide a challenge to the BBC. by September 1982 on the future IBC always produces its lighter usage of tv Bands I and Ill. moments amongst the serious discuss- The Committee recently reported ions. Somecne suggested that the back to the Home Secretary, and the Transmitters 1/20th scale model of L-Sat, being used substance of their recommendations to demonstrate our involvement in DBS, were that;- Opened be made to rotate; the air-draught thus (i) Continuing, even acceler- caused could be used to cool the ating, demand for spectrum space The following uhf relay stations exhibits (and staff) down. Congrat- requires the maximum exploitation of have opened since July: ulations must be extended to Don emerging alternative technologies Polperro, Cornwall Kershaw for winning, of all things, a wherever practicable and major changes Aislaby, North Yorkshire VHS recorder in a competition on the to current usage. Ogbourne St. George, Wiltshire Ampex stand! (ii) Bands I and Ill, with their Hart/and, Devon Stereo Sound particular propagation and coverage Mevagissey, Cornwall For some time both viewers and qualities, should increasingly provide Bossiney, Cornwall industry alike have been asking when the main radio frequency spectrum Swimbridge, Devon the BBC would start stereo sound trans- areas of exploitation for a combination Boscast/e, Cornwall missions with television (see elsewhere of mobile services and services in Over Norton, Oxon in this edition). It must be emphasized operational support of broadcasting, Holmfield, West Yorkshire that the experiments now taking place with priority when necessary for mobile Hang/eton, East Sussex are just that. There is absolutely no services. Rye, East Sussex guarantee that this system, or any other, (iii) Britain's television broadcast- Wootton Courtenay, Somerset will be adopted by the BBC. Everyone ing services (whether for picture or text) Micklefield, Bucks will just have to be patient and await are likely to be best served to the end of Orton, Cumbria the outcome of the Research Depart- the Century by maximum exploitation Afon Dyfi, Powys ment experiments. of, and earlier concentration of Thurso, Highland Engineering Ties resources upon, the emerging combin- Banff, Grampian ations of uhf, satellite and cable For those engineers who are . Strathblane, Central interested, Designs Department have services. Ness of Lewis, West Isles (Highland) just produced a "BBC Engineering" tie. In implementing this strategy, Dumfries South, Dumfries & Galloway They are available in blue or maroon, they recommended:- Largs, Strathclyde and feature the BBC logo, engineering (iv) 405 line tv services be Vhf lion logo, and the word "engineering" closed by the end of 1984; Exeter, St. Thomas, Devon woven onto the background. They cost (v) a revised mobile radio £2.75, and can be obtained by writing frequency allocation plan be developed to me at 701 Hemy Wood House, in consultation with manufacturers and stating colour preference. The next users by the end of 1983; ... batch will take about six weeks to (vi) a revised broadcast ancillary manufacture and deliver. services radio frequency allocation plan Alan Lafferty be developed in consultation with communication links, had been recog- Broadcasting Authorities by the end of nised. The lack of available ancillary 1983, service frequencies could seriously In responding to the report, the affect the cover given to important BBC regretted the recommendation that national events. ENG INF 1983 television broadcasting should be with- The recommendation for earlier The final dates for sending stories drawn from Band I and III for all time. than planned closure of Band I and III for inclusion in Eng Inf are as shown. Although there is no identifiable stations will mean a loss of service to Engineers with information should demand for broadcasting in these Bands, viewers in remote areas who are still contact Alan Lafferty on LBH 5432 or pressure could develop for local or area dependent upon vhf signals. Many of Room 701 HWH. broadcasting that could only be accom- these viewers will eventually be able to Spring -March 4th modated in these Bands. receive uhf signals off air from newly Summer -June 3rd However, the BBC was pleased to constructed relay stations. However, Autumn -September 2nd note that the importance of broadcast- there will be some time when they will Winter -November 25th ing ancillary, services such as OB be deprived of a service entirely. Page 2 - 'ENC INF' Autumn 1982 INTERNATIONAL IBC BROACCASTING B2 CONVENTION BRIGHTON 18-21 September 1982 on the seafront was used to demonstrate an automatic reverberation timer developed by Research Department. Many of the equipments featured by Designs Department on the exhibition stand were available for licence by British manufacturers. The ME3/502 TV waveform analyser (see Eng Inf No. 8) was coupled to a digital fibre-optic link, and visitors were able to test both exhibits simultaneously. The 2kW Band II amplifier, recently licensed to Eddystone Radio Ltd., dominated one corner of the exhibition, and The crowded BBC stand created much interest. Also of interest were the generation of electronic graphics used, for example, as the open- ing sequence for TV News, or the Open University rotating symbol. Elsewhere the potential of "Editrace", the two machine video tape editing equipment was demonstrated. A practical demon- stration of headphone limiting equip- ment allowed visitors to hear for them- selveshow the equipment worked. Engineering Training Department creat~d considerable interest in their colour TV training package, with many enquiries from visitors from the UK and abroad.. BBC engineers played an and Designs Departments. On the promenade SCPD were important part in the 9th International Details of the exhibits are given demonstrating the last of the Type 5 Broadcasting Convention (IBC) held, elsewhere in Eng Inf, but are sum- CMCRs to be manufactured. Television once again, in Brighton from September marised here. OBs demonstrated the potential of their 18th to 21st. Seventeen papers, From Research Department came mobile satellite ground station; the covering technical subjects from solid- a demonstration of high-quality text design has just been licensed to state sensors to satellite broadcasting, used to demonstrate improvements in Marconi and will now be made available were read by engineers from specialist alpha-numeric fonts. The studio stills to other broadcasters. Radio OBs and operational departments. Review- store, recently licenced for manufacture demonstrated one of their two mobile ing the impact of new broadcasting by Rank Cintel Ltd., and borrowed studios. Inside the control room were a technology on future broadcast services, from Television Centre for the pair of the new LS 5/9 monitor loud- Charlie Sandbank (HRD) spoke at some exhibition, was used to demonstrate speakers for visitors to appraise.