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The Story of Alan Blumlein

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The Story of Alan Blumlein Alan Dower Blumlein Of the men who were responsible for the development of the Marconi-EMI high-definition television system in the early 1930s, the name of Alan Dower Blumlein stands out. He was one of the most remarkable and significant engineers of the twentieth century. Yet, following his death in 1942, his work was shrouded in secrecy. He received neither obituary nor tributes. This article is based on Robert Alexander's book, which is the first comprehensive Blumlein biography hortly after 4.20 in the He simply found no need to be able afternoon on Sunday, 7 June to write. As with all things in his life S1942 — a glorious summer's up to this time, if he saw no need, he day, clear skies, warm sunshine and showed no interest. It was only perfect visibility for flying — a Halifax through sheer determination that Alan bomber crashed into the steep hillside Blumlein set himself the task of of a valley just north of the River learning to read detailed reference Wye near the village of Welsh books on his chosen subject, realising Bicknor in Herefordshire. All of its the need for this in order to advance eleven occupants were killed in the his passion for everything electrical. enormous fire that engulfed the aircraft on impact. After a slow start... Of the scientific personnel who died Blumlein's career initially took that day, Alan Dower Blumlein stands gradual steps. hi 1925, he co- out as possibly the greatest loss. "A published an elementary paper on national tragedy," one of his electrical principles in Wireless and later friend, Isaac Shoenberg, who Bernard colleagues would call it. At a time World. subsequently became Sir Isaac. Greenhead with when rapid advances were being Though presented the following Shoenberg was looking for an the prototype made in many fields of science, Alan year to the IEE, and subsequently engineer to design and construct a Emitron camera at Blumlein was, without doubt, one of awarded a Premium for the work, recording mechanism that would EMI Hayes, 1935. the most brilliant research and Blumlein would only return once to overcome the patent that Bell development engineers. the printed word to enlighten the Laboratories was imposing on Born in Hampstead in June 1903, world about his thinking. everybody in the record making Blumlein had graduated from City & Following a short but eventful business. Guilds in 1921 with a first-class career with Standard Telephones & Blumlein set about designing the degree in heavy electrical enginee- Cables, during which he applied for elements of a recording and ring. This in itself would not bear the first of his 128 patents, Alan reproducing system. By 1930, this mention were it not for the fact that. Blumlein applied for a position at The system had successfully bypassed the by the age of thirteen, the precocious Columbia Graphophone Company. Bell patent and went on to earn and often eccentric young Blumlein This was in early 1929. While at STC Columbia a fortune. could still not read or write. he would meet his employer, mentor One day in 1931, while at the TELEVISION June 2000 479 The Marconi-EMI PE A ?: , high-definition WHITE CARRILR television system ' transmitted T AA.,,q9,4:5S0.1 waveform. L•ri ::PC:iNALS SUPPRESSED f SIGNALS B FRAM( P...0.415 AT END OF EVEN FRAM1S tr? vSION SIGNALS stRPRessto SCNALS Ai L rap of 8 mbv.ie Putsts 4._-)00 FRAMES BLACK SYNCH — ut4E 4-0 2'03 -t- UNt :IttE Ift206 U utt re -t— Utqr re 24 cinema with his fiancée Doreen, accommodated the basic concept of Two companies stood out among Blumlein enquired of her if she had binaural sound using electronic those tendering systems for the noticed how the voice of the person circuitry and two loudspeakers. television service. Baird Television, on the screen only ever came from Unfortunately, it was so far ahead of founded by John Logie Baird, was one place. Not being of a technical its time, in 1931, that many of his one of them. He had persisted with a nature, Doreen said that she had not. colleagues at EMI did not realise its mechanical projection method. "Well, I have a way of making the full potential. EMI had been formed Despite its ingenuity this system voice follow the person", Blumlein earlier the same year when Columbia produced poor quality pictures and replied. and HMV had merged. was inflexible. This casual remark was the first Blumlein continued with this work The other company, Marconi-EMI, indication of the train of thought for several more years. He made the had decided to work with an all- which would lead to Alan Blumlein's first stereo recordings and also the electronic method of picture `Binaural Sound' patent — arguably first stereo films before binaural was transmission and reception. It his best — and certainly to become one shelved for technical reasons. involved cathode-ray-tube the most important advances in audio technology, which was then still in its engineering of the twentieth century. Quest to develop TV infancy. By this time, EMI had become Several seemingly insurmountable But humans have two ears! involved in the quest to develop a problems presented themselves to Binaural Sound is of course known television service. these pioneers. Not least of these was today as stereo. It works on the basis In 1934, the government formed a that in many cases the entire electrical that human beings have two ears committee to investigate the poteniial circuitry of the system needed to be which, because of their position at of television. This committee invented from scratch. each side of the head, receive sound at concluded that a British television Luckily, EMI possessed an slightly different times. service should be developed by the extraordinary set of individuals who, Alan Blumlein ingeniously end of 1936. as a engineering team, managed to invent, construct and demonstrate a fully working television system in the Chain Home now quite unbelievable period of just Chain Home was a series of 300-foot high radio transmission and reception towers fourteen months. which started to appear at strategic points along the coastline of Britain from late 1937. As leader of the team in charge of Eventually they stretched from Scotland in the North right around the coast as far as developing the circuitry for the new Cornwall. system, Alan Blumlein had possibly Constructed during the last few years of peace, the Chain Home system was finished the most exacting task. Yet from this just in time for the outbreak of war in September 1939. It played a vital role during the period of his life more than half of his Battle of Britain the following summer. 128 patents were to emerge, with The system gave enough of an early warning for the RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes to many of them critical to the eventual intercept with great accuracy and speed the attacking German aircraft as they 405-line television system that the approached. BBC adopted. November 1936 saw the start of a 480 June 2000 TELEVISION three month trial involving transmissions from Alexandra Palace. The Baird and Marconi-EMI systems transmitted on an alternate basis. By spring 1937, following the conclusion of the trial, the government and the BBC chose the Marconi-EMI system which had proved far superior to Baird's. Who invented television? It is a curious irony that to this day many consider John Logie Baird to be the inventor of the television. Baird never actually claimed this. His mechanical television technology proved to be impractical for a high- definition system. It was the team at EMI, whose numbers included Alan Blumlein, that should be given the credit for the `invention' of what we know as television. As a testimony to the team's work, 405-line transmissions actually Sir Robert Watson-Watt in early extraordinary engineer, but none was continued until 1986, much as they 1935. These experimental radio forthcoming. As time passed, those The prototype had during those first trials at detection finding systems were who knew him personally grew old Marconi-EMI Alexandra Palace some fifty years shrouded in great secrecy. They, and and died; and today but a few remain. transmitter being earlier. Originally, the 405-line their subsequent developments, had Imagine a world that did not have a assembled at EMI service was only intended to run for a led to the construction of the Chain record of Faraday, Whittle, Maxwell, Hayes, 1935, few years before being updated. Home system described in the panel. Edison or Bell. Given time, Alan before installation With war in Europe looming, much Dower Blumlein will receive the at Alexandra attention was being directed towards a Yet no obituary followed credit he deserves. It was for this Palace. method of early warning against his death reason that I wrote his biography. attack from the air. Following his death, Alan Blumlein's Without a doubt, Alan Blumlein is The first practical method of work was shrouded in secrecy. No one of the most brilliant engineers of electronic radio detection finding — or obituary appeared and no tribute was the twentieth century, and one that the Radar as it would eventually be given. For many years, various people twenty-first century will finally known — had been demonstrated by promised a biography of this most recognise. The Marconi-EMI system at the opening of the London Television Service, Monday, 2 November 1936. Left to Right: Lord Selsdon, chairman of the Television Committee; Major Tryon, Postmaster- General; R. C. Norman, chairman of BBC; Alfred Clark (standing) chairman of EMI.
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