Vision by Radio - Early Television Foundation

RADIO SERVICE TO THE EYE:Since the initiation of broadcasting, a veritablearmy of engineers have been devoting themselves tothe development of radio as a service to the ear.The author for several years has been, ratherlonesomely, devoting his efforts to the developmentof radio as a service to the eye.Incidentally it is suggested that there are undreamed of possibilities in radio in the unlimitedfrequencies above audibility, in which speed transmission is greatly accelerated by the tolerance ofeyesight, not possible in an appeal to the ear. Witness, the motion picture theatre screen upon which apicture is taken off and put back again forty-eighttimes per second without discovery by the eye while;the slightest error in a note in the orchestra isdetected at once and grates harshly on the ear.Just as the motion picture depends for success onthe fact that the eye is easily deceived, so in RadioVision the eye is fooled into the belief that it sees theradio picture as a whole, though in fact the eye seesat any one moment only the tiny spot of light bywhich, with almost lightning likespeed, the pictureis made up.Audio radio engineers have been working inthevery limited audio-frequency band below, say, tenthousand cycles, whereas the workable range wherelight instead of sound is employed goes away up tomillions of cycles. It is confidently predicted thatthe next great development in radio is in this area.When the "teloramaphone" is made generallyavailable, then pictures at the fireside sent fromdistant world points will be the daily source of news;the daily instructional class; and the evening'sentertainment; and equally the long day of the sickand shut-ins will be more endurable, and life in the39