The Achievement of Television: The Quality and Features of John Logie Baird’s System in 1926

Abstract

In January 1926, John Logie Baird gave what was considered at the time to be the first public demonstration of television. The image quality that people experienced can only be guessed; no details were released of the equipment and published reports were vague and inconsistent. Historians since then have been unable to add to the understanding and occasionally have confused the story through assumptions that are inconsistent with the available facts.

This paper explores the period around Baird’s first demonstration in detail using a new in-depth analysis of the original Baird equipment now in museums, and a new contextual analysis of the original published material. It describes the most likely status of Baird’s television system in use in early 1926 and the likely quality of what people experienced.

Keywords:

• John Logie Baird
• television
• opto-mechanical
• televisor
• BBC
• Science Museum
• Royal Institution demonstration
• Nipkow disc

Acknowledgements

Thanks go to John Liffen and Charlotte Connolly of the Science Museum for access to the 1926 Televisor, Iain Logie Baird of the National Media Museum and Clare Colvin of the Royal Television Society for photographic permissions, Peter Smith for his analysis of the Baird ‘Double-8’ equipment and Jane Harrison of the Royal Institution for access to the RI’s Archives.

Notes

1 R. W. Burns, Television: An International History of the Formative Years (London: IEE, 1998), pp. 78–100.

2 C. F. Jenkins, Radiomovies, Radiovision, Television (Washington, DC: Jenkins Laboratories, 1929), p. 204.

3 W. Taynton, ‘The First Television Subject’, in Television (March 1929), p. 38; J. L. Baird, Television and Me: The Memoirs of John Logie Baird (Edinburgh: Mercat Press, 2004), p. 58.

4 Anon., ‘The “Televisor” Successful Test of New Apparatus’, in The Times, 28 January 1926, p. 9c.

5 T. H. Bridgewater, ‘Baird and Television’, John Logie Baird Memorial Lecture, Glasgow: The Royal College of Science & Technology, 1959, p. 14.

6 The Times, 28 January 1926 (as n. 4).

7 D. K. Jackson, Comment on Baird’s documentation skills, private letter to author, 14 September 1983.

8 Bridgewater, p. 8; A. Abramson, The History of Television, 1880 to 1941 (USA: McFarland, 1987), p. 84; R. W. Burns, John Logie Baird, Television Pioneer (London: IEE, 2000), pp. 104–07; A. Kamm and M. Baird, John Logie Baird (Edinburgh: NMS Publishing, 2002), p. 70; J. D. Percy, John L Baird. The Founder of British Television in Television (Supplement) (Television Society, March 1950), pp. 3–19; P. Waddell, ‘The Frith Street Connexion’, in Journal of the Royal Television Society (February 1986), pp. 38–39.

9 Baird; Burns (2000); Kamm.

10 M. Ritchie, Please Stand By. A Prehistory of Television (The Overlook Press: 1994), pp. 24–25.

11 A. A. C. Swinton, ‘Television’, in The Times, 16 December 1929, p. 8c.

12 L. De Forest, Television Today and Tomorrow (New York: The Dial Press, 1942), p. 28.

13 B. Winston, Media Technology and Society (London: Routledge, 1998), p. 96.

14 G. Shiers, ‘The Rise of Mechanical Television, 1901–1930’, in SMPTE Journal (June 1981), pp. 508–21.

15 P. Nipkow, ‘Elektrisches Teleskop’, German Patent 30105, 6 January 1884.

16 J. L. Baird, ‘Television’, in Experimental Wireless & The Wireless Engineer, iii.39 (1926), 730–39.

17 P. Waddell, W. V. Smith and J. Sanderson, ‘John Logie Baird and the Falkirk Transmitter’, in Wireless World (January 1976), pp. 43–46.

18 Science Museum, File Sc.M. 2137: Acquisitions from the Baird Company, in Acquisitions (1926 onwards), ref. 2137/1/1.

19 Report, E. G. Stewart, ‘Television’, Gas Light and Coke Company, 1926.

20 Kamm, p. 70.

21 Baird (2004), p. 58.

22 Baird (1926), pp. 730–39.

23 A. Dinsdale, ‘Television: Some Particulars of the Baird Apparatus’, in The Electrical Review, 5 November 1926, p. 748.

24 A. Dinsdale, Television (London: Television Press, 1928), p. 73 (Selfridge) and p. 78 (true televison).

25 Private Communication, P. Smith to D. F. McLean, Operation of the Selfridge’s Apparatus (May 2013).

26 E. T. Larner, Practical Television (London: Ernest Benn Ltd, 1928), pp. 132–34.

27 Baird (2004), p. 56.

28 Ibid., p. 57.

29 M. Aldridge, The Birth of British Television (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), p. 21.

30 D. R. Campbell, ‘Recognising Faults in Television Images’, in Television (November 1931), pp. 338–41.

31 D. F. McLean, Restoring Baird’s Image (London: IEE, 2000), pp. 165–67.

32 Burns (2000), p. 106.

33 Baird (1926), p. 736.

34 K. D. Rogers, ‘Progress with Television. The Baird and Belin Claims’, in Popular Wireless and Wireless Review, viii.193, 6 February 1926, p. 1293.

35 Science Museum, ref. 2137/6/2.

36 Waddell (1986).

37 H.W.E., ‘Demonstration of the Baird System of Television at the Daily Mail Schoolboys’ Exhibition — January, 1931’, in Television (February 1931), p. 501.

38 S. Moseley and H. J. B. Chapple, Television Today and Tomorrow (London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1931), facing p. 2.

39 Baird (1926), pp. 730–39.

40 Lafayette, ‘L122566, L122567 and L122568’, in The Lafayette Collection (Victoria & Albert Museum, 1926).

41 Anon., ‘Baird Televisor System’, in The Electrician, xcvi.2508, 25 June 1926, p. 672.

42 Baird (1926), p. 737.

43 H. de A. Donisthorpe, ‘Some Notes on Television’, in Radio (August 1926), p. 9.

44 D. F. McLean, ‘Computer-Based Analysis and Restoration of Baird 30-Line Television Recordings’, in Journal of the Royal Television Society, 22.2 (April 1985), 87–94.

45 R. F. Tiltman, Television for the Home (London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd, 1927), p. 44.

46 Kamm, p. 70.

47 R. M. Herbert, ‘J L Baird’s Scanning Discs’, in Baird Company Archive (14 February 1996).

48 R. M. Herbert, ‘J L Baird’s Early Television Equipment 1925–28’, in Baird Company Archive (June 1993), p. 2.

49 J. L. Baird, ‘Transmission of views, scenes or images to a distance’, UK Patent 269658, 20 January 1926.

50 Abramson, pp. 83–84.

51 J. Swift, Adventure in Vision (London: Lehmann, 1950), p. 35.

52 Taynton.

53 Anon., ‘I saw the Birth of British T.V.’, in The Dundee Evening Telegraph, 10 August 1959, p. 5.

54 A. Briggs, The Golden Age of Wireless (Oxford University Press: 1965), pp. 524–25.

55 Aldridge, p. 21.

56 Letter, A. A. C. Swinton to W. Bragg, Royal Institution CG1c/1: 31 May 1928.

57 Letter correspondence, W. Bragg — J. L. Baird, Royal Institution CG1c/1–8: 31 May to 7 June 1928.

58 The Times (1926) (as n. 4).

59 Anon., ‘Living Scenes Broadcast’, in Daily Chronicle, London, 27 January 1926.

60 W. C. Fox, ‘A Love of Scientific Adventures and Where it Leads’, in Television (April 1928), pp. 18–21.

61 G. Shiers, ‘Television 50 Years Ago’, in Journal of Broadcasting, 19 (1975), 393–94.

62 Kamm, p. 70.

63 Manuscript, J. D. Percy, ‘The Vision Machines’, unpublished, 1979.

64 Tiltman, p. 39.

65 Fox.

66 Burns (2000), p. 107.

67 Donisthorpe.

68 R. W. Burns, British Television: The Formative Years (London: Peter Peregrinus Ltd, 1986), p. 53.

69 Stewart (1926), p. 4.

70 Ibid., p. 4.

71 B. Norman, Here’s Looking at You (London: BBC/Royal Television Society, 1984), p. 67.