A Genuine Rarity & Some NEW NBC Color History
A Genuine Rarity & Some NEW NBC Color History
This rare photo shows the RCA engineers that were charged with the design and creation of the TK40. Many others (who’s work was part of the development of live color systems) were involved, but when it came to putting all of that into a final product ready for production (in Camden), the job fell to these men in Princeton. Here is the team with the original engineering model.
Notice a few things…first, it is RCA’s umber gray and second, it has a focus knob at the right rear. Now for the educated guessing part of this post. I suspect this was built in the summer of 1951 while the “coffin cameras” were being tested at NBC 3H. On July 9, 1951 RCA did a remote with one of the 3 “coffin cameras” from Palisades Park (right photo). The black camera got so hot it nearly went out…it was decided then and there these cameras had to be silver to reflect the suns heat. Ergo, all production models would be silver. Notice in the Palisades Park photo, the side mounted focus knob is in use. Feedback from the cameramen using the “coffin cameras” was that it was so big and heavy, they needed more control, so, taking a trick from the old Iconoscope playbook, RCA made the right pan handle the focus demand just like it was on the old pre TK cameras.
In recent research, I have learned from several sources* that The Colonial Theater was actually converted to color and equipped with the first 4 TK40 production models by November of 1952 which is a year earlier than most historians had thought. Although the historic color “firsts” would not start till early fall of ’53, I am now positive that full blown closed circuit color testing was going on at The Colonial starting in November of ’52. After these first 4 TK40s were delivered to The Colonial, I’m pretty sure RCA did not build more until at least a year later. I think they put the cameras through their paces, made adjustments and improvements and only then did they begin work in Camden to build the 40, and actually only 28 TK40s were ever made and April 1954 is the first time they were sold. The TK41 came on line later in 1954 with more upgrades.
* The sources include “Radio Age”, “Broadcasting Magazine” and NBC historical papers just made available.
…as the text above mentions, color experimental viewing was in 1953, 54, I still vaguely recall my Dad taking my brother and I to a Southwestern Bell ( at&t ) building for a demonstration of color television ..very impressive ! !
Here is My 1952/3 TK-40. It was painted blue (used by NBC). Mine has a black turret. This is how I got the camera. The early optics were changed out later by NBC to TK-41C optics and so was the View Finder. It is currently under full restoration. I also have the support equipment shown in the right slant rack but I am missing the 2 lower metered units.
When the Brazilian entrepreneur Mr. Francisco de Assis Chateaubriand was at the headquarters of RCA to buy the equipment for the first television station in Brazil, Mr. David Sarnoff showed him the first experiments with color television. Mr. Chateaubriand, very intemperate man, was very nervous, tore the contracts already signed, and said: -“Mr. Sarnoff, you tricked me! I want to buy color equipment! I have money for it! You want to sell me old stuff!” Mr. Sarnoff calmed Mr. Chateaubriand, explaining that color TV was not yet a reality. Worse for the office of Mr. Sarnoff, who had to type the contracts again …
Me too.
please write a book!!!