Behind the scenes of experimental colour transmission – January 1957
On August 22, 2013
- TV History
The Marconi BD 848 Color Camera, Rare Video
In a recent conversation with Chuck Pharis, I discovered that RCA had sold Marconi the rights to make their own version of the TK30 which became the Marconi Mark I. I suspect they also sold them the rights to make a TK41 as well, which became the BD 848. In this rare video, you can see the 848 in action at one of the first color transmission tests at the BBC, January 31, 1957. A lot of the chat is a bit dry, but the cameras appear several times throughout this short clip. Even the insides look exactly like the TK41. Enjoy!
Excellent clip. It shows that the BD-848 camera head even had the same arrangement of circular air vents on the back and left side as the TK41. There are also several closeup shots of the operational panel of the BD848. It looks quite different from the TK-41 CCU in Mr Pharis’s collection. I wonder how much of the circuitry may have differed, particularly considering the cameras were operating in 405 line 50Hz field rate.