yagosaga
06-29-2005, 10:18 AM
Here is an article from a German lifetime journal ("hobby") with the first public reactions to the introduction of color tv in 1967. It deals with PAL sets but if one didn't know that it is reporting PAL color tv system one may argue that it deals with NTSC:
How good are our color tv sets? "hobby" tests color tv 1967
Mrs. Fendel turns the control knobs of her new color television set - with the success that the screen remains without any picture for the rest of the evening. Mrs. Fendel does not know how to operate the push buttons and knobs. On the next day, when she called the tv serviceman, the knobs and buttons were set into the correct positions.
Certainly, the German "Bild" newspaper wrote with respect to the color television premiere on August, 25th: "It is wonderful to watch tv in different colors!" However, for some tv watchers the screen was overloaded with colors. Apart from high price the critics complain
- about the complicated operation which is not already simple by the black-and-white devices. Now with the color still two controls* were added which confuse technically untalented peoples too,
- the blurred reproduction of color broadcasts with the black-and-white tv receiver;
- the color tint in displaying black-and-white broadcasts with the color tv receiver;
- the colors of color broadcasts are not naturally and they are too strong.
A public opinion poll of the Wickert institutes in Tuebingen proved that almost one quarter of all color television sets owners are dissatisfied. "hobby" wanted to know what color television is really like. They went to two big tv dealers in Stuttgart - "Radio Stiefelmeier" and "Radio Gruener" - for a demonstration of twelve color television sets. The first impression was - very strong colors! It is alright: televised colors often look exaggerated and unnatural.
Beside this, we had to state a color tint on almost every color tv set of our examination black-and-white broadcasts. Fundamentally we came to the result that all technical presuppositions - the set, location, setting, antenna, room lighting - have to be completely OK to be able to get an optimal color picture on the screen. Therefore, the set must be put in the house of the buyer and adjust by the service man.
* The first PAL color tv sets had a color control and a tint control. The tint control regulated the white level by changing blue and red-green drive control.
How good are our color tv sets? "hobby" tests color tv 1967
Mrs. Fendel turns the control knobs of her new color television set - with the success that the screen remains without any picture for the rest of the evening. Mrs. Fendel does not know how to operate the push buttons and knobs. On the next day, when she called the tv serviceman, the knobs and buttons were set into the correct positions.
Certainly, the German "Bild" newspaper wrote with respect to the color television premiere on August, 25th: "It is wonderful to watch tv in different colors!" However, for some tv watchers the screen was overloaded with colors. Apart from high price the critics complain
- about the complicated operation which is not already simple by the black-and-white devices. Now with the color still two controls* were added which confuse technically untalented peoples too,
- the blurred reproduction of color broadcasts with the black-and-white tv receiver;
- the color tint in displaying black-and-white broadcasts with the color tv receiver;
- the colors of color broadcasts are not naturally and they are too strong.
A public opinion poll of the Wickert institutes in Tuebingen proved that almost one quarter of all color television sets owners are dissatisfied. "hobby" wanted to know what color television is really like. They went to two big tv dealers in Stuttgart - "Radio Stiefelmeier" and "Radio Gruener" - for a demonstration of twelve color television sets. The first impression was - very strong colors! It is alright: televised colors often look exaggerated and unnatural.
Beside this, we had to state a color tint on almost every color tv set of our examination black-and-white broadcasts. Fundamentally we came to the result that all technical presuppositions - the set, location, setting, antenna, room lighting - have to be completely OK to be able to get an optimal color picture on the screen. Therefore, the set must be put in the house of the buyer and adjust by the service man.
* The first PAL color tv sets had a color control and a tint control. The tint control regulated the white level by changing blue and red-green drive control.