Hi-Fi TV Soundtracks (pre 1978) - Why?

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by kfbkfb

IIRC, in 1978, TV sound distribution (USA) was upgraded.

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Can you explain a bit more what the upgrade was and what instruments you think were affected?

If I remember discussions of TV sound distribution at that time (I was a teenager just getting my first VCR soon afterward), most or all network TV audio was distributed on two voice-grade AT&T lines, being processed at both ends so that the second line carried the converted higher frequency content. When recombined/converted at the receiving end, the result was sound up to 8 kHz roughly.

I first noticed the potential for improvement when I had the line-level audio from my Sony SL-7200 VCR connected to my stereo system in late 1979. The sound from local station WGN (Channel 9 in Chicago) was quite good, and far better than any of the network stations had.

Is a change away from the voice-grade lines what you are referring to as the "post-1978 upgrade"?