- RCA TK-40/41
The RCA TK-40 is considered to be the first
color television camera , initially used for special broadcasts in late 1953, and with the follow-on TK-40A actually becoming the first to be produced in quantity in March 1954. The TK-40 was produced by RCA Broadcast to showcase the new compatible color system forNTSC —eventually named "NTSC-M" or simply "M"—which the company is credited with inventing (though several other companies includingPhilco were involved in development). Color had been attempted many times before, often in a semi-mechanical fashion, but this was the first series of practical, fully-electronic cameras to go into widespread production.The camera was quickly followed with the TK-41, a line that shared a very similar shape, but featured streamlined and enhanced electronic subsystems. Earlier TK-40s are distinguished by the lack of
vent ing slots on the sides (the cameras were prone tooverheating , necessitating the addition of these openings). The last variation of the TK-41 was the TK-41C, released circa1960 . The cameras are considered to have been of very good quality, better than the very different TK-42 which succeeded the TK-40/41, and probably better than anything produced by RCA for several years after the production line shut down (NBC didn't fully replace their TK-41s inRockefeller Center until the release of the later TK-44). Prior development in the late1940s and early1950s had included the TK-X (for "experimental").An image splitter was used in the TK-40/41 to direct the incoming
light into threeimage orthicon tube s (specially-designed CRTs) for recording moving pictures in thered ,green , andblue component colors. The early cameras required a very large amount oflighting , which causedtelevision studio s to become very warm due to the use of multi-kilowatt lamps (a problem that still exists somewhat today, but is less pronounced).The cameras, which weighed hundreds of pounds on their own, were only one component of the TK-40/41 system. There were also backend devices placed in studios to generate special signals for the cameras and allow for communication between crew members (the cameras integrated an audio system so that camera operators could talk to others via headsets). This combined chain was required in order to produce images. The TK-41's camera head weighed 300 lbs. and had to be carried by at least two people when setting up for remote broadcasts.
The TK-40 was used for a colorized telecast of the
opera "Carmen " onOctober 31 ,1953 , apparently on a closed-circuit system (monochrome images were apparently broadcast with thecolor burst removed). The first commercial telecast was of the "Colgate Comedy Hour " withDonald O'Connor onNovember 22 , but the color burst may have again been removed. TheFederal Communications Commission finally approved the color system for use onDecember 17 of that year, allowing telecasts to begin 30 days later. Special permission was received to broadcast theTournament of Roses Parade onJanuary 1 ,1954 .TK-40A camera setups were brought to several TV stations around the country as part of demonstrations throughout the year. They appeared at places including
WKY Oklahoma City (April 8 ),WBAP Fort Worth (May 15 ),WTMJ-TV Milwaukee (July 18 ), WBEN Buffalo, WCCO Minneapolis (August 5 ), andKTLA Los Angeles.Variations
*TK-40 (1953)
*TK-40A (March 1954)
*TK-41A (1954–?)
*TK-41B
*TK-41C (1960?–1967)External links
* [http://www.ev1.pair.com/colorTV/TVcams-in-action.html RCA TK-40 and TK-41 color TV cameras in action]
* [http://www.novia.net/~ereitan/Color_Cameras.html Color television camera development.]
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