This week in 1936 - the dawn of TV broadcasting

Today, London’s Alexandra Palace is known around the world as the birthplace of television broadcasting  -  arguably one of the most disruptive innovations of the 20th Century.

But back in 1936, few could have anticipated the way in which television would come to dominate public life. And following a visit to the London Television station in August of that year, the Engineer reported on the technology in a characteristically measured tone. The full report can be read here.

‘On Sunday last we paid a visit to the Alexandra Palace,’ it wrote, ‘where a television station has been established to provide an extended trial of the systems devised by Baird Television, Ltd, and the Marconi E.M.I. Television Company, Ltd.’

The article looks in detail at the key features of  Marconi’s 405-line system and John Logie Baird’s 240-line system.

After a year-long trial, during which each system broadcasted on alternate weeks, Marconi-EMI’s so-called “hi-definition” system was chosen. The system was suspended during world war II, but remained in operation in the UK until 1985.