The Struggle for Unity: Colour television, the formative years traces
the evolution of colour television from 1928, when rudimentary colour
television was demonstrated for the first time, to c.1966, when the NTSC
system and its variants, the PAL and SECAM systems, became widely
available for the entertainment, education and enlightenment of society.
Among the many topics discussed in the book, mention is made of the
following: compatibility and non-compatibility; mechanical and
all-electronic systems; field, line and dot sequential scanning;
bandwidth constraints and band-sharing techniques; the CBS-RCA conflict;
the relative merits of the different systems; the attempt to achieve
unity of purpose in Europe; standards; and the development of colour
cameras and display tubes. The book, which is based predominantly on
written primary source material, does not simply provide a chronicle of
dates and descriptions of events, devices and systems. Rather, it
discusses the essential factors of colour television history from a
general, technical and political viewpoint. Great care has been taken to
ensure that an unbiased, accurate and balanced history has been written.
Numerous references are given at the end of each chapter and the book is
profusely illustrated.