John Logie Baird (1888-1946)

John Logie Baird (August 13, 1888 – June 14, 1946) was a Scottish engineer, innovator, one of the inventors of the mechanical television, demonstrating the first working television system on January 26 1926, and inventor of both the first publicly demonstrated colour television system (July 3, 1928), and the first purely electronic colour television picture tube (August 16, 1944).

On February 8, 1928 the Baird Television Development Company achieved the first transatlantic television transmission. Baird's early technological successes and his role in the practical introduction of broadcast television for home entertainment have earned him a prominent place in television's history.

Baird set up the Baird Television Development Company Ltd, which broadcast the first television transmission for the BBC aired on September 30, 1929. The first official sound and vision television broadcast was made on March 14, 1930. With the Baird/BBC television service now fully on air, the BBC began to plan something ambitious programme-wise - to test the entertainment value of the new service.

From 1929 to 1932, the BBC transmitters were used to broadcast television programmes using the 30-line Baird system, and from 1932 to 1935, the BBC also produced the programmes in their own studio. In addition, from 1933 Baird and the Baird Company were producing and broadcasting television programmes independently to the BBC, from Baird's studios and transmitter at the Crystal Palace in south London.

On November 2, 1936, from Alexandra Palace, the BBC began alternating Baird 240-line transmissions with EMI's electronic scanning system, which had recently been improved to 405 lines after a merger with Marconi. The Baird system at the time involved an intermediate film process, where footage was shot on cinefilm, which was rapidly developed and scanned. The trial was due to last 6 months but the BBC ceased broadcasts with the Baird system in February 1937, due in part to a disastrous fire in the Baird facilities at Crystal Palace. It was becoming apparent to the BBC that the Baird system would ultimately fail due in large part to the lack of mobility of the Baird system's cameras, with their developer tanks, hoses, and cables.

Find out more at Wikipedia* and www.bairdtelevision.com*

*20th Century Entertainment are not responsible for this website