Remote Control Television Lighting

W. C. Eddy

The remote control lighting system now in use in the television studios of the National Broadcasting Company presents a completely new approach to the studio lighting problem. — A new series of overhead units, mounting inside-silvered incandescent lamps, comprises the foundation lighting equipment which can be controlled in rotation, tilt, and elevation from an operating platform. — Flexibility has been incorporated to allow the lighting engineer to arrange the lighting to his satisfaction and to change the lighting completely without interrupting the program. — The units themselves have been designed around the specific requirements of the television cameras, and show under test a satisfactory efficiency both as to power consumption and dissipation of heat. The weight, of the order of 13 pounds per kilowatt, coupled with the extreme flexibility incorporated into the mechanical arrangement, appears to have solved the physical problem of installation. — Lighting personnel requirements are substantially reduced, and with the major part of the installation now attached to the overhead gridiron, additional valuable floor space has been given over to the cameras. — Illumination levels as high as 2400 foot-candles can be created on an average set, but due to general improvement of both camera tube and circuits, it is seldom necessary to exceed 800 foot-candles in foundation light. — Combining flexibility with economy of operation it appears that this new lighting system has solved many of the problems of illumination in a television studio.

Print ISSN
Published
1940-09
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J10049