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John Logie Baird was the first man to broadcast
a moving image (in 1923 across a room in Hastings). He came to London and for
most of that time lived and experimented in Crescent Wood Road opposite the
Dulwich Wood house pub. The Crystal Palace Tower's were ideal for hosting
aerials for transmitting over London. He even built the world's first TV studio
complex. The combination of the fire and the superior EMI electronic system
meant that Baird's idiosyncratic camera system was ditched when the BBC chose
both EMI and Alexandra Palace as the base of pre-war TV in the UK.
Cathode ray tube production continued in the remaining
tower and locally through the war when it was vital component of rada
development. Baid continued innovating and demonstrated a High Definition
Colour system in Sydenham shortly before he died in 1946. The roll out of HD
Colour as a public service is only just about to arrive. More on John Logie
Baird «here»
The Crystal Palace Transmitter Tower was the
tallest building in London when built in 1956 to transmit BBC's 405 line TV
service. ITV decided to build their own mast at the end of Church Road, South
Norwood. 625 line transmission came to Crystal Palace with the disasterous
launch of BBC2 in 1962. A fire at Battersea Power Station blacked out
Television Centre who resorted to Monty Pythonesque studio in Alexandra
Palace.
BBC2 went colour and TV went global in 1967. Channel 4
came along in 1982. Finally Channel 5 arrived in 1997 repeating the original
BBC launch concept of a female singer - TIMES 5!
405 line transmission closed in 1985 and now all
London's TV channels apart from Channel 5 come from the CP Transmitter. All
will come from Crystal Palace when London goes all digital in 2012. |
