TV Home Forum

How was the coming of UK Colour Tv promoted at the time?

(August 2013)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
WP
WillPS
JAS84 posted:
Weren't ATV making quite a lot of colour productions from the mid-60s onwards, through their international arm ITC?


Yep - they were mainly shot on 35mm film and made in colour for the US market, and shown in B&W in the UK until colour outlets were available.

ISTR that ATV may also have had a 525 NTSC/625 PAL switchable operation at one point in at least one of their studios?
Of course, Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson Supermarionation shows were ITC productions.

ITC was wholly owned by ATV, and Fireball XL5, Stingray and Thunderbirds were all (nominally) "comissioned by" ATV (hence the presence of the eye in the closing sequence) - this was a workaround and counted towards the small amount of independent commissions ATV were supposed to be making. The ITA told them it wasn't on, and so from Captain Scarlet onwards the productions were commissioned by ITC New York, and then counted as "imports".
SP
Steve in Pudsey
ISTR that the BBC had one 525 switchable black and white studio at TVC - but that it was never used in anger...


The excellent TV Studio History website suggests that TC6,7 and 8 could all, in theory, originate 525 lines. As built, these studios shared an apparatus room and the 525 line gear could be used with any of them. The site reveals that TC6 produced a play in 525 lines, and also suggests that 525-625 line converters existed before 625-525 which backs up the suggestion above that the UK was seeing converted material.

http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/tv%20centre%20history.htm

Newer posts