Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Disappointing
In the '70s when cable TV started to develop, I didn't own a TV. Cable was found mainly in motels, so I enjoyed watching the wide variety of programs when I stayed in a motel.
Cable systems had a channel for weather and special messages. Most of the time the weather was a back and forth scan of a few meters showing temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. Special messages were title slides for ads or emergencies. The audio on this channel was often from a classical music station, so it was good bedtime watching.
I always imagined the weather scan as a room-sized semicircle, about 10 feet in diameter, with a floor-mounted camera rotating in the middle of the room. Sort of like a theatrical set with flats.
Now I finally find out how it really worked!
From a trade journal for cable operators at American Radio History:
It was just one little cabinet, with the rotating done by a mirror!
It was just one little cabinet, with the rotating done by a mirror!Labels: Asked and finally answered, Entertainment
¶ 12:14 AM
