 |
The Phonovision Discs |
This page requires Real-Player
|
 |
The Phonovision discs are all similar indicating they come from a common source. They are all single-sided pressings (two copies of RWT620-11 exist) and resemble 10-inch diameter 78rpm wax audio discs. each lasting about 3 minutes. The label from the earliest recording is shown on the left. Two more of the five discs have a label just like this. The label is a standard 'Test Record' label from the Columbia Graphophone Company complete with date and catalogue number. The catalogue information for five of the discs is shown below. |
| Catalogue Number | Audio | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWT515-4 |
 |
20-Sep-1927 | Dummy Head with large speed fluctuations |
| RWT620-4 |
|
10-Jan-1928 | Man's Head in Motion marred by over-modulation |
| RWT620-6 |
|
no date | Man's Head in Motion marred by amplifier resonance |
| RWT620-11 |
|
10-Jan-1928 | Man's Head in Motion |
| RWT115-3 |
|
28-Mar-1928 | 'Miss Pounsford' with fast timebase resonance |
The catalogue number appears to act as a reference number to a particular recording session. Since the catalogue numbers of the two discs dated 10-Jan-1928 differ only in the last number, this may well indicate the 'take' in the recording session.
The dates on the labels are assumed to be genuine recording or pressing dates. A photo of another pressing of the disc dated 28th March 1928 appears in 'Television' magazine July 1928 supporting the genuine nature of the disc dates.
| When you look at the discs there is the pattern caused by the video signal being synchronised to the rotation of the disc. This radial pattern is reminiscent of a CAV Laserdisc. It does not appear on the subsequent Major Radiovision or Silvatone recording as Phonovision uniquely was planned to have synchronisation of the picture from the disc itself. |
 |
Other Phonovision Pages
What we have Learned, | Phonovision in Print, | The Phonovision Discs, | The Recovered Images, | The First TV Recording Studio, | Further Reading
Other Pages
Main Index, | The World's FIRST TV Recordings, | Early Television History, | The Earliest Recording of Broadcast TV: Silvatone 1933, | The First Recording to be Sold - Major Radiovision 1934 | the "Marcus Games" Discs
All material in this page is copyright ©DFMcLean 1998 except where specified.
Last updated by Don McLean on 3rd June 1998