UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Fifty Years of Colour Television in the UK

PaulM · 3rd Dec 2017, 4:26 pm

Peto Scott was part of Philips/Pye by then and thus not UK manufacture which the BBC needed to be seen to support.

Furthermore, the BBC wanted 4-tube (YRGB) cameras for its studios and Philips had hung its hat on the 3-tube peg. Thus, it was between EMI and Marconi as the only UK manufacturers of 4-tube cameras. EMI (who made vidicons) naturally tried to use its own camera tubes, but they simply weren't good enough. Marconi managed to secure the then so new Plumbicons made by Philips - it's a long story with the prototypes coming in as samples for 'medical' applications - and beat EMI hands down, at least initially. The MkVII was designed in 1966 in 9 months to catch the rapidly growing US colour (should that be color) market and they wanted external zooms. EMI chose to service the BBC market (which was much smaller) and pandered to them with an integral zoom meaning no sales for the 2001 in the USA. The 2001 with Plumbicons eventually appeared and the BBC bought that, even though the design was already looking very dated.

Peto Scott was essentially just a brand name and not able to do any of these fundamental developments in the UK which the BBC demanded, only being able sell what its Philips parent was producing at that time, the PC60. They were used for the Wimbledon broadcasts that we've already mentioned. Two camera cables (!), rather iffy pictures, not UK made and a separate zoom. It just wasn't going to be right for BBC studios and so the battle was on between Marconi and EMI. Marconi won commercially as the very successful 3-tube MkVIII came out in 1970 and they did very well on export. EMI won the BBC business but failed to export and couldn't compete with such a dated design. In desperation, they producing the 3-tube EMI 2005 with a separate zoom which didn't sell except in very small numbers. Usually described as a '2001 with the sharpness taken out'.

Peto Scott sank without trace under Pye TVT and the Philips parent, but the later Philips LDK5 wiped the floor with UK BBC OB sales, if not picture quality.

Needs a book writing about it!

Best regards,

Paul M

3rd Dec 2017, 4:26 pm	#11
PaulM Hexode Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Lincoln, UK. Posts: 483	Re: Fifty Years of Colour Television in the UK Peto Scott was part of Philips/Pye by then and thus not UK manufacture which the BBC needed to be seen to support. Furthermore, the BBC wanted 4-tube (YRGB) cameras for its studios and Philips had hung its hat on the 3-tube peg. Thus, it was between EMI and Marconi as the only UK manufacturers of 4-tube cameras. EMI (who made vidicons) naturally tried to use its own camera tubes, but they simply weren't good enough. Marconi managed to secure the then so new Plumbicons made by Philips - it's a long story with the prototypes coming in as samples for 'medical' applications - and beat EMI hands down, at least initially. The MkVII was designed in 1966 in 9 months to catch the rapidly growing US colour (should that be color) market and they wanted external zooms. EMI chose to service the BBC market (which was much smaller) and pandered to them with an integral zoom meaning no sales for the 2001 in the USA. The 2001 with Plumbicons eventually appeared and the BBC bought that, even though the design was already looking very dated. Peto Scott was essentially just a brand name and not able to do any of these fundamental developments in the UK which the BBC demanded, only being able sell what its Philips parent was producing at that time, the PC60. They were used for the Wimbledon broadcasts that we've already mentioned. Two camera cables (!), rather iffy pictures, not UK made and a separate zoom. It just wasn't going to be right for BBC studios and so the battle was on between Marconi and EMI. Marconi won commercially as the very successful 3-tube MkVIII came out in 1970 and they did very well on export. EMI won the BBC business but failed to export and couldn't compete with such a dated design. In desperation, they producing the 3-tube EMI 2005 with a separate zoom which didn't sell except in very small numbers. Usually described as a '2001 with the sharpness taken out'. Peto Scott sank without trace under Pye TVT and the Philips parent, but the later Philips LDK5 wiped the floor with UK BBC OB sales, if not picture quality. Needs a book writing about it! Best regards, Paul M