Since the initiation of broadcasting, a veritable army of engineers have
been devoting themselves to the development of radio as a service to the
ear.
The author for several years has been, rather lonesomely, devoting his
efforts to the development of radio as a service to the eye.
Incidentally it is suggested that there are undreamed of possibilities
in radio in the unlimited frequencies above audibility, in which speed
transmission is greatly accelerated by the tolerance of eyesight, not
possible in an appeal to the ear. Witness, the motion picture theatre
screen upon which a picture is taken off and put back again forty-eight
times per second without discovery by the eye; while the slightest error
in a note in the orchestra is detected at once and grates harshly on the
ear.
Just as the motion picture depends for success on the fact that the eye
is easily deceived, so in Radio Vision the eye is fooled into the belief
that it sees the radio picture as a whole, though in fact the eye sees
at any one moment only the tiny spot of light by which, with almost
lightning like speed, the picture is made up.
Audio radio engineers have been working in the very limited
audio-frequency band below, say, ten thousand cycles, whereas the
workable range where light instead of sound is employed goes away up to
millions of cycles. It is confidently predicted that the next great
development in radio is in this area.
When the “teloramaphone” is made generally available, then pictures at
the fireside sent from distant world points will be the daily source of
news; the daily instructional class; and the evening’s entertainment;
and equally the long day of the sick and shut-ins will be more
endurable, and life in the far places less lonely, for the flight of
radio is not hindered by rain, or storm, or snow blockades.