BSTJ 50: 2. February 1971: The Picturephone System: Foreword. (Baird, Jack A.)

1.1 MB·English

THE BELL SYSTEM
TECHNICAL JOURNAL

Voune Fobra 1 Simber?

‘The Picturephone® System

Foreword

6 fins public demonstration of snc video tolephony took
lave on April 8, 1990, when rprentnives of Uke prem were lone a
ystem opersting between the Bell Telephone Laboraoriee baiting
[SaBK West Steet and ACTA. Co, headquartom at 195 Broadway in
[Now York Gity.* Dr, Herbert, Ives, then Dirvetr of Bect-Optie
[esearch for Hell Laboratories, std of ts oven, “The later develop=
tuent ts be demousizatd ie that of two-nay television as an adjunct
to the telephone." The following day a New York City newepaper
ported
"Yesterday we saw a mich more highly developed form of tlevision
temoraizates hy the Bell Telephone Tshoraraties, was two-way
‘alessio. We wb in a oath at No. 185 Brualway and convened with
[i pcson if ancter} booth atthe Bell Lsboratarc.... Rach wae
sasise to the other, thee being no teptone mautipiece to mar the
ianage. The specea wus very clear, Aa inufeasve ble Tight mes ect
soroes ta Jace of the speakor iter: the eters oye and picked up

7 detnmiton of « imo-eny min In en peed’ ty dementia
age cormaytotea eee Ke Vox te Wathen BC oc pt
200m nme, sve TECHNICAL JOURNAL, FEREANY 07.

by other batteries around the booth, And yet chs marvelous invention
i sill inthe laboratory age, accorcivg to the Bell enginer.”™

‘The inteeati video telephony eontined after Dr. Ive! monte
tion, but this waa w care whore Teanbility was demonstrated long
afore the technology beonaus wvallable to transform the idee into x
practical neat. ‘Tet taneformation depended, ua the ares in thie
fstoe show, on tachoology ceveloped orisariy during the 1960, sh
though was coporent Iie in ‘he 1050s thet che nocesery teanology
‘was not Tae axey.

‘Dr. Ives wndertond clearly thay his was just a demonstration of
teats, ut ones the pocibilty nf beiaging peopl face-to-face in
long distance communiaaions had been deronstrtet it hurily seemed
ecronable tht it would notin due eeuse be brought oa of the Iab-
foratary into commercial arvieo. Ner does it seem unreasousble to
Expect thet Pichurephona® saree Wil eventually become an accepted,
Toemal megs of person-io-pevan communication and thal, with ite
‘adjuncts twill give us new meane Tar eommanisation between people
fod machine, And jurt af talepbone sarviec—snd the network that
‘srw upto prevideit—ehymged the patz of our Lives and the comiusk
oon busines, £0-we ext expect Peturephone service and ite motor
‘fo have lnpocsa that we ean only begin to aporociato

‘This epecial jeue of The Rell System Technica! Journal deveribee
Picturephone eorvive set este today. Ae it Deeomee aveilable to
snore end more peaple, new usve will be provided. We are already
Inking forward to methods of providing high-resolution imager of
raphle material, and te Plcturephone eerviee in color as ¢ logias]
tvoluousry sep, Teyond thave willbe oe saps to miko the se=vioe
Snore csonamica wri ta mike the eerviee nnd ie nerle more wel

"The articles in thi eee have boc written by tome of te people
responsible for making Pieturepone service « rally. The ig i
Allisated to al of the muay people without whose contribution it
‘would ell be in the laboratory cage.

JACK A, BAIRD

1 toy tng, yy Toe Da Labrie BOON,
Toe Hee dors Hai Sor, Ane 1,120