alternatehistory.com

Partly inspired by reading this page (though it's not that brilliant).

Seems like there had been demonstrations of modified NTSC colour demonstrations as far back as the 1950s, and even as late as 1965, ITV companies were lobbying for some sort of 405-line colour service.

So my question is this: supposing the powers that be had ecided to ignore the Pilkington report and move ahead with some sort of basic colour (NTSC or maybe SECAM?) 405-line service much earlier, not launch BBC2 in B&W 625 lines, and not have to build an expensive new 625-line transmitter network all over the country?

Obviously NTSC (nicknamed "Never Twice the Same Colour") had distinct disadvantages from 'multipath reflections and other prblems' [as stated here] over later rival colour systems, so obviously there were distinct advantages for waiting until this development took place.

Butwhat of the advantages? Mainly I would imagine due to bandwidth: the original linked page claims that had UHF bands been used with this system, it might easily fit 6 or 7 new stations as well as the original 2 of VHF, and allegedly twice the same amount of channels on a future digital service. Obviously, though, at the expense of quality.

I doubt we'd be seeing many more of these channels immediately- there were vague plans in reality to use spare carrying capacity to create a second ITV network (eventually to become Channel 4 in the '80s) or a BBC3 (though due to costs, it might not have been done). Maybe with all the money that might have been saved from less extensive modifications to the transmitter network, these might be realised? Maybe eventually an additional channel to that might eventually follow some time into the 1990s.

Any other thoughts?
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