Vitascan
Encyclopedia
Vitascan was an early color television
camera system developed by American television equipment manufacturer DuMont Laboratories
. Development began in 1949
and the product was released on an experimental basis in 1956
. Vitascan was fully compatible with the NTSC
color system, and DuMont Labs hoped the system would catch on in the television industry.
However, Vitascan cameras only worked indoors, due to Vitascan being in essence a flying-spot scanner based system. The system's camera basically worked in reverse by projecting a light through the camera's lens onto the subject from a cathode ray tube
, or CRT, mounted behind the lens (instead of a pickup tube like conventional television cameras), providing the "flying spot". Four photomultiplier tubes (two for red, one for green, and one for blue) mounted inside special "scoops" placed in the studio and pointed at the subject would pick up the light from the camera's CRT and produce the final image to be televised.
Normally, with any flying-spot scanned system, the area between the flying-spot CRT and photomultiplier tubes (the whole studio in Vitascan's case) would have to be completely darkened, in order to prevent any other light, besides the light for the flying spot from the CRT, from interfering with the photomultiplier tubes. Darkening the whole room would make things quite inconvenient for any talent present in a Vitascan studio, but to get around this, strobe lighting was used in the studio for the aid of the talent. The strobe light, referred to as a "sync-lite" by DuMont, would light up only when the photomultiplier scoops were in the vertical blanking interval
s of the video they would generate, to prevent any light interference to the photomultiplier tubes. Due to this, the system could not be used outdoors because sunlight would interfere with the blanking intervals of the camera's flying-spot scanning system.
From 1956 to 1959, Vitascan cameras were in use at independent television station, WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, for its local TV news programs. However, the limitations of the cameras caused WITI to eventually return to monochrome
cameras. The television industry never adopted Vitascan, and television stations continued to operate mostly in black-and-white for many more years. Vitascan, like earlier DuMont technologies such as the Electronicam
, failed to catch on.
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
camera system developed by American television equipment manufacturer DuMont Laboratories
DuMont Laboratories
DuMont Laboratories was an American television equipment manufacturer. The company was founded in 1931, by inventor Allen B. DuMont. Among the company's developments were long-lasting cathode ray tubes that would be used for television. Another product out of the lab was a DuMont invention, the...
. Development began in 1949
1949 in television
The year 1949 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1949.-Events:*January 3 – Colgate Theatre premieres on NBC....
and the product was released on an experimental basis in 1956
1956 in television
The year 1956 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1956.-Events:*January 28 – Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on CBS on Stage Show, the first of six appearances on the series....
. Vitascan was fully compatible with the NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
color system, and DuMont Labs hoped the system would catch on in the television industry.
However, Vitascan cameras only worked indoors, due to Vitascan being in essence a flying-spot scanner based system. The system's camera basically worked in reverse by projecting a light through the camera's lens onto the subject from a cathode ray tube
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
, or CRT, mounted behind the lens (instead of a pickup tube like conventional television cameras), providing the "flying spot". Four photomultiplier tubes (two for red, one for green, and one for blue) mounted inside special "scoops" placed in the studio and pointed at the subject would pick up the light from the camera's CRT and produce the final image to be televised.
Normally, with any flying-spot scanned system, the area between the flying-spot CRT and photomultiplier tubes (the whole studio in Vitascan's case) would have to be completely darkened, in order to prevent any other light, besides the light for the flying spot from the CRT, from interfering with the photomultiplier tubes. Darkening the whole room would make things quite inconvenient for any talent present in a Vitascan studio, but to get around this, strobe lighting was used in the studio for the aid of the talent. The strobe light, referred to as a "sync-lite" by DuMont, would light up only when the photomultiplier scoops were in the vertical blanking interval
Vertical blanking interval
The vertical blanking interval , also known as the vertical interval or VBLANK, is the time difference between the last line of one frame or field of a raster display, and the beginning of the first line of the next frame. It is present in analog television, VGA, DVI and other signals. During the...
s of the video they would generate, to prevent any light interference to the photomultiplier tubes. Due to this, the system could not be used outdoors because sunlight would interfere with the blanking intervals of the camera's flying-spot scanning system.
From 1956 to 1959, Vitascan cameras were in use at independent television station, WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, for its local TV news programs. However, the limitations of the cameras caused WITI to eventually return to monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
cameras. The television industry never adopted Vitascan, and television stations continued to operate mostly in black-and-white for many more years. Vitascan, like earlier DuMont technologies such as the Electronicam
Electronicam
Electronicam was a television recording system that shot an image on film and television at the same time through a common lens. It was developed by James L. Caddigan for the DuMont Television Network in the 1950s, before electronic recording on videotape was available...
, failed to catch on.