A Multi-Channel Television Apparatus*

A bar to the attainment of television images having a large amount of detail is set by the practical difficulty of generating and transmitting wide frequency bands. An alternative to a single wide frequency band is to divide it among several narrow bands, separately transmitted. A three-channel apparatus has been constructed in which prisms placed over the holes in a scanning disc direct the incident light into three photoelectric cells. The three sets of signals are transmitted over three channels to a triple electrode neon lamp placed behind a viewing disc also provided with prisms over its apertures so that each electrode is visible only through every third aperture. An image of 13,000 elements is thus produced. For the successful operation of the multi-channel system, it is imperative to have very accurate matching of the characteristics in the several channels.