By Malcolm Baird
Malcolm Baird at 22 Frith Street. The Televisor is on his left and the Sky logo is on the large screen behind him. [picture by Peter Smith]
The British satellite television broadcaster Sky previewed its high definition service to the U.K. media on 21st November 2005. By a happy coincidence this event fell very close to the 80th birthday of television itself, which had first been achieved by John Logie Baird when he transmitted a human face across his small laboratory in the attic of 22 Frith Street, in the Soho district of central London.
As a reminder of the origins of television, Sky set up a special demonstration of old television sets, including the Baird Televisor (1930), at the Bar Italia which now occupies the ground floor of the Frith Street building. Peter Smith, G4JNU, of the Narrow Bandwidth Television Association very kindly loaned the Televisor and had it working for the occasion. Full report in next newsletter.
