http://www.metafilter.com/tags/405-line Posts tagged with '405-line' at MetaFilter. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:10:27 -0800 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:10:27 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://www.metafilter.com/73919/The%2DMan%2DWho%2DInvented%2DStereo In a single 1931 <a href="http://www.doramusic.com/patents/394325.htm">document</a>, electrical engineer <a href="http://www.doramusic.com/Who%20Was%20Blumlein.htm">Alan Blumlein</a> patented stereo records, stereo movie sountracks and surround sound. His equipment was used to make some of the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7538101.stm" title="Ironically the BBC site features the archive film in mono">first stereo recordings</a> at EMI's Abbey Road studios - several decades before the technology came into popular use. Blumlein went on to pioneer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/405-line">405 line TV</a> (the first wholly electronic format which won out over John Logie Baird's rival system) and to produce the equipment that made the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KUKZ5y_Yss" title="The coronation of George 6th">first outside TV broadcast</a> possible. At the outbreak of World War 2 he was a key architect of the secret <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H2S_radar">H2S</a> radar project. Unfortunately he was killed in a plane crash while testing the technology and the whole incident was kept secret. Hence he remains an obscure figure despite his achievements. A <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archivehour/pip/i7o6j/">recent BBC Radio 4 program</a> contains a lot of the archive stereo footage and tells his story. tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.73919 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:10:27 -0800 405-line abbeyroad alanblumlein bbc binaural electronics emi engineering h2s radar recording stereo tv rongorongo