YTV colour opening clip 1968

A short clip showing an excerpt from a colour VT of Yorkshire Television's opening by the Duchess of Kent in 1968.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• YTV
• Yorkshire
• Television
• Rent-a-royal
• Hillman
• Hunter
• Duchess
• of
• Kent
• 1968
• Early
• ITV
• colour
• historic
• British

[AidanLunn]

Thatman didn;t outline that at the start YTV had two models of colour camera: the Marconi MkVII (shown in this clip) and the EMI 2001 (often seen on Top of the Pops in the 70s/early 80s with "BBC tv COLOUR" on the side)

[casualUK]

Actually, the 2001's arrived a couple of months later, so he is correct that their opening started on MkVII's.

[arthurvasey]

@UKSazzy67 Most early programmes weren't recorded on to videotape - whatever footage survives does so on old b & w film - to preserve the material for posterity, a lot of pre-1970 shows were recorded that way.

[millingpebbles]

Ian Clayton looks truly baffled on this clip, or is it just me?...

[stationhouse77]

Not quite right. The PostMaster General announced in 1967 that ITV would be simulcast on 625uhf from 1969. It was not until 1969 that the PMG announced that ITV would broadcast in colour from late 1969 onwards. YTV (quite reasonabley jumped the gun - it wasa good decision no doubt about it) That chap grossly overestimates how much a Mk7 weighs.

[yellowbelly06]

When the contracts were awarded in 1967 ITV announced they were going to broadcast in colour from late 1969. With this in mind and as a new company in a brand new region, YTV built the first purpose built colour studios in Europe. All equipment was colour capable but to accomodate b&w viewers colour cameras contained a luminance tube to transmit such a b&w signal. From launch until Nov 1969 YTV broadcast in b&w, switching the colour tubes on for ITV's official colour launch.

[UKSazzy67]

If it originally started in colour, then how come every clip I've seen of Calendar in the early days is shown in Black and White? and why did Richard Whitely reminisce that all film inserts were recorded onto B/W negative? I'm confused.

[yellowbelly06]

EMI won the contract to equip the new YTV centre so one does wonder why Marconi cameras were chosen. However it seems EMI 2001 soon arrived and were the preferred model by their operators.

The 2001's were preferred as the lens was bulit within the camera body, allowing the operator far better control. The Marconi resembled the modern day camera with a seperate lens attached to the main body.