Video: Why Television Research Began in 1877 (and Why No One Knows it)

Another incredibly researched talk from Mark Schubin, documenting the early history of Television and ending on why the earliest work is so poorly documented. With restored videos from 1930s ‘Baird Disks’, newspaper & journal extracts, this is a fascinating history.

Prior to 1877, there was no hint of a television camera — not even in science fiction or fantasy. In 1877, eight people, in five countries on both sides of the Atlantic, began working on television systems, and there has not been a year since without television research (though the word “television,” itself, wasn’t coined until 1900). Why the “vision barrier” between 1876 and 1877? How did it get broken? Why don’t television history books discuss it? After extensive research, Mark Schubin has found the answers.

Watch now to find out!

Video: Why 4K Lenses Are Important Even If You’re Not Doing 4K

Mark Schubin presents a talk on why 4K lenses are relevant to HD productions. Starting by discussing whether there is a fixed ‘Television Viewing Distance’ and whether people can see 4K, he continues to discuss the importance of contrast in the ability of humans to see fine detail. Mark looks at Mean Transfer Curves which show that higher resolution lenses allow much more contrast at HD resolutions.

This talk was given at NAB 2018 at the Fujinon stand.

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Video: Cinema Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Mark Schubin


An important reminder of the psychology and biology of watching films – it’s not just about technology.
As we approach the 125th anniversary of people paying to watch movies, Mark Schubin, who has been working in the field for 50 years, takes us on a journey from seemingly undirected early “actualities,” through a century of innovations, to some possible futures for the field. Can two people see completely different things in the same image? Why does a cinema viewer’s attire matter? Is there a correlation between ticket price and enjoyment?

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