Donald F McLean

Honorary Lecturer, University of Glasgow, Engineering Archaeologist, Television Historian, Author.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

#OTD (13 June) 100 years ago, TV pioneer C Francis Jenkins showed for the first time the moving silhouette image of a windmill transmitted as television from Bellevue DC to his laboratory over a distance of 10km. See https://t.co/ExnxwnX08L

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@APTSArchive For a more comprehensive account, do check out my article in Proceedings of the IEEE. Just search Google for "seeing across oceans IEEE" and you'll find a freely downloadable PDF on their website.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@APTSArchive That's most kind of you to say, Simon. Thank you.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@gilleanmcd @agentjenny @JennyBrownBooks @RCPSGheritage Last time we exchanged messages you were starting your CW course. ...a lot has happened since then. Congrats on your Doctorate and I wish you every success with your book. Do please let me know when you're doing a book-signing!

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

As it's now 40 years since I had my first success with revealing Baird's Phonovision images, I thought I'd tackle the WIKIpedia entry for 'Phonovision' for the first time (!) as a one-off edit. I've fixed the lack of references that was identified as a problem.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@jamie_medhurst @NickXHall Sadly, I seem to have missed not only the conference but meeting you in London. TV transmitters? It's not a popular topic (too technical I guess) though there have been some great personal stories from a few engineers published of late. Has Nick provided you with a list?

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@LockFarm @NVIDIAAI I aim to achieve robust and accurate restoration of the performance through repeatable restoration. Current AI enhancement should be avoided for unique historical archives, especially as AI techniques are immature and rapidly evolving. Re-enactment is worth considering though.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

#OTD 90 years ago, the BBC produced and broadcast live the world’s first television revue on the 30-line TV standard. It stands as the most cited programme from BBC Television of 1932-35. In 1996, I recovered 4mins of vision from a disc recording & identified it as that prog.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@Dr_David_James @BBCentury Briefly described at https://t.co/ByRo7jqNDJ
Basically a process of elimination: ‘Television 1933’ written on disc label, recording has 6 dancers in black ‘one-piece’, and it was the only occasion (BBC WAC) for those dancers. Also I recognised them in a photo of the rehearsals.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@Illuminations @APTSArchive Site of Motograph House

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@jhowesuk Wadmore's 1887 article on Customer Smythe may not be definitive, but might be helpful. Though not distinguishable in name those two Thomas's distinguish themselves in their quite significant actions.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@Illuminations @BBCRD @BBCArchive ...suggests this is cosmetic enhancement rather than ‘restoration’. The example clip is over-processed, suggesting it would wise and timely to define independent standards and processes for treating such archive material.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@Illuminations @BBCRD @BBCArchive Trialling current simple COTS solutions in a rapidly changing field of AI-driven enhancement for corrections to complex source-dependent faults indicates a need for caution. The use-case ‘allows more archive clips to be used in production’ ...

[Led By Donkeys @ByDonkeys]

Brexit isn’t working, and the Brexiters know it

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@transdiffusion A lavish series that dated rapidly - covering the historic with then-current practices within a rapidly changing medium (unlike purely historic World at War, etc). For me, this was the first time my 1920s videodisc restorations were seen on air - albeit early crude versions.

[Donald F McLean @TVdon]

@APTSArchive These Yearbooks are great resources, written early in the listed year summarising the previous year's work (NB comment on AP 'expected to be ready for work in the Spring' (of 1936)). Also dating this book is a great full page pic of "King Edward VIII" in this Year of Three Kings.