In a recording studio for a live broadcast TV show in early 1950s what devices did they use to perform a live broadcast?

Answer 1

In principle, the equipment used in the 1950s is the same as equipment used today.

The first item in the chain is the camera. They were large and often needed two or three people to operate. Zoom lenses were a rarity then, so most studio cameras had several fixed focus lenses on a turret. The operator could turn the turret to select short, medium or long focus lenses.

Microphones were large and were carried on overhead booms most of the time. They are still used in a similar way today but a a fraction of the size. Radio mics that are so common now were just not around in the 1950s.

In the control room, a switcher was used to select the camera to be on air. As a studio would have several cameras, the switcher was used to cut from one to another and also to a title and graphics camera. There were not computer graphics systems so titles were generated with a camera looking down onto sheets with graphics drawn or printed on them.

The switcher was not able to dissolve or fade from one camera to another. All it did was switch between inputs, hence the name. Switchers are very different animals today. In Europe, they are now called vision mixers but in North America, they are still called switchers. A modern switcher will handle almost all image manipulation such as dissolves, picture in picture (The image behind a news presenter's shoulder for example), titles, logos, colored backgrounds, chroma-keys and even storing short lengths of video within the switcher itself.

The only things that have changed between then and now is that technology offers far more functionality and higher quality. Other than that, it's really just the same as it ever was (with apologies to all who design and build today's studios and equipment and create magic with technology).