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This system was based on designs evolved by John L. Baird.
In 1943, he designed a two color system, with two images produced on the
face of a CRT. Lenses then converged the images.

Inside the viewing tube is a transparent screen having parallel
ridges on the side toward the viewer and flat on the opposite
side. There are three electron guns whose beams are modulated
by the three color band signals. The beam from one of these
guns can impinge on only one side of the ridges. This side is
coated with a phosphor emitting the color band which is to be
reproduced by the corresponding gun. The second gun can send
its beam only to the opposite side of the ridges, this side being
coated with phosphor emitting the second color band. The beam
from the third gun strikes the flat surface of the screen, which
carries a phosphor emitting the third color band. The third
color, produced on the back of the screen, shows through the
transparent supporting material and mixes with the other two color
band produced on the sides of the ridges. The ridges are very
narrow and closely spaced. Two of the guns are in such positions that
their beams travel different distances to opposite sides of the
screen. (Information and pictures courtesy of Rick Plummer)
Here is some additional information, courtesy of Stu Andrews:
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The system was called " Telechrome" and used modified
theatre arc lamps as the basis for the three-gun CRT.
Baird demonstrated the invention to several experts and newspapers
at the time. The BBC publication "Radio Times" in 1942
described the picture as " entirely natural" .
Several lines rates were tried, with the final versions of
Telechrome running at 1000 lines.
Baird died in 1946 and Telechrome was forgotten in the rush to
re-start broadcast TV. |

Popular Mechanics, March 1945

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A photo of the Telechrome tube
(Courtesy of the Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library)
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