Information of European public opinion

Resolution 16 (1950)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Adopted 28th August 1950 at the conclusion of the Debate on the second Report of the Committee on General Affairs (see Doc. AS (2) 107 and Sitting of 28th August 1950).

The Assembly,

Having considered the Report drawn up for it by the Secretariat-General at the suggestion of the Committee on General Affairs (Doc. AS (2) 85) on the information of European public opinion,

Calls on each, of its competent Committees to examine the various suggestions contained in Chapter I of the Report and subsequently to make known their conclusions,

Hereby draws the attention of the Committee of Ministers to the questions raised in paragraph (E) of Chapter I (Television) [(1) Paragraph E of Doc. AS (2) 85, reads as follows :] [(1) E. European Television.] [(1) It is perhaps of use to draw attention to a question of great psychological importance which is arising now. Television is being installed in Europe. The problem is one of 'definition', i. e. the number of lines which make up the image. Receivers cannot be adapted to different systems of 'definition'. This means that if different definitions are adopted by the various European States it will be impossible for receivers in one State to pick up television programmes from a neighbouring State, and that the exchange of programmes between them over Hertzian cables will be impossible. Briefly, the situation would be as ridiculous and as out of date as that of countries which are intimately linked but yet employ different gauges on the railways.] [(1) This danger exists at the present moment. Member States of the Council of Europe are not agreed on the definition to adopt. It would be of high political importance for the Assembly to review this question and make positive suggestions so that the necessary unification, perfectly possible from the technical point of view, may come about.].