The White Falcon - 08.08.1986, Blaðsíða 10

Broaden your viewing range, have a PAL for TV
by J02 Ed Baker
While visiting some friends off base I was
watching a soccer match on Icelandic television and
wondering why I couldn't watch such entertaining
programs.%After checking around I found that I can
watch Icelandic television but only if my TV is a
PAL.
Wait a second! What does having a television set
for a friend have to do with watching my host
nation's broadcasts? It has everything to do with it.
If my television isn't a PAL (Phase Alternate Line)
it can’t pick-up the Icelandic TV signals.
American Television sets are manufactured
using the NTSC (National Television Standards
Committee) format of broadcasting. This format
was established in 1948, by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), when the first
practical widespread TV transmissions occurred in
the U.S.. The commission decided to transmit TV
pictures at the rate of 30 every seconds. Each
picture has two interlacing fields with 262-1/2 lines
of video. That totals 525 lines (not all of which can
be seen on screen, but that's another story).
But while Americans were settling into the new
craze, Europeans were still without TV. Then
television invaded Europe. Now, you would think
that the European countries would automatically
jump onto the already established NTSC bandwagon.
There are two reasons why this didn't happen.
One was because European scientists argued that
there were major advantages to adopting a different
system that promised higher-resolution
pictures.This is how PAL came to be.
PAL was found by European technicians to
deliver a higher-resolution picture offering 625
lines consisting of two 312-1/2 line fields
interlaced at the rate of 25 frames per second
which in layman terms meant a better looking
picture.
The second reason was because of politics.
Politically many scientists believed that a non-
NTSC standard would hinder the invasion of
American culture and ideology.
Because Iceland is a European country it also
followed suit in 1966 when State Television became
operational. Up until that time the only television
on the island was the AFRTS signal from coming
from the NATO base.
Icelandic television also differs from American
television in one other way. You must pay to watch
regular braodcasts. This is because the station is
run by the government and this is their way of
supplementing the costs to run the station. Sub-
scription fees run approximately $150 a year per
household. This fee covers 50 percent of the
operating costs. The other 50 percent is covered by
the sell of advertising time, much as it is in the
United States. But where as in the United States the
commericals are spread throughout the duration of
a show, here in Iceland the commericals are shown
before and after the program.
So what does this all boil down to? Well, if your
TV isn't a "PAL", it isn't going to let you watch
Icelandic Television and if it is, viewing Iceland's
airwaves can be an expensive proposition.
Cut your automobile repair bill with a written quote
by Cmdr. J.A. Broder, NAS Legal Office
The Naval Air Station Legal Office sometimes is
called upon for advice regarding disputes with local
businesses over automobile repair bills. Unfor-
tunately, the cost of automobile repairs on the
Icelandic economy can be very high, and thus a
misunderstanding as to what work should be done
can involve a lot of money. In most cases, these
disputes can be avoided if at the time you bring your
car in for service a written estimate, containing an
exact description of the work to be performed, is
obtained. This work agreement should also contain
a statement that before any further work is per-
formed, even if the repairman considers the work
essential, the business will contact the owner of
the vehicle for his permission to do the extra work,
and to inform him of the extra cost.
While most Icelanders speak English very well,
and thus easy enough to make a verbal agreement
as to what work will be done and for what price, the
failure to put the verbal agreement in writing is
what leads to later misunderstandings. Two parties
to the same conversation on one day frequently
have far different recollections of that conver-
sation several days later. In the United States,
there are small claims courts where minor dis-
putes over repair bills can be resolved quickly,
without the need of lawyers. In Iceland, it may be
possible to utilize the Icelandic court system for
assistance in a repair bill dispute, but this would
probably involve the cost of consulting a local
attorney. Obviously, it is cheaper and more pru-
dent to avoid the necessity of taking your disputes
to court by getting your contact in writing before
any work is done. You and the businessman should
each keep a copy, and this should prevent any later
disputes.
10
The White Falcon August 8, 1986