Television under the Swastika

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That's a whole lot of sterility for a few seconds of scenery. At least we got to see the man responsible for some of the ugliest architecture in world history. I wish someone would have asked him what was "joyous" about those buildings.

If you haven't read Noam Chomsky on the subject of the history of propaganda, you should. The Nazis were very impressed by the success of British propaganda during World War I, and used it as a model for their own. This model is still quite alive and well, and living in our own country -- and our "Department of Homeland Security".
 
I knew that Germany had developed television prewar, but I didn't know how advanced they got it. It was interesting to see some of those television programs.
Germany has pretty much always been on the leading edge of technology. If it wasn't for the Nazi V-2 Rocket, we wouldn't have such an advanced space program today. The United States sucked in as many of the Nazi rocket scientists as they could after the war ended and were put to work on the US's space program.
I would love to visit the Deutsch Technik Museum. Who knows what you may find there!
I know a working example of a Nazi era Volksradio brings in megabucks. I could just imagine how much a Volksfehrensehn would bring in, if you could find one!
 
Well, the Nazi party fully understood the way propaganda could be used to control the population. They had absolute control of the German broadcast media and control of the press by proxy i.e. editorial staff and journalists who were not cooperative were either exiled or arrested and killed.

Much of the television technology was actually developed before WWII by various companies.

Sadly, all the wonderful work that was done by German scientists and technologists as well as those in other occupied countries was simply grabbed, modified and used for rather nasty purposes.

There's no doubt though that the war effort from both the allied and German sides produced some very useful technology which ultimately had peaceful applications even if nothing else came from that very dark period of human history.

There were some quite interesting early TV systems though. For example, in France the old monochrome system used 819 active lines, more than some modern so-called High Definition broadcasts!

After WWII the quirks of European television systems were ironed out and the entire continent settled on a 625 line system. Most countries in Western Europe adopted the PAL colour system, which launched in 1967. PAL eliminated many of the colour accuracy problems associated with the NTSC colour system used in the US by incorporating an element of error correction in the signals.

Meanwhile, the French had developed their own colour system SECAM. It actually predates PAL, even though it was only properly rolled out around the same time. SECAM also offers considerably better colour accuracy than NTSC.

Both systems are overlaid on the same 625 line monochrome system, so in essence European analogue televisions systems are pretty much the same. Different EU countries also use different channel allocation schemes and audio-subcarrier frequencies. Some countries used "zweitone" analogue FM stereo, while others like the UK and Ireland use digital stereo known as NICAM which gives near CD quality sound over a normal broadcast signal. So, even a PAL tv has to be capable of tuning to the channels in the country its used.

Also, some channels broadcast in PALplus, this system allows for full widescreen television and improves picture quality, yet remains backwards compatible with older 4:3 format (square screen) sets. Basically, a PALplus signal displays in letter box format on a normal TV, where as on a 16:9 widescreen television, the extra lines are decoded to allow for full resolution widescreen. Quite a clever system. It's kinda analogue-digital hybrid where the extra lines and stereo sound are encoded digitally.

With digital television all of this is now pretty much irrelevant. European countries are all rolling out a system known as DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast - Terrestrial). This is pretty much standard, however some countries stream video in MPEG4 (for example Ireland) for all broadcasts. While others (for example the UK) use MPEG2 for standard definition and only use MPEG4 for HDTV. The result has been that TVs with MPEG2 tuners only don't work in every EU country. Given a few years though most tuners will accept both codecs.

The fact that most people watch digital tv (either cable (DVB-C), satellite (DVB-S) or terrestrial (DVB-T) via a set-top box it really doesn't matter what type of TV they have.

For standard definition TV we connect via a standard 20 pin SCART cable feeding RGB (not composite PAL/SECAM)

Or, for HDTV the usual HDMI connectors have become the industry standard.

So, the quirky differences between countries are pretty much consigned to history.
 
Mr. Whirlcool

If you get a chance someday, you'll love the Deutchen Museum in Munich. They aero space is spectacular. You could easily spend 2-3 days in that museum. We were in Munich only for 2 days. I would really enjoyed more time there. The Maritime portion was equally fantsatic.
 
The Deutsches Museum

alone is worth a trip to Munich, never mind the one or two other minor attractions we have.
Like the Smithsonians, the Museum is split among several locations with the main collection and an outstanding research library housed on an island in the middle of the city. The museum is still a working research facility, which partially explains why the exhibits are so interesting - they aren't dead science to the people there.
Americans developed many technologies and contributed greatly to the hard sciences right through the late 1970's. A clear shift in government policies away from supporting real science through financial and institutional support at universities, high schools and middle schools began in 1980. Over time, the atmosphere for thinkers and researchers became more and more negative, culminating today in teachers being required to give equal time to non-science such as 'creationism' and other pre-enlightenment absurdities. With the brief exception of Bush#41 and Billary, no US administration has been led by someone of academic competence since 1979...
Ironically, Europe and Asia have increasingly made good the lost ground in the hard sciences of the mid-20th century - to a significant degree by welcoming just those American Hi-Tech companies and independent researchers who find their work blocked or under-funded in their own country.
Today, American scientists and engineers, technicians and teachers in the fields of mathematics and the natural sciences are welcomed abroad with open arms.
By, the by, it is true that American Analog TV was technically inferior to everybody else's. What mrx forgot to mention is how bad, terribly, awfully, bad 99% of European broadcasts are. The really good BBC stuff is made for the American market...and no-one has ever made it through an entire evening of Germany's ARD program asleep or awake. Including the broadcasters themselves...

Meisterwerke der Naturwissenschaft und Technik

Erleben Sie die faszinierende Welt von Naturwissenschaft und Technik mit unseren Ausstellungen, interaktiven Vorführungen und spannenden Experimenten.
www.deutschesmuseum.de www.deutschesmuseum.de
 
German TV

I agree that 99% of European broadcasts are awful, I will admit to having been addicted to Edgar Reitz's "Heimat", and to a lesser degree, ""Lindenstra�e".

I was back in the states by the time "Die Zweite Heimat" came along, but I bought it on video as soon as it was available here, and I have not yet seen "Heimat III", but just last week I ordered the entire series, "Die Heimat Trilogie" on DVD.
 
German TV

...oh well, I can see that the Eszett is not working in "Lindenstrasse".
 
"Reitz's story centred on the life of a rural community in the western part of Germany in the years between the fall of the Kaiser and the aftermath of World War II. He conceived Heimat as the German 'answer' to the American series Holocaust. An attempt to reclaim German history from the Americans."

Reclaim German history from the Americans? Sounds a lot more like an attempt to ignore and run away from it.

Yeah, that whole Holocaust thing was America's fault. Pardon me while I puke all over Mr. Reitz.

 
It's clear to me that you don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about.
 
Jeff,

Without defending the indefensible, both the Catholic Church and the Talmud are united on this point: An injustice (sin, if you will) may only be atoned for by those who, having committed the injustice both acknowledge it and understand that they have transgressed.
It is one of America's great strengths that Lincoln was willing to reinstate the vanquished Confederate states to full civil rights. This was only possible because leaders such as Lee demanded the Confederacy accept the rule of Union law and contribute actively to healing the breech.
As long as Germans see the Nazi era as a bad thing, but something only brought to an end by Americans and their allies, then there has been no actual recognition of guilt and no active rejoining of the circle of humanity- However flawed, such attempts are a positive step towards preventing a repeat of past horrors.
Germany, today, is enormously more free and just than she might ever have been had people such as Willy Brandt not bent their knee and apologized. That is not enough, only when the common man comes to terms with what happened will Germany have begun the never ending process of atonement through achieving a society where "niemals wieder Krieg" has meaning.
Since I am in a foul-mood, I might add that I, as a German citizen am permitted a range of criticism and disagreement with my country's government and organs which you, as an American no longer enjoy.
Further, I, as a gay man am accorded full civil and human rights, whereas you are still non-human in the eyes of your federal law.
Sadly.
Sorry if that came out a bit strong, you are one of the people around here whom I deeply admire and whose views are usually the same as my own. But sometimes, dear, you shoot first and think second.
Something, I, of course, never do...
 
Sorry, but someone needs to explain what "reclaim German history from the Americans" means.
 
Ok Keven, that at least makes some kind of sense. Although I still think it's a very poor choice of words. Does the average German today really think it was America who defeated them in WWII?
 
Oh my paws and whiskers,

That's going to be a chore.
The nice thing about you, Jeff, is that even through my thoroughly foul mood, you manage to keep a cool head. Some, here, would be shooting off the nasty-o-grammes right as I write. How charming to read those threats to my American parents, what wonderful people, truly.
Hmm, maybe I wrote too fast for them to read...
Not first since Schindler's List has there been an awareness in German culture that much of the discussion and cultural processing of the horrors of Nazi Germany has been strongly guided and influenced by American thinking. This is hardly surprising; a large number of homosexuals, Jews, devout Christians and Intellectuals who escaped Nazi Germany found refuge in the US, and it is there that they sought to understand how a country of such high culture and civilization, one proud of the common man's education and literacy, a country of such scientific, military and economic strength could so quickly degenerate in the very personification of evil.
Here in Germany, it was not until far later - before my time, but later -, that an attempt was made to differentiate and discriminate between those who, out of patriotism simply permitted these atrocities to occur (it can't happen here) and those who willingly set aside constitutional law and permitted torture, war and murder because the Führer was not to be questioned.
Today, there is a body of popular literature which seeks to analyze and explain how it could happen here. Most of it sucks, some of it is rather good. Böll's "Ansichten eines Clowns" or Krista Wolf's efforts are ok. In the end, the only truly German answer has been our participation in the restoration of Israel, our resistance to the Arab and Islamic world's attempts to destroy the country and our firmly established democracy, one which the United States created in 1948 and an accomplishment from which we benefit, but only contribute to through ever extending human and civil rights.
Does that help?
 
The average

German is, of course, well aware of who started the war (we did), who waged illegal war (we did) and who, together with the allies (Americans really forget the sacrifices of the UK, the Netherlands, French, Danes, Canadians, Aussies...) won the war and freed Germany from the Nazis. Remember, by late 1933 it was punishable by torture, indefinite imprisonment, being stripped of one's citizenship, retaliation against one's family to dare to even suggest in public that the Nazis were going the wrong way. I am, of course, referring to Nazi Germany, lest the incautious reader make the false association.
So, yes, of course. We would not be your allies. Funny, one never hears in the US in whose hospitals the wounded US soldiers are treated. One never hears who is fighting the legal war in Afghanistan to help defend you. One never hears of how many bullet proof vests and other armor we and the other NATO partners have given American soldiers who are sent into battle shamelessly unprepared and naked of protection. Nope, not a word of it...but we were in a legal state of war against the aggressors who attacked you on 9/11 before the US government had finished reading that children's book.
Imagine the United States under Eisenhower or Clinton or Ronald Reagan, before he lost it. Those civil freedoms and right to protest and be heard are a normal part of our culture.
 
Keven, if most Germans today view America as the one who defeated the Third Reich, I find that utterly astonishing. 72 million people died as a result of WWII, including 23 million Soviets and 20 million Chinese. America lost 416,000.

en.wikipedia.org

World War II casualties - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Jeff,

You have to remember that that was an entirely different era. The Americans of those days were highly educated, one would say today "elitist" warriors and leaders. They knew the only way to finally conquer Germany was to educate the people as to the evils of their leaders, promote democracy and push those aspects of the culture which were pro-peace.
There is also the minor detail that Germany's military and industrial health was a necessary adjunct to preventing the Soviets from taking over even more of Europe.
We still study history here and there is a strong emphasis on children learning the truth. Since all children learn English and US culture is dominant in the media, of course they know about what's going on in the world.
Truly, really, genuinely, yes, the average German knows what happened, who caused it, whose fault it was and why it most never happen again.
You might want to take a look at some of the current German private initiatives for promoting peace and, to the extent possible, providing restitution to those who were injured. The fact that I, as a gay man, can marry my partner, enjoy full civil and human rights, can teach at a university run by the most conservative government in Germany although openly gay...these things are all possible because we remember the Nazi horrors. And what the communist bastards did in the East.
Sadly, you can't use what the average American knows about history as a basis for adjudging other country's knowledge of past mistakes.
Hell, my red neck cousins in Colorado don't even know when the War of Northern Aggression was, much less when it was fought, who won, who lost and why it matters.
But they surely love to say, "The South's gonna rise again." Of course, if they knew what that meant, I fear they'd probably still say it, with even more vigor.
 

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