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Ulises ( often misspelt as Ulysses)¹ Sanabria (b. Nov. 1906 - d. Jan 1969) introduces interlaced television scanning, a technique that reduces flicker in the transmitted image.

When the top line of an image is scanned, the line that forms directly below it remains empty. As the scanning process continues, the still picture is scanned in alternate lines, and the next picture that is transmitted scans into the previous picture's empty lines. The meshing of these interlaced fields forms a complete image frame, and the speed with which the screen phosphors decay works with the eye's inclination to meld disparate images together. The result is a sense of continuous motion from discontinuous information.

Source: Xiphias' Timetable of Science

From David L. Quinlan

Subject: Ulysses Sanabria

"Sanabria was an american of Greek extraction¹ who had an early mechanical scanner tv system in Chicago. He is mentioned in an early tv book called "Romance of Shortwave and Television", ca.1930. I have never found a copy of that book but I'm still looking"

Subject: Ulises Sanabria

Dear Dr. Naughton,

I wish to correct some information that is on your web site. My father's cousin name was Ulises Sanabria, he was born in Nov. 1906, and died in Jan. 1969. And most importantly, he was of Puerto Rican and French ancestry, born in Oak Park, Illinois. He was not of "Greek extraction".

Sincerely, Carlos Sanabria
Feb. 2000

A great page on Sanabria appears on Peter Yancer's Experimental Television Society website.

Western Television Corporation played a significant role in the evolution of television in North America. Canada's first experimental television station, which was operated by the Montreal newspaper La Presse and radio station CKAC, was supplied with Western Television equipment.

The Canadian public witnessed Western Television's technology through a special mechanical projection apparatus, which was demonstrated at Eaton's and department stores in Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg during 1933. In the U.S., Western's travelling demonstrations included a 9-day run at Macy's in New York that was witnessed by over 200,000 people.

The Western Television Corporation drew on the talents of television pioneer Ulysses A. Sanabria, who is known for his use of interlaced scanning. Interlacing improved picture quality by reducing flicker. This television utilizes an interlaced aluminum scanning wheel and 3" magnifying lense. It was among the last and most advanced mechanical home televisions to be in use before the electronic sets began to show greater promise.

Source: http://www.mztv.com/visionette.html

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