Hello Gentlemen,
819 on a good receiver was really breathtaking. System E gobbled up a whoping 13,75 MHz per channel and video baseband bandwith went up to 8,75 MHz.
During my childhood, i remember clearly resolving the 800 and even 850 points-per-line on the off-air test pattern (see picture) on a good receiver with wide IF bandwith. BTW, this pattern is called the "Chevaux de Marly" (horses of Marly) because of the equestrian statue pictured in the center. It was used for at least 25 years until electronic test pattern generators made it obsolete.
When the 819 service was duplicated on 625 SECAM, program origination gradually moved to 625. To continue supplying the 819 network, the ORTF made a "standards converter": a 819 B&W camera was positioned in front of a 625 monitor! needless to say, image quality really went down the drain...
Dual-standard 819/625 B&W, then color receivers were sold in quantity. The second channel was initially 625 B&W to comply with UER/EBU recommendations. This made it so much easier to exchange programs such as News stories having a unified Euro 625 standard. The second channel started broadcasting in 1964; it then went "color" in the fall of 1967.
The dual-standard requirement made French TVs much more complicated and expensive than other single standard Euro sets. The English had the same problem with the coexistence of 405 & 625.
Convergence on 819/625 color sets was a major headache! my first color TV, an ITT/Oceanic all tube set had 23 convergence adjustments!
Systems E/819 & L/625 are also unique because of the use of positive video modulation and AM sound. The sound being transmitted in the VHF & UHF bands allowed it to be wideband & quasi-FM quality. However, this caused problems later on for stereo broadcasting. In the 90s, France adopted the UK NICAM digital stereo audio system which is transmitted on a separate subcarrier. This solves the issue of hi-fi/stereo sound. Older sets only receive the "legacy" AM mono audio.
Best Regards
jhalphen@dial.oleane.com