[QuadList] 50th Anniversary of Color Video Tape at CBS

[Ed Reitan]

Fifty years ago, on Christmas Day Night of 1958,

CBS made its first use of color quad video tape to time zone delay to the
West Coast, the New York City Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" by
George Ballanchine on "Playhouse 90".  The production was mounted at the
single CBS Color Studio 72 in New York City.

Ampex engineers were present at CBS Television City to monitor the recording
and playback of the production on an Ampex machine with the Ampex 1010 Color
Conversion Kit.  Included was Al Troust whose later triumpth was to be the
signal processing protions of the Ampex AVR-1.

NBC had been recording color using their RCA prototype machines and their
modification of Ampex macines since Spring of 1958.

The original two-inch recording of the December 25, 1958 "The Nutcracker"
was preserved by Don Kent in a transfer using the KTLA AVR-1.  It is
wonderful that this historical program survives through his efforts.

Ed Reitan
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