[QuadList] History - what is the REAL story--details, source(s)

Sat Apr 25 14:03:45 CDT 2009

On Apr 25, 2009, at 10:17 AM, C. Park Seward wrote:

> Thanks to Ted for pointing out the book. Interesting reading.

I have a paperback copy at home, but use Google and searching within  
the online sample copy to locate items of interest.

>
> Some high points: Ampex did not use the RCA heterodyning color  
> recording method when they produced the direct color recorder.
>
> RCA lied in their press releases, taking credit for the quad  
> recorder, just as they tried to discredit Fransworth years before.  
> They wanted to re-write history and gave Ampex no credit at all for  
> the development of the videotape recorder.
>
> It seems there were two patent exchanges by Ampex, one to RCA (1957)  
> and one to Sony (1960). Ampex came out on the short end with both  
> agreements. Their "Gindsburg patent" which covered FM recording,  
> would have prevented anyone for may years from making a VTR. As you  
> all know, FM recording is the heart of every analog VTR, from the  
> quad to VHS. Ampex made no use of the RCA color system and Sony  
> didn't do much to design transistorized circuits for Ampex.
>
> As Ampex made improvements,RCA was free to copy them.

That's the gist of it.  Ampex—for whatever reasons—chose not to make  
use of the RCA patents when developing its color system.

Don Kent says that the differences between what we know as "Low Band  
Color" and the "RCA Labs Color" used for the Eisenhower, Astaire and  
other early NBC color recordings is striking.

When we were discussing the restoration of the Eisenhower tape on  
OldVTR's last summer, David Crosthwait wrote on July 25 and I reposted  
here in January during our discussion:

"David reported that the 1958, the WRC-TV dedication was "zone delay  
recorded at NBC Burbank in low band color with RCA 8:1 pre-emphasis on  
an RCA TRT-1. The low band color standard was not quite agreed upon at  
that time, hence there were various modes of pre-emphasis being  
experimented with."

David has said he has an AVR-1 with modifications available to play  
the various RCA tapes.

Ed Reitan made mods to 10 boards used on the AVR-1 Don Kent used at  
KTLA for the 1988 restorations we've been talking about.

As I get a chance to do so, perhaps we can arrange a  
QuadVideotapeGroup/TIG/AMIA visit to that machine, now at CBS  
Television City, and perhaps to David's facility, if he's amenable and  
not too busy.

Glad to have been able to see those that made the lunch, and some who  
stopped by the booth at NAB, Rich Torpey and David Crosthwait among  
them.

This is my last e-mail from Vegas.  Heading home.

Ted

>
> On Apr 24, 2009, at 11:51 PM, Ted Langdell wrote:
>
>> Hi, Park,
>>
>> On Apr 23, 2009, at 6:10 PM, C. Park Seward wrote:
>>> Perhaps some of you can point to the true stories.
>>
>>
>> My source for the stories I've related about Ampex and RCA about  
>> patents and color and Ampex-Sony re: patents and transistors is  
>> chronicled in Albert Abramson's book "The History of Television  
>> 1942-2000"
>>
>> Timeframe for what led to the Ampex-RCA patent exchange is 1957,  
>> and is found in various parts of Chapter 4" The Ampex Revolution,"
>>
>> http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA60&dq=The+Ampex+Revolution#PPA70,M1
>>
>> See particularly parts of Page 72, 75, 76, and in the following  
>> chapter "Europe turns Down NTSC" pages 77 (bottom left through  
>> middle right columns) where we learn that the third NBC machine was  
>> sent to RCA and reverse engineered.
>>
>> Bottom left of page 78 has the invitation to Ampex execs to see  
>> that machine playing RCA Labs Color at RCA in Camden... with a  
>> comment from Ginsburg about being able to see that RCA had used  
>> much of the Ampex machine.  The balance of the story is on pages  
>> 78, 79, including taped color transmission tests from Camden to New  
>> York and Burbank.
>>
>> The essence of the patent swap is that Ampex gave RCA access to the  
>> FM recording method (and other important aspects of making things  
>> work) and RCA held the color recording method.
>>
>> The cross licensing language and scope may have included the RCA  
>> transistor technology Allan Dent mentioned in his post just a  
>> little bit ago.
>>
>> The following pages have more about the ordering and delivery of  
>> machines, and the background on how the Ampex transverse recording  
>> method came to be named "Quadruplex" by RCA's H. A. Lind, author of  
>> the paper on the TRT-1 presented at NAB in Los Angeles 51 years  
>> ago.  I'll try to post that paper soon.
>>
>> Abramson's book says NBC "Burbank's Videotape Central" began  
>> recording color in late April, 1958, on eight Ampex units converted  
>> to use RCA Labs Color, and one RCA-built color machine. A  
>> monochrome RCA machine was in use as were three monochrome Ampex  
>> machines.
>>
>> Ampex demoed its color system at NAB in 1958. A description of the  
>> system is on page 82. It was very different from the RCA method,  
>> and didn't use any of the RCA patents Ampex could have used.
>>
>> Page 85 (bottom left to upper right) has details of what was  
>> happening with both companies Quad products at NAB in 1959. The  
>> VR-1000B was introduced, and featured a 36db SNR.
>>
>> Later pages in the chapter denote the development of Japanese  
>> helical recorders, and how that affected Ampex.
>>
>> Last two lines of Page 89 and top of 90 describe the famous VR-8000  
>> shipment to Chicago.
>>
>>
>> The Ampex and Sony story about the transistors (development of  
>> transistor circuitry, actually) is
>> here: http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA92&dq=From+Helicals+to+High+Band
>> beginning on the right column of page 92.
>>
>>> Story two:
>>>
>>> The WRC-TV dedication with Sarnoff and Eisenhower was recorded in  
>>> Burbank OR at WRC. Was the AT&T microwave Long Lines good enough  
>>> for color in 1958? And if they did record it in Burbank, why not  
>>> at WRC? I was told this week it was recorded at WRC.
>>>
>>> Let's set history straight!
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Park
>>
>> I spent much of this afternoon with James Snyder of the Library of  
>> Congress talking about this and other things.
>>
>> He's going to pull up the LoC's copy, shoot pictures and see what  
>> other paperwork is with it... and what that reveals.
>>
>> James has been told that a special RCA color recorder was send from  
>> RCA Labs to WRC-TV for the dedication... so it may be that one tape  
>> was recorded at WRC-TV and another was recorded in Burbank.
>>
>>
>> If that's the case, determining who has which tape, and getting  
>> photos of them in their current states would be helpful.
>>
>> The tape we saw at the UCLA screening is from the Eisenhower Library.
>>
>> As related on http://quadvideotapegroup.com/EiesnhowerQuadRestoration.htm
>> Don Kent describes using the Eisenhower Library tape to make the  
>> D-2 master:
>>
>>
>> Kent says "When we got the tape from The Eisenhower Library it was  
>> in a mahogany box with blue velvet lining." I'll ask him whether he  
>> remembers any particular labels or indications of where the tape  
>> was recorded.
>>
>> "About two-thirds through the show the audio crapped out.  NBC had  
>> the backup telco line, so they switched to it (during David  
>> Sarnoff's speech).  Sounded like a phonecall!  I ran it through an  
>> equalizer and did what I could to match it, but there just wasn't  
>> much there."
>>
>> He says the same thing in another e-mail and describes that  
>> "network" sound we all know from those years.
>>
>> Sooo... I'm sure we'll hear/see something from James as he can get  
>> materials retrieved at LoC, and perhaps put in calls or e-mails to  
>> find and get pix of the Eisenhower Library tape.
>>
>> I hope this helps provide some clarity to the situation.
>>
>> Still in Vegas after a good NAB... and heading home tomorrow (Sat.)
>>
>> Ted
>>
>> Ted Langdell
>> Secretary
>> Skype: 	TedLangdell
>> e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com
>>
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>
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Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: 	TedLangdell
e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com

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