[QuadList] OT: Broadcast Camcorders--which came first (and a few other things) was Re: betacam-)

[Ted Langdell]

Searching online since I'm not traveling with my hard copy of "The  
History of Television, 1942-2000" by Albert Abramson... we find on  
Page 195 that:

The RCA Hawkeye  (HC-1) three Plumbicon camera-VTR was shown at the  
Radio-Television News Driector's Association (RTNDA)  in New Orleans,  
Sept. 10-12, 1981.

Page 196 of the same book reports that Sony showed a prototype Betacam  
at the 1982 NAB, using a single high-band SMF Trinicon tube.

Abramson reports that RCA showed the Hawkeye at the 1982 NAB,

Ikegami added an M-format recorder to the side of an HL-83.

Bosch showed a KBF-1 camcorder with three half-inch Plumbicons and a  
quarter-inch cassette deck using the Lineplex format.

Other things of note:

At NAB 1981, the 25th anniversary of Quad was celebrated.

Ampex claimed it had sold more than half the broadcast video recorders  
used world-wide, delivered its 2000th VPR-2B and sold its 3,000th  
VPR-2B.   It showed the VPR-80 for $34,900, without TBC.

Sony showed the BVH-2000 at around $39,000 without TBC.

Bosch-Fernseh brought the BCN-21 portable and BCN-51 studio  
recorders.  The early BCN's were also marketed by IVC (International  
Video Corp.) as the IVC 8000 series machines.

IVC had been taken over by Cezar International in 1981.  It showed the  
"IVC-1."  And the rest of the detail is on page 197, which is not in  
the on-line preview.  Can't tell you more since I don't have my hard- 
copy with me.

(An IVC 1070 "Chromacon 10" is mentioned on page 105 of Charles  
Bensinger's  1981 "The Video Guide", found online at:
http://videopreservation.conservation-us.org/vid_guide/9/9.html)

Abramson says that at the 1982 NAB, 3M demoed the new TT-8000 3M/NEC  
Type C recorder that featured color playback without a TBC and met new  
FCC Part 15 EMA rules that would take effect in Oct. 1982.

3M mentioned that more than 14,000 Quad machines had been sold during  
the 25 years since Ampex pressed record and then play on the Mark IV  
in Chicago.

Abramson reports that a "highlight reel" was shown of memorable events  
that had been recorded on tape including the Nixon/Khrushchev debate,  
Kennedy inauguration and assassination aftermath, Apollo moon landing  
and the US Hockey Team's Olympic victory.

Wonder where that tape is, and how many generations down the various  
segments were.

Have a good morning...

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

On Feb 1, 2010, at 7:19 AM, Gideon4 wrote:

> I think Hawkeye came first, I have the date for the Hawkeye HC-1 as  
> c.1979-80. In retrospect, it's very tricky to say who was first with  
> something, "marketing" have a habit of promoting the camera before  
> it is actually ready to be sold!
>
> The best place to date things is in the NAB/IBC reports for the  
> period.
>
> In Europe there was the Bosch Quarter Cam, in retrospect not  
> successful, but an interesting attempt. It probably came after the  
> RCA Hawkeye.
>
> Brian Summers
> UK member
>
> David
> I think he falsely claims that the Betacam was "The first one-piece  
> camera and recorder ever made). I believe Panasonic's M-Format  
> "Recam" beat them.
>
> I think it went M or was that Hawkeye
> Betacam
> M2
> Beta SP
>
> M2 and SP were very close
> and release dates may have been different in the UK
>
> TrevorB
> UK Member
>

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