[QuadList] How CBS is migrating news tape (including Quad) and film, and other items of interest by James O'Neal

[Ted Langdell]

I met author James E. O'Neal in July at the Library of Congress  
National Audio Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, VA.  I was  
there to help install a new HD film transfer system, the flashtransfer  
Vario.

James was working on one of several (understatement) AVR-2's being  
restored for service in the Library's mass migration area.  I may have  
a picture of him at work, and will post when I find it.  He's planning  
a story about it.

He called me shortly after our conversation for an hour-long chat by  
phone.

Here's O'Neal's item about what CBS is doing to migrate tape and film  
across from the CBS Broadcast Center on W. 57th:
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/14224

O'Neal writes:

The operation has two Ampex AVR-1 quads in daily use and an additional  
machine is retained as a spare. There are also a couple of Ampex  
VR-2000s. Six one-inch machines are kept in repair for type “C”  
playback and there are numerous U-matic 3/4-inch machines, as well as  
models for most any other format that was used for recording news  
content.

“Whenever the network decides to get rid of a tape machine, we've had  
first dibs,” said (CBS news archives manager Roy )Carubia.

A Rank Cintel machine is used for film transfers, and the operation  
keeps some Movieola flatbed editing machines in shape for screenings  
and preparation and repair of film. The Movieolas also provide a means  
for recovering magtrack audio from double system recordings. In  
addition, the archiving operations keep several tape cleaning machines  
busy.

What prompted the post today is that well known camera collector Chuck  
Pharis is the most recent subject of James' writing, and it looks like  
it was on on-site visit: Here are links to both stories:

Camera collection:	http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/105484
Test Pattern		http://tvtechnology.com/article/106490

Some on the list might have read his article this spring about the  
Eighth Annual Early Television Foundation gathering in Hilliard, OH:
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/100820

You may also have read his story about the closure of one of the last  
CRT rebuilding plants in the US: Hawk-Eye Picture Tube Manufacturing:
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/103016

Discovered Thursday that there's a Hawk-Eye tube in one of the two  
Barco C22 9" picture monitors that came from several Ampex VPR-80  
consoles. Not that I can tell if it's working :) Nothing happens when  
I hit it with power. Need manual and prints to see what's up. Anyone  
have such?  Will scan and return.

Enjoy!

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

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