[QuadList] VTR introduction anniversaries: 1965

Wed Feb 9 19:38:30 CST 2011

Hi Ted & Folks,
This may be partly(?) folklore, since it was passed on to me many years later, 
but it is "told" that NBC, NY pressured RCA, so they could buy some 
AmpexVR-2000's for New York, so they could properly compete with the other 
Networks. 

Ampex did some major priority list juggling, so they could get VR-2000's into 
NBC-NY. Customers who accepted these delays got some future firsts as a result 
of this action.

And on the other side of the fence, when RCA then submitted the first TR-70's, 
to the NY, NBC folks, they sent it back, and it delayed the final product 
introduction another six months. 

During this time many engineers from Camden, were spending a lot of late night 
time in the NY tape room, while the 2000's were "off-line".

I don't know if this is factual, but it sounded like a great story for this 
group! 

Let's find out if anyone on this list knows anything about this??

"Fast Forward" many years, to the NBC/Johnny Carson, LA Contract that specified 
that VR-2000's were to be the only VTR's to be used on all of his broadcasts!

Bill Carpenter

________________________________
From: Ted Langdell <ted at quadvideotapegroup.com>
To: Quad List <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Sent: Wed, February 9, 2011 5:04:46 PM
Subject: [QuadList] VTR introduction anniversaries:  1965

The March, 1965 NAB convention in Washington had a slew of camera offerings in 
black and white and color, and the introduction of several new Quad and Helical 
tape recorders.

High Band color recording was the big deal in 1965, following Ampex's 
introduction of High Band color with the VR-2000 in 1964.

Visual/Allen introduced the V/A 100G Quad—"The Continental"—which used Bosch 
transport and heads coupled with V/A electronics.  $100,000.

Visual/Allen was already known for converting tube-type Quads to solid state 
using assemblies it manufactured.  "Allenized"
 VR-1000's were seen in a lot of places.  

The above April 1966 ad from the Don Norwood collection shows the range of 
"Allenizing" that the company pursued. 
(Double-click to open in your software to make larger)

RCA TRT series machines could be High Banded.  

I think there's a couple of lines missing from this ad in regard to TRTs.  I 
think it should read "High Band your TRT machines and... eliminate those racks 
of tubes with solid-state Allen Sync-Lock servo and All-Band RF systems."  Allen 
also High Banded TR-22's, introduced by RCA in 1961 as the first all solid state 
Quad VTR.

Allen would rebuild AmpexVR-1000's with solid state electronics—eliminating the 
racks in the process— and would put the VR-1000 transport into a new cabinet 
with Allen electronics to create a new machine it called the "NB 1000."

This photo of a Visual/Allen V/A 50G at Rev. Gene Scott's KHOF-TV, 30, San 
Bernadino shows how a Bosch transport and head assembly was used to create a new 
Quad.
Bruce Braun is leaning on a VR-1000 transport console. 

Although it was a year behind Ampex introducing High Band recorders, RCA debuted 
its TR-70 High Band, which ran $82,500.  
It was pitched as the "first fully integrated TV tape recording system for 
high-band color recording and playback." 
It also showed a High Band update for the similar looking solid state TR-22, 
introduced in 1961.
The 1966 TR-22HB was $72,000.  For ID purposes, the TR-22 had a VU meter in the 
speaker area on the upper right side of the machine, while the TR-70 did not.

On the Helical side of life:

Sony showed its PV-120 2" helical.  This example was among the machines that 
"collected" at WHIZ-TV, Zanesville, Ohio before it was sold to QuadList member 
David Crosthwait in 2007.

This machine has 970 hours on it according to the meter, and a head maintenancee 
record with only 1967 dates.

Here's a look at the processing unit that went with it:

This isn't a comprehensive list of what happened with tape in 1965. 

Perhaps worth noting that February 1965—46 years ago—is when it was announced 
that Visual Electronics would market the Phillips/Norelco PC-60 color camera in 
the US, according to Albert Abramson's second book about TV. CBS was rumored to 
get the first units at a cost of around $65,000. No indication of whether that 
was with lens or without.

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: TedLangdell
e-mail:ted at quadvideotapegroup.com

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