[QuadList] Question of the week-RCA AE 6000 editor

Mon Mar 7 20:29:53 CST 2011

Hi David, and Folks,

Yes, Bill Breshears was the one the system was designed for, and he was there the first time Joe Sayovitch showed me the system.

The next time I saw both of them, I  understood much more about High End Production House Edit Suites, so I could ask some questions and that's when Bill kidded Joe about how long it took him to control the switcher. It sure made me a believer in distributed processing
I never got to see the two headed Laser Discs which was their next act, at LaserEdit, but I heard a lot of good things about them.

Bye for now, Bill

--- On Mon, 3/7/11, David Crosthwait <david at dcvideo.com> wrote:

From: David Crosthwait <david at dcvideo.com>
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Question of the week-RCA AE 6000 editor
To: "Quad List" <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Date: Monday, March 7, 2011, 6:02 PM

Bill,
Compact was across the street (sort of) from 3000 W. Alameda. I spent a few sessions over there for one reason or another, mostly in the presence of editor Bill Breshears. He is probably who you are referring to. His assist was Barbara. They were "the team" in town.
Yes, 10 second pre-rolls were necessary on those RCA setups, at least in the two bays at NBC. Made Compact look better & faster. Plus the food was much better at Compact than the NBC Commissary!
One of the Compact edit bays has two photos in my roatation on my main page at www.dcvideo.com.
David

On Mar 7, 2011, at 5:38 PM, Bill Carpenter wrote:
Hi David & Folks,

10 sec per-rolls? (did folks fall asleep?)

I guess that's why Compact's system making fun color framed edits with 1 sec pre-rolls was so great.

One of the great editors was so quick/slick with the system, that Joe did not add system switcher control until a year later.

With 1 sec pre-rolls he just did the effect as live, and went back and did it again until both he and the client we pleased!

And this was all happening in Burbank, a few blocks away!

Bill Carpenter

--- On Mon, 3/7/11, Don Norwood <dwnorwood at embarqmail.com> wrote:

From: Don Norwood <dwnorwood at embarqmail.com>
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Question of the week-RCA AE 6000 editor
To: "Quad List"
 <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Date: Monday, March 7, 2011, 3:39 PM

Hi David:

Chris is right about the other picture, but this EECO on a 2000 is 
something else that I don't remember seeing.  Do you know the date?  
Interesting that it still used thumbwheels.

Don Norwood
Digitrak Communications, Inc.
www.digitrakcom.com  

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 
  David 
  Crosthwait 
  To: Quad List 
  Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 6:08 
PM
  Subject: Re: [QuadList] Question of the 
  week-RCA AE 6000 editor

Chris,

  This is the one your are referring to I believe (EECO unit on the VR 
  2000):

  <TEP.jpeg>

  David
  www.dcvideo.com

  On Mar 7, 2011, at 2:50 PM, Chill315 at aol.com wrote:

    This is not the TEP.  That had thumb wheels only.

    This is actually a programmer that was made by ECCO for RCA.  It 
    consisted of a number of parts.  
    The top display was an auxiliary display panel.

    The Unit Programmer is the middle unit that is a couple of rack 
    units.  

    The bottom was a transport control panel.  

    It was possibly a system that was first used on Laugh In.  Can 
    someone confirm that?

    Chris Hill

    In a message dated 3/7/2011 5:31:14 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, david at dcvideo.com writes:

Hello Trevor, 

      Thanks for the insight and the confirmation of similar problems with 
      the TR 600's. At least I can say now "It wasn't just me".

      In regard to the TEP, here are two shots (for those who have no idea 
      what we are talking about):

      <RCATEP.jpeg><NBCedit2TEP.jpeg>

      The TEP actually worked pretty well with the TR-70's. However, it was 
      a 10 second pre-roll on the record VTR and five seconds on the source. 
      Edit 2 and 3 at NBC Burbank had TEPs. 

      David
      www.dcvideo.com

      On Mar 7, 2011, at 9:08 AM, Trevor Brown wrote:

        Ted 
        thanks for the heavy weight credit 

        We 
        had one three machine edit suite with equipped with 
        TR600’s 
        If 
        the crew leader had asked,  do you want to go and try and get the 
        TR600’s to lock up 
        or 
        go see the nurse she needs to stick pins in someone’s eyes I might have 
        opted for the nurse 

        Like 
        a lot of things the AE 600 was a good idea with poor 
        implementation 
        It 
        used an 8080 micro (big step up from RCA’s TEP is anyone remembers 
        it  “Tape Editing Programmer”) 

        Machines 
        had to be pulled into sync, but unlike previous systems that used TSO to 
        speed up or slow down the capstan 
        and 
        create major servo disturbances   

        The 
        AE 600 reprogrammed a counter chain in the capstan 
        servo 
        This 
        was I think 4.3. 4 in pixlock  and either 4.4.4 or 3.4.3 to speed 
        the tape up or slow it down (cannot remember the original numbers or 
        what they were counting) 
        So 
        the lock to station sync slipped one way or the other without major 
        servo disturbances, and so station lock was a quick recovery process 
        after time pulling the time codes into the correct 
        sync 

        It 
        was a poor lockup system and frequently failed 

        Worst 
        was the non standard logic to drive it, it was complex with a mix 
        needing the third machine to stagger start 
        Numerous 
        keystrokes and only an external event to drive the mixer, so if the 
        preview was OK you had to remember to reset the mixer or it would toggle 
        the wrong way on the print 

        Add 
        to that a ¼ tape deck (again external event fired) to lift audio and mix 
        it across the edit which again needed re cueing after a 
        preview 
        and 
        the  operating alone could make grown men cry, before machine lock 
        up problems. 

        Easy 
        to look at the director and ask is that what you wanted, it was so long 
        ago when you explained I have forgotten 
        and 
        if you did like the P/V can I repeat it, I never smiled like the guys in 
        the picture 

        Trevor 
        B 
        UK 
        Member 

        From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com [mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of Ted 
        Langdell
Sent: 07 March 2011 
        15:54
To: Quad 
        List
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Question of the 
        week-RCA AE 6000 editor 

        Here's 
        a shot of what looks very much like a version of the AE-6000 in an RCA 
        trade show booth: 

        http://www.oldradio.com/archives/hardware/TV/rca-tr600.jpg 

        Perhaps 
        someone on the list remembers this particular 
        booth? 

        Or 
        the people in that shot or this one: 

        http://www.oldradio.com/archives/hardware/TV/rca-tr600(nab77).jpg 

        The 
        guy in the blue suit and glasses could be the person sitting in the 
        director's chair at the editor console. 

        Ted 

        On 
        Mar 7, 2011, at 7:36 AM, David Crosthwait wrote: 

        The 
        answer is the  

        RCA AE 6000 
        "Automatic Computerized Editing"  devise. 

        "A new sophisticated 
        editing system providing optimum simplicity and efficiency to enhance 
        creative expression". (I've had some "creative expressions" when editing with TR-600A's 
        which cannot be printed here). 

        <RCA 
        AE 6000 bro1x.jpeg><RCA AE 6000 bro2x.jpeg><RCA AE 6000 
        bro3x.jpeg><RCA AE 6000 keyboard1.jpg><RCA AE 6000 
        screen1.jpg><RCA AE 6000x1.jpg><RCA AE 6000 
        bro4x.jpg> 

        I 
        do not know if this product ever came out, but certainly from what I can 
        tell by pulling brochures from the DC Video file cabinet is that I 
        picked up this printed material in 1978 or so and it appeared to be a 
        real product. But I never heard of any implementation. Perhaps the heavy 
        weights here on the list i.e. Gary Adams, John Turner, Don Norwood, 
        Chris Hill, Trevor Brown and others who were associated with RCA gear 
        (perhaps the recipient of a sales pitch or two) could elaborate. If 1978 
        is an accurate time period for this product to be marketed, then I think 
        we have to keep in mind what the competition was then i.e. Ampex ACE, 
        CMX 340, ISC, Mach 1, and perhaps some others that I've failed to 
        mention. If one looks at the CRT display here, it's a bit convoluted 
        compared to the industry standard at the time (in my opinion), that 
        being the CMX 340. So perhaps the RCA AE 6000 was a little too late to 
        come to market.  

        I 
        once worked with a woman who had just come from a religious network 
        editing facility who had four TR-600A's tied to (I think) a CMX edit 
        system, and she swore by them.  

        There 
        were four 600As tied to a CMX 340 (no AE-6000) in edit five at NBC 
        Burbank, and those machines would move tape very fast, even dual edit 
        record under CMX control. However, they were not very reliable in other 
        aspects. That edit room had been originally projected to have four 
        AVR-3's, but an "upper level decision" placed the 600A's in that project 
        instead.  

        One 
        last note: The brochure mentions that this editor has a "switcher 
        control system designed to interface with any 1600 series Grass Valley 
        E-MEM equipped switcher" (did not scan that page yet but can if someone 
        wants to see it). I can't recall RCA ever mentioning another major 
        manufacturer in a brochure, although I could be dead wrong. Perhaps this 
        was a no brainer as RCA was (?) totally out of the switcher business by 
        then. 

        David 
        Crosthwait 

        DC 
        Video 

        2" 
        quad transfers and more... 

        www.dcvideo.com 

        Not 
        seen this before, but I'd say it's an RCA multi-machine edit controller 
        circa 1983-86.   

        Perhaps 
        a product that didn't make it into any facilities before the door was 
        shut and Nipper's doghouse closed. 

        Ted 

        Looks 
        like a "super-duper" CMX type editing device for the TR-600 or above RCA 
        quads. BIG floppy drives to hold edit info (reminds me of the 4100 
        Chyron's). Buttons and panels very similiar to the TR-600 edit system at 
        Olympic Broadcasting Studio in Chicago mid to late 70's. Machines had 
        come from Montreal Olympics, no 2 quite alike, what complete DOGS. 
        Thankfully the truck had HS-100!

Pat 

        Good 
        stumper. 

        It 
        looks like it was done by either CDL or 
        Telemation. 

        The 
        5 inch disc drives give it a time frame of the 70's or early 
        80's. 

        It 
        has to be after the original CMX as the unit has some features that were 
        enhancements. 

        Have 
        no idea other than that. 

        Chris 
        Hill 
        _________________ 

        On 
        Mar 4, 2011, at 9:33 AM, Trevor Brown wrote: 

        Looks 
        like an RCA AE600 edit panel 
You can clearly see the 
        gold key as in 66 gold key 6 (Change Pal Phase)
There should be a 
        Blue key too (edit replay)
Picture is a little burnt out to 
        identify

Don't remember the 5 1/4 discs or the comments key 
        board 

TrevorB
UK 
        member

-----Original Message-----
From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] 
        On Behalf Of David
Crosthwait
Sent: 04 March 2011 15:59
To: 
        Quad List
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Question of the week

Here is 
        a photo from the file cabinet.
The questions for the contest 
        are:
What is it?
What is the model number?
Did anyone ever see 
        one in action other than on the showroom floor? 
Was it a product that was 
        "Dead On Arrival"?

Other documentation will be posted about what 
        this is (or was supposed to
be) once the questions have been 
        answered. 

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Ted Langdell 

        Secretary 

        Skype:    TedLangdell 

        e-mail:   ted at quadvideotapegroup.com 
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