[QuadList] VPR-2 was ACR-25 Cue Times was: Ampex Models

[David Crosthwait]

Don,

I know that feeling, the worst night mare of all! A great play has occurred, you're cue up and the producer says that X has a great shot. The director says "standby X, roll X, take X. ROLL X!!!  ROLL X!!!" Then the TD and the producer starts yelling "ROLL X". As you said, it seems like an eternity as your machine is feeding a huge audience across half the country or more with a still frame, potentially a career ender for you. There is already enough screaming on the P.L going on normally with out your name being added. You sweat, your blood pressure goes up, and it's a bad day. There will be a meeting after the game is over. If it was the machine's fault (or sticky tape such as in your case), you are out of the barrel. 

Yes, we used 90's also, usually 3M. 

David
www.dcvideo.com






On Mar 11, 2011, at 5:31 PM, W4wj at aol.com wrote:

> David and Gary...
>  
>  
> Regarding "slo-mo" VPR-2...
>  
> During a CBS football remote at The orange Bowl...
>  
> I had a 90 minute reel of tape loaded on the machine
> and after a lot of pre-pro and stuff...  we went into
> the LIVE game...  of course I had the first replay...
> and the machine WOULD NOT ROLL...  Either hitting PLAY
> or by hand!!!  My machine was ON LINE for what seemed like an
> eternity, BUT just a FREEZE FRAME!!  DAM!!
>  
> Well the CBS EIC came storming into the tape truck
> screaming various phrases!! 
>  
> He couldn't get the tape to roll either!!  we were a
> non-union house, so he could "touch" the machine!!
>  
> The problem was "stiction" at the head of that big reel.
>  
> After all the pre-pro, we were told to rewind to the head of bars and roll on the game from there.  The machine
> didn't like the tape for some reason.
>  
> Got around the problem by winding into the reel a
> bit.  The EIC was not happy...
>  
> BTW, CBS supplied and specified the 90s for the game.  ;-)
>  
>  
> Don Murray, W4WJ
> Retired from 40 years of Miami TV Engineering
> 35+ years at NBC O&O WTVJ  
>  
>  
> In a message dated 3/11/2011 4:50:33 P.M. Central Standard Time, david at dcvideo.com writes:
> 
> 
> Gary,
> 
> "Ampex was the absolute best at designing such systems.  Very good at DC servos for max acceleration and deceleration with a gentle touch... On the 1” machines, the ability to grab a reel and move it to jog the tape by hand.  Nice touch. "
> 
> I'd say that's why so many NBC sports slo-mo guys from NYC preferred a truck with 1" VPR 2's so as to be able to grab the reels and do the slo-mo by hand, as apposed to the controller running the transport. The VPR 2  most likely would not spill tape if done right, a must on live sports.
> 
> Don's truck had VPR 2's. Ran them on NFL football in Miami in the 80's.
> 
> 
> <Ampex-VPR-2.jpg_250_250_0_70_1_50_50.jpg>
> 
> David
> (So-mo operator back then...)
> www.dcvideo.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 11, 2011, at 11:08 AM, Gary Adams wrote:
> 
>> I would say that Ampex was the absolute best at designing such systems.  Very good at DC servos for max acceleration and deceleration with a gentle touch.   Very impressive.  RCA stuck with the old AC motor drivers for everything just about and that made for a very rubbery control of reel servos and belt drive.  On the 1” machines, the ability to grab a reel and move it to jog the tape by hand.  Nice touch. 
>>  
>> Gary
>>  
>> From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com [mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of W4wj at aol.com
>> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 1:50 PM
>> To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
>> Subject: Re: [QuadList] ACR-25 Cue Times was: Ampex Models
>>  
>> Ah...  Forgot about that one Dennis...  Very good!!
>>  
>> All the movement parameters in the ACR-25
>> were designed to minimize the time required
>> to perform an operation...  i.e.  NO OVERSHOOT!!  ;-)
>>  
>>  
>> Don Murray, W4WJ
>> Retired from 40 years of Miami TV Engineering
>> 35+ years at NBC O&O WTVJ  
>>  
>>  
>> In a message dated 3/10/2011 4:33:06 P.M. Central Standard Time, DennyD1 at verizon.net writes:
>> 
>>         On Mar 9, 2011, at 5:20 PM, W4wj at aol.com wrote:
>> 
>> > The machine spun the carousel the shortest distance to get to the  
>> next bin to play...
>> 
>>         I add:
>> 
>>     It also used a ramping profile to accelerate and decelerate the bin  
>> carousel as it rotated from bin to bin.
>> 
>>             Dennis Degan, Video Editor-Consultant-Knowledge Bank
>>                         NBC Today Show, New York
>> 
>> 
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> 
> David Crosthwait
> DC Video
> Archived Media Transfer and Re-mastering Services
> 177 West Magnolia Blvd.
> Burbank, CA. 91502
> 818-563-1073
> 818-563-1177 (fax)
> 818-285-9942 (cell)
> DCFWTX at AOL.COM
> DAVID at DCVIDEO.COM
> WWW.DCVIDEO.COM
> 
> =
> 
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