[QuadList] OT: 1" Type-B format question

[Dennis Degan]

		On Apr 2, 2012, at 6:10 PM, Tony Quinn wrote:

 > Fast turn-round sport sessions (such as the UK Saturday afternoon  
programme Grandstand 30 years ago). I can remember tail-outs on Quads  
as well as VPR's, Don;t bother rewinding, just slap another RX tape on  
the machine - spin in a couple of minutes and put test signals on  
afterwards :)

		I say:

	Back in my days at WIS-TV in Columbia, SC (1975-76), in addition to  
my duties as a maintenance engineer, I was weekend tape op on-air.   
WIS had two VR-1200's plus an ACR-25.  On weekends, lots of  
programming originated from our VTR's, which meant that the two 1200's  
would be very busy.  It would be easy if programs could simply  
alternate between the two 1200's, but not so easy if we had to RECORD  
a feed for later air on one of the machines while playing programs for  
air on the other.  In order to handle this challenge, I'd pre-cue all  
the quad tapes I needed for the day's programming eariler in the  
morning, then remove the tapes from the machine (including a takeup  
reel) with the cued start location positioned between the supply and  
takeup.  I'd have stacks of paired quad reels arranged around the one  
VTR I had to handle the task.  For air, I'd usually have just a minute  
(or sometimes less) to replace one program with the next on the one  
VR-1200 available for playback.  Just as Tony related, I'd simply  
place the finished show down somewhere for later rewinding.  There was  
almost no time for playback setup.  Sometimes, tracking adjustment  
would be done while the program was on the air.  Such was life in  
those days.

			Dennis Degan, Video Editor-Consultant-Knowledge Bank
					     NBC Today Show, New York