[QuadList] OT-Quanta CG's--Link to a Delta CG on-screen sample--Background

[Scott Thomas]

I did a Google search for Quanta Delta and found a post I made on the Avid-L list back in 1997 about the thing.

> MJVTV at xxxxxxx wrote:
> > 
> > Why doesn't someone just invent an NTSC color wheel?
> 
> Would seem simple enough. The old 1986 vintage ArtStar 3D plus system I
> once used would beep at you when you picked a color that was out of the
> range of NTSC. ArtStar was from ColorGraphics, a DynaTech company. When
> I asked Quanta (another DynaTech company) about a similar feature for
> their Delta line of CG's, I was told that they couldn't provide that
> feature because the system also worked in PAL. I really really really
> hate Quanta.
> 
> Scott Thomas


That was weird. Apparently I didn't care for it back then.
For what it was, it really wasn't that bad. The main problem was that we were trying to use the Quanta for TV News and the Chyron Infinit! was much better suited for that task.

I also found this:
http://deskthority.net/wiki/Key_Tronic_Quanta_Delta

Those images gave me some flashbacks.

Yes, I posted that video! :) Kudos for finding it Ted, I forgot about it!
Worst thing about using the Quanta Delta for news was that it was too easy to accidentally click and move an element, and there wasn't an undo or a way to lock elements.
Over weeks and months, stuff drifted across the raster as different people operated the machine!

But it was 24bit color with a 8 bit alpha/key. I later had the machine in a digital edit suite with the 601 card for I/O. Nice to be able to grab a still in the Leitch SS, put it in the Quanta and then move it in the K-Scope and never see a shift. All that before After Effects and Desktop video! ;)



On Jun 1, 2012, at 1:42 AM, Ted Langdell wrote:

> Here's a 1996 Olympic cut-in clip Scott posted to YouTube that uses the Quanta Delta CG:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNqRVhxAZZA
> 
> Scott says: "For some reason, I saved the last cut-in we produced at WBBH during the 1996 Summer Olympics."
> 
> I think it was because of the "whoops" at 3:09 in!
> 
> I've used Quanta's Q8 with dual 8" floppys, acquired surplus from the Sacramento Army Depot when it was closed during a BRAC in the early 90s. Power supply apparently had issues and the system would irregularly just shut down.  Reboot required.  Acquired a box of 8" discs at a local RadioShack that had them on the "get rid of" table.  Quanta Service department sent discs with the OS, fonts and a manual, as I recall.

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