[QuadList] Digital recordings using Quad machine transports was [old vtrs] Re: tape usage?

[Ted Langdell]

The Ampex Digital Octoplex was shown in 1979, at the SMPTE 13th annual  
Winter Conference in SF.

There's a writeup in Broadcasting Magazine and in Abramson's "History  
of Television..."

http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA181&dq=AVR-3,+with+a+octoplex+head&cd=2#v 
=onepage&q=AVR-3%2C%20with%20a%20octoplex%20head&f=false

The above preview link has some recording specs and packing density  
info on both machines, which will enable "how much tape did it use"  
questions to be answered for Richard's presentation.

Bill, do you know what ever happened to these machines?

Ted

On Mar 9, 2010, at 12:03 AM, Bill Carpenter wrote:

>
> Hi Richard,
>
> Back in the late 70's, when everyone was messing around with digital  
> recording, there were three major showings:
>
> First, John Baldwin showed one head pass of a BCN helical, digital  
> recording made in a lab, of test signals.
>         (I think this was in England, with BBC help?) I can check  
> this?
>
> Second, Ampex showed a AVR-3, with a octoplex head (8 tips on a quad  
> headwheel)  at the next winter SMPTE in San Francisco, and we showed  
> recordings made On-Site, This was a NTSC composite,3 times  
> subcarrier sampled system.running at 15 ips lineal tape speed.
> Maurice Lemoine created this great machine, nicknamed "Annie", after  
> his wife. We brought the machine up to the St. Francis in San  
> Francisco, and I had rented a meeting room on the lower level since  
> the booth area was not where it allowed acess to the stage. They  
> checked out the machine, and I had brought a studio camera, and  
> after recording all test signals, then a class photo, wih everyone  
> who was there that worked on it with Maurice, and then I walked in  
> with that days newspaper and had my friend, who was the cameraman,  
> zoom in on my hand, which was on the date bar on the top of the  
> paper, below the headline.That was to show anyone and everyone that  
> we had brought a fully operational digital VTR to that one time  
> showing to support Maurice's paper. We moved the machine to the  
> stage, during afternoon break, and at the end of his paper we turned  
> the machine on, pressed PLAY, and everyone there saw full screen  
> digital pictures, which were recorded on-site, about 1 hour earlier.
> With evryone in the room, 900 plus folks, on their feet and clapping  
> I restored order, sorta, by announcing that SMPTE would allow us to  
> show the machine for 1 hour, from 6-7pm, after the conference closed  
> at 5pm.
> That was exactly what I wanted to do, since there was a very  
> interested mob of enginners, that wanted to climb all over the  
> machine.
> I held the door closed till almost 6 pm, with over a hundred folks  
> in the hall outside the setup room. Then Maurice started talking to  
> folks from CBC Montreal in French, and it was all over! The door was  
> open and for the next hour I replayed that demo over and over  
> many,many times, and never stopped the head or the tape. Everybody  
> that knew anything wanted to examine the head assy. or get a section  
> of the tape to develope, but that did not happen.!!
> Later that night I took the whole team to the Crown Room for a big  
> celebration dinner.
>
> That was the end on January, and Maurice and his team built another  
> machine, on an AVR-2, in PAL,four times subcarrier  and it was shown  
> at Montreaux at the end of May.
>
> These were very interesting times, so long ago, and that is when  
> everyone was was thinking about what you are now documenting.
> How tight can we pack the data!!
> I know that 7.5 IPS operation was discussed before Montreaux!
> (It may have run at that speed, but I was doing other things)
>
> OBTW Maurice was given the Alexander M Pontiatoff, by SMPTE many  
> years later, when I was on the award comittee with John Streets.
>
> I have a DVD to look at tonight which may identify who was the man  
> behind the VHS format. It's named "Dawn of a new Day". (the men  
> behind the VHS format)
>
> More to follow!.
>
>
>
>
> --- On Mon, 3/8/10, richcam1 <richcam1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> From: richcam1 <richcam1 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [oldvtrs] Re: tape usage?
> To: oldvtrs at yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, March 8, 2010, 2:31 PM
>
>
> Check my math (all RS-170 / 60Hz):
>
> Quad (15ips) = 750 sq. ft./hr.
>
> VR-1500 = 185 sq. ft./hr.
>
> Type C = 240 sq. ft./hr.
>
> IVC-700 = 172.75 sq. ft./hr.
>
> EIAJ type H = 93.75 sq. ft./hr.
>
> Akai 1/4" = 70.3 sq. ft./hr.
>
> Panasonic NV-8000 = 150 sq. ft./hr.
>
> Craig Format = 118.75 sq. ft./hr.
>
> More coming soon.
> Richard
>
> --- In oldvtrs at yahoogroups .com, "richcam1" <richcam1 at .. .> wrote:
> >
> > Working on my ETF presentation today. Who knows the answer to this  
> stumper?
> >
> > I need to know how many square feet per hour of tape was used by  
> various formats?
> >
> > Quadruplex low band, one inch type C, betamax and VHS
> >
> > Bonus for Sony one inch EV, Ampex 1500 and 660
> >
> > Anyone got the numbers handy? I'll do the arithmetic.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Richard
> >
>
>
>
>
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