<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">In a message dated 3/27/2009 9:10:23 AM Pacific Standard Time, DennyD1@verizon.net writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">In New York, the main primetime air VTRs were Ampex VR-2000s! Here's <BR>
a shot of 2 of the 4 of them:<BR>
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515355073/><BR>
Those Ampex machines made consistently better pictures than the RCAs <BR>
did. Part of this was because many of the RCA VTRs were used primarily <BR>
as recorders and not always in the best of shape for playback. Those 4 <BR>
Ampex 2000s were fully equipped as playback machines and were <BR>
well-maintained too.<BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BR>
Hello Denny, <BR>
<BR>
Well, that is very interesting. In Burbank, there were a total of six VR 2000 A's. Upgraded to B's with the audio cage being replaced. Two of them were dedicated to the Tonight Show main record (nothing but the best for Johnny), and the other four were in edit bay 1, their first CMX bay, with a CMX 300 (paper punch tape EDL!). Also an HS 200 was in that bay also. <BR>
<BR>
At an NBC monthly luncheon of ex studio and VTR guys, one editor mentioned to me that the production people i.e. studios demanded the highband machines early on in 1965 or so. The TR 70 wasn't available yet. So, I suppose this is how Burbank ended up with six of them in the midst of RCA ownership. Was this the case at 30 Rock also?<BR>
<BR>
The TR 600A story (as told to me by a retired manager) was that, as they were budgeting and planning the CMX 340 bay (edit 5), the original plan was four AVR-3's. This got the attention somewhere back in 30 Rock, and they said, "Why not the TR 600? Well, it just wasn't as good as the AVR-3". A short time later, the 600A came out with the AE 600s on all four of them. So it appeared that some "motivation" came down the pike and the AVR-3's were out, and the 600As were in. Did similar stories happen there?<BR>
<BR>
I'll work on the floor plan. I have at least one NBC tape room with VR 1000s and one of the TRT Xs in rotation on my web site. More to come.<BR>
<BR>
David</FONT><BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for Under $10. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000002)</HTML>