<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>On Apr 25, 2009, at 10:17 AM, C. Park Seward wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Thanks to Ted for pointing out the book. Interesting reading.</div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I have a paperback copy at home, but use Google and searching within the online sample copy to locate items of interest.</div><div><br></div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div>Some high points: Ampex did not use the RCA heterodyning color recording method when they produced the direct color recorder.</div><div><br></div><div>RCA lied in their press releases, taking credit for the quad recorder, just as they tried to discredit Fransworth years before. They wanted to re-write history and gave Ampex no credit at all for the development of the videotape recorder.</div><div><br></div><div>It seems there were two patent exchanges by Ampex, one to RCA (1957) and one to Sony (1960). Ampex came out on the short end with both agreements. Their "Gindsburg patent" which covered FM recording, would have prevented anyone for may years from making a VTR. As you all know, FM recording is the heart of every analog VTR, from the quad to VHS. Ampex made no use of the RCA color system and Sony didn't do much to design transistorized circuits for Ampex.</div><div><br></div><div>As Ampex made improvements,RCA was free to copy them.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>That's the gist of it. Ampex—for whatever reasons—chose not to make use of the RCA patents when developing its color system.</div><div><br></div><div>Don Kent says that the differences between what we know as "Low Band Color" and the "RCA Labs Color" used for the Eisenhower, Astaire and other early NBC color recordings is striking.</div><div><br></div><div>When we were discussing the restoration of the Eisenhower tape on OldVTR's last summer, David Crosthwait wrote on July 25 and I reposted here in January during our discussion:</div><div><br></div><div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">"David reported that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; ">1958, the WRC-TV dedication was "zone delay recorded at NBC Burbank in low band color with RCA 8:1 pre-emphasis on an RCA TRT-1. The low band color standard was not quite agreed upon at that time, hence there were various modes of pre-emphasis being experimented with."</span></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><br></span></font></div></div><div>David has said he has an AVR-1 with modifications available to play the various RCA tapes.</div><div><br></div><div>Ed Reitan made mods to 10 boards used on the AVR-1 Don Kent used at KTLA for the 1988 restorations we've been talking about.</div><div><br></div><div>As I get a chance to do so, perhaps we can arrange a QuadVideotapeGroup/TIG/AMIA visit to that machine, now at CBS Television City, and perhaps to David's facility, if he's amenable and not too busy.</div><div><br></div><div>Glad to have been able to see those that made the lunch, and some who stopped by the booth at NAB, Rich Torpey and David Crosthwait among them.</div><div><br></div><div>This is my last e-mail from Vegas. Heading home.</div><div><br></div><div>Ted</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div apple-content-edited="true"> </div><br><div><div>On Apr 24, 2009, at 11:51 PM, Ted Langdell wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi, Park,<div><br></div><div><div>On Apr 23, 2009, at 6:10 PM, C. Park Seward wrote:</div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Perhaps some of you can point to the true stories.</div></blockquote></div><div><div><br></div><div><div>My source for the stories I've related about Ampex and RCA about patents and color and Ampex-Sony re: patents and transistors is chronicled in Albert Abramson's book "The History of Television 1942-2000"</div><div><br></div><div>Timeframe for what led to the <b>Ampex-RCA patent exchange</b> is 1957, and is found in various parts of Chapter 4" The Ampex Revolution,"</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA60&dq=The+Ampex+Revolution#PPA70,M1">http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA60&dq=The+Ampex+Revolution#PPA70,M1</a></div><div><br></div><div>See particularly parts of Page 72, 75, 76, and in the following chapter "Europe turns Down NTSC" pages 77 (bottom left through middle right columns) where we learn that the third NBC machine was sent to RCA and reverse engineered.</div><div><br></div><div>Bottom left of page 78 has the invitation to Ampex execs to see that machine playing RCA Labs Color at RCA in Camden... with a comment from Ginsburg about being able to see that RCA had used much of the Ampex machine. The balance of the story is on pages 78, 79, including taped color transmission tests from Camden to New York and Burbank.</div><div><br></div><div>The essence of the patent swap is that Ampex gave RCA access to the FM recording method (and other important aspects of making things work) and RCA held the color recording method. </div><div><br></div><div>The cross licensing language and scope may have included the RCA transistor technology Allan Dent mentioned in his post just a little bit ago.</div><div><br></div><div>The following pages have more about the ordering and delivery of machines, and the background on how the Ampex transverse recording method came to be named "Quadruplex" by RCA's H. A. Lind, author of the paper on the TRT-1 presented at NAB in Los Angeles 51 years ago. I'll try to post that paper soon.</div><div><br></div><div>Abramson's book says NBC "Burbank's Videotape Central" began recording color in late April, 1958, on eight Ampex units converted to use RCA Labs Color, and one RCA-built color machine. A monochrome RCA machine was in use as were three monochrome Ampex machines.</div><div><br></div><div>Ampex demoed its color system at NAB in 1958. A description of the system is on page 82. It was very different from the RCA method, and didn't use any of the RCA patents Ampex could have used.</div><div><br></div><div>Page 85 (bottom left to upper right) has details of what was happening with both companies Quad products at NAB in 1959. The VR-1000B was introduced, and featured a 36db SNR.</div><div><br></div><div>Later pages in the chapter denote the development of Japanese helical recorders, and how that affected Ampex.</div><div><br></div><div>Last two lines of Page 89 and top of 90 describe the famous VR-8000 shipment to Chicago.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The <b>Ampex and Sony story about the transistors</b> (development of transistor circuitry, actually) is </div><div>here:<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA92&dq=From+Helicals+to+High+Band"> http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA92&dq=From+Helicals+to+High+Band</a></div><div>beginning on the right column of page 92.</div><div><br></div><div><div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: -1; ">Story two:</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div>The WRC-TV dedication with Sarnoff and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Eisenhower was recorded in Burbank OR at WRC. Was the AT&T microwave Long Lines good enough for color in 1958? And if they did record it in Burbank, why not at WRC? I was told this week it was recorded at WRC.</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Let's set history straight!</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div><div>Best,</div><div>Park</div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></blockquote><br></div><div>I spent much of this afternoon with James Snyder of the Library of Congress talking about this and other things.</div><div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>He's going to pull up the LoC's copy, shoot pictures and see what other paperwork is with it... and what that reveals. </div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">James has been told that a special RCA color recorder was send from RCA Labs to WRC-TV for the dedication... so it may be that one tape was recorded at WRC-TV and another was recorded in Burbank.</span></font></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">If that's the case, determining who has which tape, and getting photos of them in their current states would be helpful.</span></font></div><div><br></div><div>The tape we saw at the UCLA screening is from the Eisenhower Library. </div><div><br></div><div>As related on <a href="http://quadvideotapegroup.com/EiesnhowerQuadRestoration.htm">http://quadvideotapegroup.com/EiesnhowerQuadRestoration.htm</a></div><div>Don Kent describes using the Eisenhower Library tape to make the D-2 master: </div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">Kent says "When we got the tape from The Eisenhower Library it was in a mahogany box with blue velvet lining." I'll ask him whether he remembers any particular labels or indications of where the tape was recorded.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">"About two-thirds through the show the audio crapped out. NBC had the backup telco line, so they switched to it (during David Sarnoff's speech). Sounded like a phonecall! I ran it through an equalizer and did what I could to match it, but there just wasn't much there."</span></font></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">He says the same thing in another e-mail and describes that "network" sound we all know from those years.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></font></div><div>Sooo... I'm sure we'll hear/see something from James as he can get materials retrieved at LoC, and perhaps put in calls or e-mails to find and get pix of the Eisenhower Library tape.</div><div><br></div><div><div>I hope this helps provide some clarity to the situation.</div><div><br></div><div>Still in Vegas after a good NAB... and heading home tomorrow (Sat.)</div><div><br></div><div>Ted</div></div><div><br></div><div apple-content-edited="true"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Ted Langdell</span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Secretary</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Skype: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>TedLangdell</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">e-mail:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><a href="mailto:ted@quadvideotapegroup.com">ted@quadvideotapegroup.com</a></span></font></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span> </div><br></div></div></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!<br>Send QuadList list posts to <a href="mailto:QuadList@quadvideotapegroup.com">QuadList@quadvideotapegroup.com</a><br>Your subscribe, unsubscribe and digest options are here:<br><a href="http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com">http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com</a></blockquote></div><br></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!<br>Send QuadList list posts to <a href="mailto:QuadList@quadvideotapegroup.com">QuadList@quadvideotapegroup.com</a><br>Your subscribe, unsubscribe and digest options are here:<br><a href="http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com">http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com</a></blockquote></div><br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">Ted Langdell</span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Secretary</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Skype: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>TedLangdell</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">e-mail:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><a href="mailto:ted@quadvideotapegroup.com">ted@quadvideotapegroup.com</a></span></font></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span> </div><br></body></html>