<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">The following are my observations:<BR>
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In the beginning of 2" quad, all color first generation recording was direct color. This includes RCA modulators, Ampex modulators, and Allen mods. <BR>
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Any color dub that was made machine to machine, or for on-air playback for example used heterodyne recovery. The color TV at home did not mind the heterodyne system. This I would say was "normal" till approx. 1965 on most VTR's reproducing color. There had to be an FCC waiver for this process to be aired this way.<BR>
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It was not until the Amtec and Colortec combo did direct recovery become possible. But those units were not in wide spread use until the VR 2000 was introduced. VR 1000's and 1001's for example, could add on these Amtec/Colortec accessories for direct color recovery. Many operations could not afford to convert every VTR to direct color. I've seen color dubs way into the late sixties that were heterodyne color. RCA had their accessory modules on their machines also to do direct color recovery (color ATC). I would guess that the TR 70 was the first to have this as a standard item if ordered that way. The TR 22 had these as options I think. Later, Ampex Velcomp and RCA CAVEC helped direct color further with velocity correction.<BR>
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Toshiba made a direct recovery unit similar to the Ampec/Colortec. I believe though that only one or two made it to the U.S. due to patent infringement problems, so I was told by an engineer way back when.<BR>
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Another example of accessories was the dropout compensator. Not everyone had one on their machines. RCA, Ampex, and 3M had schemes. So dubs made back then came in all sorts of quality depending on the accessories on the VTR. Usually, the smaller market machines could just barely make a decent dub due to very limited money to add accessories.<BR>
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If you had the money, you ordered a fully loaded VTR with all options. <BR>
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David<BR>
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