<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Don,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for your great email. Yes, stories sometimes take on a life of their own after 50 years.</div><div><br></div><div>Interesting that the color quad standard was not the RCA one but the one developed by Ampex. I guess it was the development of the Colortec that enabled color.</div><div><br></div><div>So it's possible Jim was not clear or my question was not correct. More research to be done.</div><div><br></div><div>From Broadcast Engineering:</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The November 2002 Freezeframe question, “Name the early TBCs from RCA and Ampex, define the acronym and tell the key difference between the two,” resulted in some great answers.</p><table width="5" border="0" align="right"><tbody><tr><td style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); vertical-align: top; "><img height="200" width="173" src="cid:BBFEEFC0-C081-4D11-ACCC-E15F5C24C8EE@oc.cox.net"><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">Exacting and correct answers were received from David Fibush, Don Eckis, Jim Borgioli, John Turner and Tim Stoffel. Shown below are answers from Turner and Stoffel. For you newbies out there, this represents real history!</p><note noteclass="editorsnote"><div class="bodycontent"><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><i>Editor's note: This question generated a number of excellent responses. Shown below are two of the most complete answers to the question</i>.</p></div></note><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><i>From John Turner:</i></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">First of all, you cannot equate AMTEC and CAVEC to each other as they perform very different signal corrections.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">AMTEC:</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">This is an electronically variable delay line based on varicap diodes invented by Charles Colson of WBBM-TV and originally called ColTEC. When Ampex hired Colson away from WBBM, the name was changed to the “Ampex Time Element Compensator”, i.e., AMTEC. When used with the Ampex “Intersync” servo, the machine would output FCC stable monochrome video.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The RCA equivalent to AMTEC was called MATC for “Monochrome Automatic Timing Corrector,” which worked with the RCA “Pixlock” servo.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">For color stability, the manufacturers used COLORTEC and CATC circuitry, respectively.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">CAVEC:</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">This was a module (at least pre TR-600) that performed two very different functions. The acronym stands for “Chroma Amplitude and Velocity Error Corrector.” The Ampex equivalent to the RCA “CA___” was the “AutoChroma” circuitry. This portion of the CAVEC acted to equalize on a line-by-line basis the amplitude variations of chroma using the fixed amplitude of demod burst as a reference. The correction was applied to the demod and had nothing to do with the downstream TBC systems.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The RCA “__VEC” section is analogous to the Ampex “Velcomp” accessory. Both of these devices measured the burst phase at the beginning and end of a single line. This data was used to create a line time linear ramp error signal, which was added back in to the TBC error signal to reduce the appearance of color hues that shift horizontally across a picture. This correction was needed due to the “step” nature of the MATC/CATC/AMTEC/COLORTEC error signal derivation.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">Just my two cents.<br>John Turner<br>Proud owner of Camden and Redwood City Big Iron</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><i>From Tim Stoffel:</i></p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">AMTEC-AMPEX Ampex Time Element Compensator</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">CAVEC-RCA Chroma Amplitude and Velocity Error Corrector</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The timing corrector used in earlier quad VTRs consisted of three blocks. These timing correctors used electronically variable delay lines to effect their correction. The first of these three was a coarse timing error corrector. This corrector would eliminate all but say, 30 nanoseconds, of timing jitter. (The input jitter had to be low to begin with. This is why video heads had air bearings and the female guide position was servo'ed.) This was good enough for black and white.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The Ampex device for this was the AMTEC (invented by Charlie Coleman, who lives out here somewhere in the deserts of Nevada), and the RCA device was the ATC (Automatic Timing Corrector). (RCA loved acronyms! A good future question would be to define some of them, like BALPS, BALLS and PLACH.)</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The second of the three correction steps was a fine corrector. This corrector worked to get the residual jitter down to a point where color was possible. It used a shorter but faster variable delay line. The Ampex device for this was the COLORTEC. The RCA device was the CATC.</p><p style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: left; ">The third stage of timing correction, which was optional, removed residual errors caused by changes in video head velocity as the head scanned through each band of the picture. These errors were of a nature that required an analog memory circuit to keep track of the error from beginning to end of a video line, as well as the average error for each line in a band, for each of the four heads. These devices, which were bleeding-edge technology for their time, were generically referred to as velocity compensators. Their error correction signal was summed into the CATC or COLORTEC's error signal. The RCA velocity compensator was called the CAVEC, and the Ampex velocity compensator was simply called an “Automatic Velocity Compensator.”</p></span></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><br></div></div><div>C. Park Seward</div><div>Visit us: <a href="http://www.videopark.com">http://www.videopark.com</a></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></div></span></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br><div><div>On Apr 29, 2009, at 8:09 PM, Don Norwood wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><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><div>Hi Park:</div><div> </div><div>Much of this very same discussion about RCA and Ampex took place on the Ampex mail list at various times between 1999 and 2005. During that time, a number of former Ampex employees contributed to the discussion including Ross Snyder who was video products manager at the time of the events in question, David Sarser, Stan Busby and others. </div><div> </div><div>Unfortunately, after almost 50 years, there are some differences in first-hand accounts. Consequently, written material from the actual time period tends to be more accurate. Still, there was total agreement in these exchanges that what Ampex wanted and got from RCA was rights to their color technology, and that is borne out in the written documents on the subject as well. I'm fairly certain based on verifiable information that it was indeed color technology, and not transistor technology, that Ampex received in exchange for their knowledge of the FM recording system.</div><div> </div><div>That being said, the sort of conversation that you had with Jim offers fascinating insight into what it was like "back in the day". The stories from all the folks that were actually present comprise a fascinating look into the history of this technology. Unfortunately, Ross Snyder passed away last year and there is an all too quickly vanishing opportunity to capture the memories of others in the esteemed group. However, while I cherish the stories I've heard, I'm always mindful of the need to consider the effects of time on the accuracy of the details. </div><div> </div><div>Below is an excerpt from what I posted on the Ampex list in early 2005. It sumarizes the outcome of my research at that time and the conversations with the folks who worked at Ampex at the time of the color developments:</div><div> </div><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px; "><div>Thanks to everyone for all your input regarding the development of color<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>capability for the quad machines! As Larry pointed out, there's lots of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>sometimes conflicting information, and often from good sources that may have<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>been involved in different aspects of the project. Since I wasn't old<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>enough in the late 50's to be aware of videotape, all of my knowledge has to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>be built on what I can learn from experts such as yourselves and from what<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>printed material I can find. My collection of machines consists only of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>Ampex but the first VTR's I ever saw were RCA and they were probably<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>responsible for my lifelong fascination with these beasts.<br><br>There's lots of documented info on the VR-1000 development, both from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>Ginsburg and Dolby. After that, I have been able to find less info about<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>the ongoing developments through the years. RCA published 'Broadcast News'<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>which did a fairly good job of documenting their product development but I<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>do not have similar info from Ampex. Having gone through a lot of the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>printed material I have, here are my findings, some of which support what<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>has been said here and some of which may need more discussion or<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>clarification.<br><br>1) Ampex was experimenting with color in 1957. At that time, they had<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>given a development contract to Stanford Research Institute, and they were<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>attempting to achieve color by perfecting the servo system of the machine to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>a point where timebase errors would be almost non-existent. Mechanical<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>limitations proved this to be impossible. According to Dolby's notes as<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>presented to SMPTE in 1986, on Aug 28, 1957 he demonstrated a pilot tone<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>system to achieve color and noted that "color stability appears to be good".<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>Beyond that point, I can find no further reference to this method being<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>considered for use on the quads and as far as I know, it was not used until<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>the helical machines applied a similar approach in the 60's.<br><br>2) At about this same time, RCA demonstrated a color tape system to the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>trade press in October of '57. The February 1958 edition of "Broadcast<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>News" previews the new "Color Processing in RCA Video Tape Recorder". A<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>small number of prototypes were delivered to NBC in 1958 as the model VTRX<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>quads. These used the heterodyne system that would later be the basis for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>their first production color machines. In 1959 (month unknown but see #3<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>below), they began delivery of the color rack for updating the RCA TRT-1A<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>quads. A later updated version of the color system was made available the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>following year in 1960 (month unknown) with the delivery of the TRT-1B<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>machines. References for this info include "Engineering Color Video Tape<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>Recording" by A.H. Lind.<br></div></blockquote><div>Finally, to wrap up an already too long post, there are a couple of books that are good sources of information about both RCA and Ampex machines. </div><div> </div><div> "<strong>Video Tape Recording</strong>" by Julian Bernstein, copyright 1960 by John F. Rider, 268 pages, covers the VR-1000 and the TRT-1 and their respective color systems.</div><div> "<strong>Television Broadcasting Tape and Disc Recording Systems</strong>" by Harold E. Ennes, copyright 1973 by Howard W. Sams, ISBN 0-672-20933-0, 576 pages, covers everything from the first models up through the ACR-25 and the TCR-100. There is also a second edition published in 1979 (ISBN 0-672-21567-5) that is updated accordingly but actually contains less info on the early models.</div><div> </div><div>Both books are available on Amazon and the Ennes books are cheap! Good additions to your ancient technology libraries.</div><div> </div><div>Don </div><div> </div><div>----- Original Message -----</div><div><div>From: "C. Park Seward" <<a href="mailto:park@videopark.com">park@videopark.com</a>></div><div>To: "Quad List" <<a href="mailto:quadlist@quadvideotapegroup.com">quadlist@quadvideotapegroup.com</a>></div><div>Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 4:39 PM</div><div>Subject: Re: [QuadList] History - what is the REAL story</div></div><div><br></div>> Jim Wheeler joined Ampex five years after the first Quad was <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> introduced. I had the pleasure of speaking with him today and asked <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> him about our question.<br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> Jim was familiar with the Ampex/RCA exchange and said Ampex got <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> transistor technology plus $100,000 and RCA got the FM patent. As we <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> know, analog video needs FM recording to make the VTR possible. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> Without that patent, RCA would have never made compatible quad VTRs.<br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> He said RCA was first with experimental color recording. They used a <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> direct recording with heterodyning playback. This was the method used <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> in the famous Astaire recording. Ampex invented high band direct color <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> record and direct color playback in 1964.<br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> Jim was the inventor sol-mo replays, of the air bearing effect of the <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> Ampex scanners, the VR-660, the AST slo-mo heads and the product <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> manager for the VPR-1 and 2.<br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> Best,<br>> Park<br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>> C. Park Seward<br>> Visit us:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.videopark.com">http://www.videopark.com</a><br>><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br>_______________________________________________<br>Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!<br>Send QuadList list posts to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><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></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>