[mythtv-users] Myka is Shipping

[Brian Wood]

On Sunday 21 June 2009 17:45:02 David Brodbeck wrote:
> Brian Wood wrote:
> > You're not going back far enough. When we used EditVue to locate the
> > proper cut points on the 2" Quad tape, then physically spliced the
> > tape, we didn't have to worry about generation loss.
> >
> > We did, of course, have to worry about the tape breaking at the
> > splice points.
> >
> > (EditVue was a mixture of carbonyl iron and Freon TF. The iron would
> >
>  > align along the control track pulses, allowing you to see where
> >
> > they were. It's probably banned now as dangerous, but it was probably
> > safer than  Pic-Clear, which was used to fill scratches in film).
>
> I've heard of that.  I still find it pretty amazing that people spliced
> videotape by hand.  That 2" tape wasn't cheap, either!

A little over $200 for a one-hour reel, and that was 1960s and 1970s dollars.

It was about $1300 to re-build a headwheel, which was required every 1000 
hours or so.

Then you needed air compressors, the headwheels used air bearings, and some 
machines used pneumatic controls.

Then there were the 2" cartridge machines (RCA TCR-100 and Ampex ACR-25). They 
were an absolute nightmare to keep running.

But a properly setup 2" quad machine could make pictures that were better than 
anything today, the catch being "properly set up".

I never spliced tape myself, but I've watched it being done.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org