Community Video Report (Summer 1974)

hardware/health:§ Summer news: no hot hardware, lotsa hot tape By Ray Popkin Not much happens in the hardware world in the summer, as most equipment is previewed at the trade shows of fall, winter and spring. So things on the hardware front will be fairly quiet until the National Association of Educational Broadcasters’ show in November. In fact, not only is nothing new coming out these months but some old equipment is mysteriously disappearing. Rumor has it that most of the color half-inch playback decks are being taken off the market (not the editors such as the Panasonic 3130 or Sony 8650). We were told that the Sony 8600 is now almost impossible to get as no more are being shipped. At first it seemed fairly odd, since it appears to be a good machine. It seems that, as ever, manufacturers are trying to build steam in the cassette market. Thus, sales emphasis will be on more %-inch. Unfortunately, this means that most program distributors will necessarily distribute on cassette, making it difficult to get programs on half-inch. We have already had some trouble getting health programs as they were available only on cassette. Panasonic updating portapacs Another interesting development is the phasing out of the Panasonic portapac. Word has it that this fall the portapac that Panasonic has been selling for the last year and a half will be replaced by a new, lighter, smaller one. This is welcome news, for although some lightweight pacs have appeared recently they have not been compatible with the EIAJ standard. From the same “well placed source” we hear that Panasonic will also come out with an updated editing machine with vertical interval editing and flying erase heads. It is reported that this machine will sell for under the price of the Sony 8650 with the same features. These new editors will greatly upgrade the quality of edits, making edits a lot more likely to pass through Time Base Correctors. (Time Base Correctors are relatively new machines which make it possible to broadcast half-inch tape, if all goes well.) A word about the importance of flying erase heads: flying erase heads are located adjacent to the video recording heads and rotate in the head drum at the same rate of speed. In other machines the erase head is located about five inches from the record heads. This means that there are five inches of tape between the record head and the erase head when you begin to make an edit. Thus the first few seconds. of tape recorded on during each edit will not have been previously erased. If the signal already on the tape is stronger in video level than the segment being recorded over it, you will sometimes see a faint herring bone pattern for a few seconds following the edit point. With flying erase heads this problem is eliminated, since there is only an insignificant amount of tape between the record and erase head. New company pushes economy We have run across a new company embodying a philosophy that we really go for. They are trying to come up with a line of products that all sell for less than five hundred dollars. They feel there is a real market for inexpensive processing devices that could enhance the state of the art. The name of the company is Video Techniques, located at 1210 Windemere Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21218. The device that interests us most is called an RS 170 sync generator and will sell for less ning of your programs. Second is a multiburst generator which is for testing frequency response, and third is an automated vertical interval switcher. This is a switcher that is designed to switch between two cameras at preset intervals. Thus, if you set the timer for one second, the switcher will automatically switch from one camera to another every second. We have heard that Concord which markets Panasonic equipment under its own name will be marketing a portapac with new color camera for under five thousand dollars. Also TEAC, the well-known stereo people, are getting into the business with a color system. They will be marketing the Sony % inch LEAPAAELAECREPLLL EVEL LEA FLOGSLEPPLADLLA PEL AAGIAALAAALLAALLALAADLEGLIEAAASALAS PAPAS TPH, 4 Illustration: Richard Shrader hardware notes than $400. This device, when added to a’ camera or special effects generator will provide the same standard of sync used in broadcasting. Thus, theoretically, you could plug an inexpensive system right into a broadcast system. While there wouldn’t really be much reason to do this, the device would be useful in upgrading the quality of sync on half-inch and one-inch tapes. The better the standard of syne the better the chance of stable copies, clean edits and time-base correctability. Video Techniques are starting their line with three other products. One is a digital countdown generator which will give a nine second countdown appearing on the begin portable recorder under their own name with a color camera. At this time we don’t really know if the camera is of their own manufacture or Sony’s. Film as a Color System? For the first time in three years of video it has occurred to us that maybe film isn’t so bad after all. For certain kinds of production super eight technology might serve as well as a bottom line color video system. Where instant feedback is desired, of course, video would remain untouchable as in the case of multicamera work. For educational programs that we know will require editing and take time to prepare we are seriously considering getting Super 8. There are several reasons for this. First of all Kodak has come out with a video player that takes super eight film and converts it to a video signal all in one compact desk top unit. Second, Kodak’s new line of processors develop film in eighteen minutes. While such a processor might be expensive for a small producer they might be available through larger institutions. Super eight film could be shot and processed the same day and then transferred to videotape for editing through the videoplayer, thus the master edit would be first-generation video. Another advantage might be that, after several edits have been tried without cutting the original film, the film could then be cut and edited so that you would have both a film and a video master. Thus you could distribute the material on film loops, super eight and video formats. The other large consideration is that a good super eight camera with sync sound might be more likely to render quality color than a bottom priced, single-tube color camera. Obviously there might be some disadvantages such as the cost of processing and film stock and the matter of getting used to shooting in short tight sequences rather than shooting hours of video. At this point, it is all speculative. Hopefully we will try and produce a program in this way and compare costs, time spent in production and quality. Summer heat destroys video tape Nothing is worse for videotape than heat and humidity. Which is to say that the tapes you make this summer might not playback this winter. Extreme temperature conditions have the effect of slightly shrinking or expanding videotape. Though the change in size is minimal it will effect the time base stability of the videotape. The time base is dependent on the even distance between control track pulses, and, if the distance is increased or decreased even minutely, the time base is affected. Thus, if a tape is stored in the trunk of a hot car or in a humid basement the image quality can be counted on to decrease. These conditions will greatly worsen if a hot video tape is played, as the tape will be likely to stretch even more. Currently we are looking into problems in the nature and care of videotape. Naturally if it is kept in its box at room temperature in the cellophane, wrapper you prolong the life and quality of your tape. Some people tell us that even in optimum conditions tape image life will not span more than five years. While we feel this is probably not the case, we are seeking some answers and would like some feedback on this matter. We also plan to write an article soon on the problems of cablecasting half-inch tape. If you have been cablecasting half-inch tape, let us know how you do it and what problems you have had. CTW unveils Leafy Green Vegetable By Ray Popkin The Children’s Television Workshop is currently showing for evaluation the first in a series of programs designed to impart health information to adults. While the show is being shown to small test audiences for evaluation purposes and not for review, I can’t resist saying that I found much of it extremely funny and entertaining as well as informative. Viewers in small screening rooms are given a health quiz prior to the show and then asked almost identical questions at the end to test for the retention of information. Viewers are also asked their opinions concerning the show’s entertainment content. The first show deals primarily with hypertension, over-weight, nutrition, breast cancer and Immunization. Such stars as Howard Cosell, Bill Cosby, Jodi Miller, Peter Falk, the Brussle Sprout and _ Brocholli present the health information in a manner combining seriousness and humor. One line in the section on leafy green vegetables, for instance, goes some thing like this: ‘‘If I was in love with a girl and really liked her alot I’d give her a head of romaine lettuce; that would be love.” This remark is followed by the devouring of a table full of leafy green vegetables, Tom Jones style. This section of the program is followed by Bill Cosby doing a humorous monologue on whooping cough and immunization. Peter Falk played his Columbo routine, tracking down a case of hidden hypertension: “Ah, I really don’t mean to bothah you sir, it’s just one more thing, you see, well don’t take this personally, it’s just that some people don’t really know they have hypertension.” Breast cancer was discussed in a more serious manner, with a visit to a family, in which the mother has breast cancer. The documentary style visit illuminates the results of a member of a family having cancer This section was followed by a demonstration of a self-help breast exam. .All of this information was wrapped around a continuing skit taking place in a shopping center drug store. The subject areas would come up in the situation comedy at the lunch counter; then the action would cut away to various other performers. It will be interesting to see the results of the testing. My feeling is that everyone who watches will show a definite retention of new health information. Hopefully under local incentive this program will be followed by others giving further health care instruction.