According to the official histories, a tape spool and bits of the head 
assembly survive, and that's it. The folklore is that Ampex were reluctant 
to sell to the BBC at the time, but the spectre of a rival format caused 
them to think again...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shai Drori" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] What do you think I should do?


>I know. I wonder who thought this would be viable? Although as a technical 
>experiment the device is fantastic. Is it in a museum or somewhere to be 
>viewed?
>
> On 3/14/2010 12:05 PM, Ted Kendall wrote:
>> Fair enough - ever seen the clip of VERA (the BBC's VT machine)? That's 
>> pretty kinky, too!
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shai Drori" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 8:44 AM
>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] What do you think I should do?
>>
>>
>>> Sorry for not making myself clearer. I was referring to the quad vtr 
>>> (actually the mark one had 3 heads in arcuate configuration and AM). 
>>> There was something that looked like a picture but not to any standard. 
>>> It did show the possibility.
>>> Shai
>>>
>>> On 3/14/2010 10:34 AM, Ted Kendall wrote:
>>>> Poor analogy. I have heard a straight dub of the first time the Ampex 
>>>> was used in anger, namely the opening show of Bing Crosby's 1947 
>>>> season. Nothing appalling there, I can tell you - technically, at 
>>>> least...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shai Drori" 
>>>> <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 6:22 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] What do you think I should do?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I have already heard a sound file generated by image processing. Don't 
>>>>> remember where it was, but I think it was someone here in Israel. 
>>>>> Sounded horrible but it proved the possibility. Kind of like the Mark 
>>>>> 1 from ampex.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 3/14/2010 7:53 AM, Michael Biel wrote:
>>>>>> Alex Hartov wrote:
>>>>>>> Shari
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Make high resolution images of all the pieces.  Use light at 
>>>>>>> ~45degree incidence from two side ( two separate pictures).  I am 
>>>>>>> sure it will be possible to revive the music from that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>   PS
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you want I'll make it a project to recover the sound from the 
>>>>>>> pictures.  I teach a class in image processing.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Alex Hartov
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I hope it works.  I must make a comment here because I have been 
>>>>>> preaching about the possibility of playing phoyographs of records for 
>>>>>> 40 years.  I realized around 1970 as I took photos of journal pages 
>>>>>> and paper files to use as microfilm as a replacement for notetaking 
>>>>>> while researching for my PhD. dissertation that it was great that I 
>>>>>> could capture the page in an instant and read it later but when I 
>>>>>> took pictures of records I could only read the label info, not hear 
>>>>>> it.  No instant capturing of the sound.  Dubs had to be real-time. 
>>>>>> But I was sure that if the pictures could be taken so that the record 
>>>>>> was evenly lit -- like using a ring light around the lens -- and not 
>>>>>> have wedges of light, the sound could probably *someday* be played.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When the design for the photographic system for the Rigler Deutsch 
>>>>>> Record Index was being developed I pleaded with them to light the 
>>>>>> discs evenly. But their ONLY concern was legibility of the label and 
>>>>>> the matrix number markings.  But there are now unplayable photographs 
>>>>>> of 700,000 78s in the RDRI films.  (For those who do not know, the 
>>>>>> records were photographed and the data entered into the computer from 
>>>>>> the films.  Instead of the records being moved to the computer in 
>>>>>> those days of the mainframe, the special camera came to the archuve.)
>>>>>> Mike Biel  [log in to unmask]
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>