Hi Peter:
I assume you checked with the Philips Museum in Eindhoven? They don't have the greatest website in
the world, so I can't tell if they have any video equipment there.
Do you have any data on how many of these machines were produced for the U.S. market? Aside from
operating on 120VAC, I am guessing they needed a different video output section (NTSC vs. PAL)?
Also, is video from the Warhol "underground" party among the reels you need to transfer? Was the
party in the "hidden" subway tunnel the party referrred to in that website text about Warhol's
activities in 1965?
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "lists" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 11:35 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] High Fidelity August 1965 -- several "dead end" video formats mentioned
> Tom:
>
> We've been working with the Warhol collection for many years and have been
> searching for a working Norelco machine to play back the tapes Andy made on
> the one he had. In over 10 years of searching, we have only been able to
> locate two non-functioning machines. Both machines were owned by collectors
> who expressed no interest in allowing access to the equipment or accepting
> offers to try and have the equipment fixed.
>
> If your e-mail comes up with any information that could potentially provide
> a lead to a working Norelco 1" machine, we would love to hear about it.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter Brothers
>
> SPECS BROS., LLC
>
> 973-777-5055
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> Tape restoration, disaster recovery and re-mastering since 1983
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
> Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 7:34 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] High Fidelity August 1965 -- several "dead end" video
> formats mentioned
>
> [Cross-posted to the Ampex List]
>
> Interesting reading the 1965 "Annual Issue On Tape" of High Fidelity
> Magazine.
>
> Ampex content first. Mention is made on pages 39 and 104 of the Ampex
> VR-303, "a video recorder that
> runs at 100-ips and uses 1/4-inch tape." The article describes the machine
> as using a 12" reel of
> tape capable of 25 minutes in each direction, with auto-reverse. The machine
> is described as using
> fixed heads. Anyone have one of these machines? Any more details? Scans of
> literature?
>
> The same article describes the Norelco EL-3400 machine, which used 1-inch
> tape "reeled off at 9 ips
> past a rotating head - the result is a scanning speed of 1086 ips." The
> machine is further described
> as using 8-inch reels capable of 42 minutes recording time and costing $65.
>
> Both the Ampex and Norelco machines are described as costing $3950 -- in
> 1965 dollars!
>
> Interesting side note -- Norelco apparently loaned one of these units to
> Andy Warhol in 1965,
> wanting him to write an article about using it. See the description of its
> short life in The Factory
> about halfway down this page, under the heading "Outer and Inner Space."
> http://www.warholstars.org/filmch/filmchro.html
>
> Anyone have more details on the Norelco machine? Were they produced for
> retail sale? How long was
> this format in use? It seems to be a forerunner of the Japanese 1/2" reel to
> reel video recorders of
> the early 70's.
>
> Finally, in the High Fidelity magazine, on page 31, "High Fidelity
> Newsfronts," a section describes
> Westinghouse's Videodiscs, a form of LP records "gets up to 400 still shots
> and 40 minutes of sound
> ... playing at 33 rpm." Further: "the video and audio information in the
> record groove is picked up
> by the stylus of an ordinary audio cartridge, and fed to the scan converter,
> which decodes sound and
> picture and feeds them to the TV set." Also: "the technique involves
> multiplexing audio and video
> information onto the normal 20-kc bandwidth of a microgroove disc." I'm
> assuming this is slow-scan
> video, since it's still pictures? Was this ever commercialized?
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
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