The Videotape Recorder Turns 50

TVTechnology.com ^ | 04.12.06 | by James E. O'Neal

[George from New England]

Excellent post. Thank you.

Vaccuum pumps had to create suction to pull the tape into the proper path across the heads and idlers. Anything went down and the machine couldn't be used.

[zeugma]

Cool stuff Erasmus. Sounds like working with those devices was real work. :-) We sure have come a long way on the tech. One problem we'll be seeing in the future though, is longevity of data. Stuff stored digitally is probably not going to last as long as tape and film. Data preservation is an ongoing battle, that will only get worse as time goes on.

How long would those early vids last? I wonder if it's even possible to play back some of those early recordings.

[operation clinton cleanup]

I understand they did have a problem with re-setting its internal chronometer:

LOL! My Mom has a piece of electrical tape over the time display of her VCR. I have demonstrated how to set the clock many times.

[TC Rider]

..and tomorrow we can celebrate the 50th anniversary of video recorded porn.

/sarcasm

[JRios1968]

You win the prize for the most appropriate use of the blink tag ever!

Maybe, but we're gonna sue!!

[manwiththehands]

I worked on Air Force video stuff in the 70's. It wasn't much smaller than this.

[quietolong]

>>> Recording of video goes back to the late 1920s when television pioneer John Logie Baird made recordings of his 30 line images on ordinary 78 rpm phonograph records <<<<

The World's Earliest Television Recordings - Restored!
http://www.tvdawn.com/index.htm

[rawhide]

Yea but reminds me of the old Main Frame "Refrigerator type" reel to reel data tape units.... what a vacuum column, pain in the ass, to work on

These are still being used in the computer room where I work. IBM's 3420. They are channel attached to the new IBM mainframe. Rarely have any problems, usually a good head cleaning will fix them.

[zeugma]

The World's Earliest Television Recordings - Restored!
http://www.tvdawn.com/index.htm

That was a great link. Fascinating stuff I'd never heard of before. Thanks! 

 

[quietolong]

Here's a few more of my favorites.

The real inventor of electronic Television

Philo T Farnsworth

http://philotfarnsworth.com/philotfarnsworth/index.html

http://www.farnovision.com/

THE INVENTION OF TELEVISION ...
http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/history1.htm


John Logie Baird

http://kinema.uwaterloo.ca/hills961.htm

http://www.mztv.com/baird.html

[John 6.66=Mark of the Beast?]

That's really great about your Grandfather I really thought the transistor radio was such a giant step forward compared to the tube radios.

When did your Grandfather build his transistor radio? How old was he when he did,

I remember building a crystal radio when I was a just a kid had to have my older brother help me with it. We got it mail order from a ad in a comic book. It seemed like in those days it took forever to get anything through the mail.

[Erasmus]

It seemed like in those days it took forever to get anything through the mail.

Partly, that was because you were a kid.

< ]B^)

[Hazzardgate]

I love the nostalgia associated with VHS. The old school oversized cases, the lurid artwork. Give me that over generic DVDs any day of the week :)