[78-L] Kinescopes (WAS Average Age)

[Michael Biel]

Steve --

Once again you are writing about things you know nothing about, and
consider that if you know nothing about it that means that it doesn't
exist.  There ARE "organized effort[s] to collect and organize extant
TV-program "home" recordings".  Some of this was discussed at IASA/AMIA
in Phila last week.  (And NOBODY here wants you to give your usual sob
story about not being able to afford bus fare to attend these
conference, so DON'T MENTION IT.)

Live TV programs were captured on Kinescope Film Recordings routinely in
1948 and there were some examples in 1947.  ALL live network TV programs
were kinescoped by 1949 because there were many stations that were not
wireline connected to the networks and had to get ALL their network
programming by kinescope films or regular films for those programs which
were filmed (like I Love Lucy).  While the majority of these kines have
been destroyed, perhaps a hundred thousand still exist, and there is the
possibility of ANY network program from 1948 thru 1956 existing.  

Once videotape came in, some programs were not put on kine, and because
of the lack of interchangability of tapes among machines between 1956
and 1961, most were erased.  There were people as early as 1962 or 63
using "home" videotape recorders, and Hugh Hefner's archive of thousands
of reels hopefully are still being maintained.  (2-inch helical Ampex
660.)  RCA had successful videotape experiments back in 1954 and it was
even used on the air a few times.  (1/2-inch 120 IPS.)  Jack Paar
jeryrigged a 16mm camera to record home kinescope films in the 1950s. 
Some of his TV retrospectives and DVDs come off of these homemade films.
 

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [78-L] Kinescopes (WAS Average Age)
From: "Sammy Jones" <sjones69 at bellsouth.net>
Date: Mon, November 15, 2010 12:11 am
To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

I'm not sure if you're implying that kinescope was not developed until
1956,
or that videotape wasn't developed until '56, but for the record kinnies
could be made as early as about 1948 or 49. There are many programs that
exist on kinescope prior to 1956, including lots of Jack Benny and
Honeymooners.

The first practical videotape format was 2" Quad which was unveiled in
1956.
Betacam and its successors didn't come along until the early '80s. 

Beta wasn't even the first professional videocassette format. 3/4"
U-Matic
was around in the '70s. It was in use at my station until the mid-90s!

The BBC routinely uses off-air home video (and audio) recordings on
their
DVD and CD releases. A lot of Doctor Who material is a notable example.

Sammy Jones

Steven C. Barr wrote:

Prior to c. 1956, there was NO practical way of recording and thus
preserving television. Insofar as archives still exist they do so as
"kinescopes"...movie films used for delayed broadcast...! Thereafter,
Beta and its successors made it possible to record (and preserve,
although that was seldom done) television content. Not too long
thereafter, "home" video recorders became available (for VERY
high prices at first...!) so individuals could record/preserve TV
content...!

However AFAIK there is NO organized effort to collect and organize
extant TV-program "home" recordings (HINT HINT HINT...!) insofar
as they accidentally still exist...?! One hopes that to-day's "baby-
boomers" (for whom TV is a major part of their past...?!) will step
in and organize an operation to acquire and preserve "video tapes"
to the extent they still exist...?!

Steven C. Barr

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