COLOR ME SOLID STATE

Color tv sets are the most expensive pieces of entertainment technology that most of us will ever buy . Their sophistication parallels their price tags and often the buyer has no idea what he's getting for his money. Our own ignorance about color tv technics is compounded by the star trek jargon favored by American and Japanese set manufacturers and the riffs about negative matrix and solid state that pour out of the store salesmen's mouths.

'Screen-size: The basic rule in tv shopping used to be the bigger the screen the more expensive the set. This is no longer a strict rule. Color set' prices are now in three categories: under $30Q, $300 to $500, over $500. Today other factors determine whether a 17" set will cost $295 or $595.

Screen-shape: TV screens used to be made from fish-bowl molds. Sony changed that and screens now have practically square corners and practically flat surfaces — as close as they'll ever come and still use a tv picture tube. Beware of sets that bulge in the middle and have round corners, the picture will be fuzzy and out of focus at the edges.

Solid-state: Almost all set manufacturers have 100 % solid-state sets in their line. No set is 100 % solid-state so long as it has a picture tube, but some sets do have 100,% solid-state circuitry. This is preferable over hybrid tube-transistor sets or all -tube sets. Transistors are more dependable, cheaper, require less power, and last longer. The ideal set is one^with solid-state circuit boards mounted as replaceable modules so a bad one can be taken out and a new one slid in.

Negatiue-matrix: Sony's bright, sharp Trinitron color system shook American set manufacturers and most, have responded with negative-matrix or black-matrix picture tubes. This produces a much brighter, sharper picture than older or cheaper non-matrix sets.

Instant-on: Instand-on sets are always on — a low voltage is applied to the picture tube to keep it warm and ready to go. This costs you money, is a potential fire hazard, and isn't necessary if you can wait fifteen or twenty seconds for your tv to warm up.

Digital-display: Taking the lead from Heathkit, many manufacturers offer sets that display the selected channel number on the screen at the push of a button. Some also display the time. This is a useful novelty, but an extra available only on fop-of-the-line, $500 plus models.

GETTING THE PICTURE

1908: In London, Alan Archeb$ld Campbell Swtnton writes a paper propping art A electric tv system. f «■||£ .**• ,

1925: The first "moving" picture transmitted in the U.5., a revolving windmill. 1929:The first dramatic tv program broad cast over WCM in Schenecta d y, New York fmm I nndoh to New York. Philo Frahsworth develops the first electronic tv-camera tube. ** , f1: •; 1929: The BBC starts limited ttuttmtinral : system Vladimir Zworykin develops fit , electronic tv camera tube which will even - '. tually be combined with Farnsworth's.

1932; Over ten thousand tv sets have been sold in England. ^ jji

1935: Baird demonstrated large sCMflft color tv

1936: The BBC abandons Baird's system In favor of an ail electric tv system developed by LM1 and Marconi corporations The basis of present day tv. -*; 1 'f V.

111940: RCA invents the color camera.

1947: The transistor invented.

1949: RCA invents the color tv 195th RCA invents the vidicon tube,

1951: Bing Crosby Enterprises demonstrates a tape recorder that can record picture as well as sound 1 1(8$; The FCC decides on a color tv broadcast system for the U S 1956: Ampex introduces the first commercially viable video tape recorder 1962: Telstar is used for the first tv transwhich will eventually allow cameras to be made smaller and more portable.

London.

1964: Sony develops a light weight, battery operated portable video tape recorder

color tv camera. -hHhHHHHHHHHH 1965: NBC and CBS announce that they wtH soon have full color programming 1968: Portable video tape recorders available in the U.S. as a semi-consumer item. 1969: All video tape recorders from Japan Standanzed

1974; RCA and MCA/Phillips promise tv records by 197b'*•.

1975: Sony introduces home video cassette system. :

Remote control: Turning your tv set on and off, changing channels, and adjusting volume while sitting on your ass across the room from the set isn't a new feature, but the method of doing it has improved. Magnavox's Star System, for instance, supplies you with a pocket calcijlatortype module for selecting channels: punch up the number and the set automatically (by computer) gives you that channel — no clicking from 2 to 4 to 7. Remote control boxes of this type won't work if you have"cable tv.

Automatic tuning: Beware of sets that claim to fine tune each channel as you switch to it. Some of them do manage to tune in the signal, but none give you absolute fine tuning of every channel ' each time. A nice idea but not perfected in current products.

Detent tuning: We're familiar with the click stops on the knob that let us select the VHF channels (2-13) and the dial that we spin to find the UHF channels (14-83). Recent government rulings require the UHF band also have a chan^ nel-by-channel click selection. This makes remote control work on UHF and also makes UHF a little more legitimate. No big deal at present.

Automatic Brightness Control: An electric eye built into some sets that adjusts the picture brightness in relation to the room lighting. If you get this be sure you can over-ride it manually.

In-line guns: This is the U.S. version of Sony's single gun picture tube, almost. It gives a sharper picture across the entire screen area and makes, fbr less complicated and less expensive repairs.

Sony Trinitron: Still the best tv for my money in the 17" and undersizes. I've seen the 19" and 25" Trinitrons and they seem to be fuzzy; you'll do just as well with a black matrix high quality 4 U.S. set above 17".

To buy a good color TV: spend as much money as you can. A cheapie color set will cost more to run'and require more frequent repairs; and expensive one may give you up to 10-12 years of no-trouble Service. Cut corners with extras like remote control and automatic adjust^ ments. Considerable savings are also to be had if you buy the best TV you can afford in a plastic rather than wood cabinet.

Portable Color Video

Portable color television recording systems are still $7,000 or more and weigh 25 to 30 pounds. They can be operated by one person, run on rechargeable batteries, record a half hour of color & sound tv on a $10.95 reel of tape, and play back \the recording instantly when connected to any home tv set. A neat trick, even at $7,000. Most of the cost is in the color camera — battery operated, light-weight color cameras are difficult to manufacture at this time, so the price tag includes a lot of handwiring and research & development. Black and white portapaks (as these systems are known) are much less expensive. You can get a Sony (the best), Panasonic, orJVC portapak for under $2,000. A used portapak can be had in major cities in the $1,000 range, but buy used video gear with care, trade-ins are usually tradedin because they've developed a problem nobody can fix.

Pictured above is the JVC color portable system. #1 in the diagram & photo is the PV48001) color portable video tape recorder. It will take up to a half hour reel of tape, runs for over 30 minutes on one battery recharge, and with the rf circuit (#6 in the diagram) installed in its tummy will play back youtrecordings on any tv set on either channel 5 Or 6 (your choice). #3 fe the GC-4800U color video camera. n2 next to it is the camera control unit which boks heavier than it is. The camera control unit and the video tape recorder all fit into one big shoulder bag. The camera is connected to the camera control unit which in turn is connected to the video tape recorder. (This camera control unit is eliminated in b&w portapaks, thus making them less cumber-

some). To record, you pull the record lever on the video tape Vecorder (#1), and then push in the whitte button next to the lens on the camera (#3). At the back end of the camera is' a 1" square tv screen, it displays whatever the lens is pointed at. The picture on that screen has zoom and focus and an f stop. These are your only controls, no ASA, no speed setting, in fact the video camera is easier to use than a 35mm still earner cl. And you get sound as well as picture, a built-in microphone is located in the area above the letter JVC on the front panel above the lens. Everything is automatic, sound and picture (if you've got enough light) are yours at the push of a button! Those two black boxes on the left are , #4, an ac power adaptor which also recharges the batteries (a necessary option) and #5, an adaptor so the camera can be used with other video tape • recorders than this one (not needed in most instances). The complete PV-4800U/GC-4800U system (recorder, camera, ac adapter, and camera adapter) is'$7,950. Sony sells a color portapak, the Video Ranger, which operates with cassettes rather than half inch reels. Both Sony and Panasonic offer a half inch reel color portable system as well. Prices don't vary considerably between manufacturers.

This JVC is typical of all video systems, especially the small, portable color units — it has both advantages and drawbacks. The recordings are not terribly stable if you're planning to edit them or make copies. On the other hand it is slightly smaller in over-all size than the Sony or mammoth Panasonic color portables. It gives you great color outdoors, just like a picture postcard. Indoors it needs at least 650 watts of 32000K quartz lighting to get a picture, which means you can't be very casual about making tapes. Black and white is still very practical especially for lowlight indoors situations or learning to work a system. But you can get a good to great color picture out of the JVC and it is as easy to run as a b&w portapak.

Video Cassette Recording

The video cassette recorder used by education, industry, and rich people is of the type pictured. It will record up to an hour of television and play it back on your tv set at the push of a button. It is very easy to use. You push on the power button (#1), put the cassette in the slot (#2), and push the play button (#3), the program on the cassette will play on your tv set (it takes about two minutes to connect the cassette recorder to your own tv set). If you want to record a program off tv, put in a blank cassette (#2), tune in the program with the channel selectors (^4), set the clock timer for when the program will go on (#5), and push the record button (#6), at the appointed time the machine will turn itself on and record up to an hour of your favorite tv show while you're out trying to score.

This particular JVC model CR-6100U Color Video Cassette Recorder with Timer Clock is $1,745 list. Decks are available for less with tuners and timers as optional accessories. The Sony U-Matic series is very dependable. The JVC works well. Panasonic's haven't been getting all the raves they might, but I have no personal experience with them. All recorders taking 3/4" cassettes are compatible with each other, meaning you can mail your tapes to your friend in California if (he/she/they) have a cassette machine, no matter what the makes.

Home Video

Betamax is Sony's home video .cassette system. It's touted (as the true beginning of home video — an easy-to-use video cassette recorder/ player that employs inexpensive video cassettes. Batamax went on sale this fall jn New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, at least two years ahead of any competition from RCA, MCA/Phillips, and Zenith's video records, and Sony appears committed.to a gradual development in sales that could see Betamax expand as a consumer product the way audio cassettes did after their introduction in the mid-Sixties.

Betamax is an electric toy predicated on the assumption that people will pay $2,295 (plus tax) to use their TV like they use their record player. Until now, TVs were like radios — you might turn (he box on or off and change channels, but you couldn't alter the particular programs broadcast at that moment.

Betamax is a video cassette machine. It records programs off the television on a magnetic tape cassette and plays them back again whenever you want to see them. The cassette recorder/player works exactly as an audio cassette player: you pop in a blank cassette, push the record button, and whatever is on your TV screen (sound and picture in full color) is recorded on the cassette.

Unfortunately, Sony has nbt seen fit to sell the Batamax cassette machine alone., The $2,295 price tag includes a 19" Sony Trinitron TV, two sets of tuners, a timer, and the cassette machine, all in a stunningly ugly wooden console. The system makes it possible to watch a golf game on CBS while taping a tennis match on NBC. You can watch one channel and record another since two sets of VHF-UHF tuners are included, one Connected to the TV set, the other connected to the video cassette recorder. This is a wonderful convenience, but hardly worth the sales lost from people who want a video cassette machine but are quite happy with their present TV sets; or those of us who watch TV on video projectors. So, initially at least, Sony has fumed a $800 video machine into a $2,295 potential disaster. I remejpnber the results of Cartrivision linking their cassette unit with the sale of a color TV. While I don't think Sony will follow Cartrivision into bankruptcy, I am surprised at Sony's continuing inability to understand the American consumer. They have jeopardized the success of a venture by an unnecessarily high price tag and limited their market to individuals willing to buy another TV set as the price for buying a video cassette machine.

Betamax, as a system, is wonderful. The wonder lies in the size and price of the video cassette. Sony and other Japanese manufacturers already have a fairly successful video cassette system that it's a realistic amount of space to be taken up by an hour of sounds. The Betamax cas-1 sette is so small and compact it feels great if you can connect that it holds one hour of color television, sound and picture. As a medium for the dissemination of audio/video materials the Betamax cassette has great promise — Sony has already developed automated procedures for producing the cassette and the player, so when they do latch on to a market here, the cost of the equipment will decrease as sales increase.

Besides the high initial cost for the Betamax machine, the system has other potential faults. First, the quality of the picture could be improved, although It is satisfactory at this stage in its development. Second, the maximum record time of the cassette — is one hour so movies will require more. than one cassette. Third, the all or, nothing selling approach Sony has chosen. Fourth, there is yet to be a companion TV camera or portable recording system using the Betamax cassette format. Sony says they plan to market a black and white TV camera for the Betamax so you can make your own TV with the system as well as taping off the air.

Sony's approach to selling Betamax shows they've learned from their consumer audio and educational/industrial video products that there are several money markets in one area. Sony sells $9.95 radios and $1,600 Stereo amplifiers; $395 TVs and $3,000 video projectors. I suspect that, initially, Sony wants to sell Betamax to the home audiophile — an older person with money who enjoys buying the latest in the state of the art electric toys. This is an established market to which Sony is already selling $500 and up hi-fi equipment. Turning the audiophile into a videophile shouldn't be difficult, especially with Sony's polished ad pitches. (The initial distribution of Betamax to selected hi-fi stores is the first indication of Sony's marketing plans.)

Betamax has been designed as a record-yourown-TV-shows -consumer item — Sony isn't making a major commitment to supply special pre-recorded programs for Betamax owners. They say they will have some pre-recorded, cassettes, but the company is in the hardware business and any pre-recorded programs will just be available as icing to attract customers. If the system is successful pre-recorded programs will be available from other sources, but right now it all depends on how much of a market Sony can create for Betamax.

If you've'been interested in a video system for home use, Betamax is the answer, at least until the video records,come along. Despite its system limitations and the conservative marketing approach , Sony has created a home video cassette player/recorder that is easy to manipulate and inexpensive to use. Now all they have to dojs sell ]the cassette machine without all the extras so it will be available at a realistic price for what you're getting.

Large screen video projectors are available from Advent, Muntz, and Sony. The Advent gives you a 5' by 6' tv screen but the price tag is now about $4,000. Look for a less expensive consumer model from them in the next year. The Muntz gives you a screen just under 3' diagonally and is very reasonably priced at about $1,800 (depending on what kind of old tv you trade in). The Sony is similar to the Muntz, though the screen doesn't seem as big, and it is more expensive. Sony used to make a video projector for $3,045 that was damn good — they've phased it out and replaced it with their all-in-onecconsole unit that to my mind is over-priced junk — the Muntz does the same thing for less. Except for the Advent none of these video projectors are as bright as regular tv, but they do give the effect of turning tv into movies. You can watch regular tv or video tapes on any video projector — it works exactly the same as a regular tv set.

DEFINITIONS

Audio

Amplifier: In 3 strict sense an amplifier is an electronic device which strengthens an audio signal before it goes to the speakers. In common slang an amplifier or amp is used to denote both the pre-amp and amplifier (tone and volume controls), this combination being in reality an integrated amplifier.

Automatic Gain Control: (Also Automatic Level Control, Automatic Volume Con* trol, AGC, ALC, AVC.) An electronic circuit which regulates the gain on a microphone automatically to keep the strength of the input signal at certain level — loud sounds are cut down by an age, soft sounds are boosted. Units having an age mean that the operator doesn't have to worry about adjusting the volume when recording under most conditions.

Bi-amplification: Splitting the signal of each stereo channel into bass and mid-range/treble segments for reproduction by separate 'speakers.

Cartridge: A self-contained tape system using quarter-inch wide tape in a continuous loop configuration. 8-Track cartridge refers to the number of sound channels (two used dt any one time) which are stored on the tape.

Cassette: A self-contained tape system using onq-eighth-irich wide tape running at half the speed of a cartridge (cart: 3 V3/4 ips, cassette: 1 7/8 ips) in a reel to reel configuration. In cartridge parlance, cassettes are 4-Track, since they have two different sets of tracks, each composing a stereo signal.

Dolby Noise Reduction Unit: An electronic unit invented by boy-wonder Ray Dolby (a Californian now living in England) which lowers the signal to noise ratio of a tape recording in the sense that the signal is made louder than the hiss noise of the tape by use of a Dolby unit. Dolby units work on the principle of accentuating tbe higher frequencies when you record and deaccentuating them in the same proportion when you play back. Especially helpful in taking the hifes out of cassettes.

Edit: The removing of a section of a signal and joining the remaining signal back together at that point. This is done mechanically with audio tape by cutting the tape to remove the unwanted portion and joining the remaining tape back toqether with gummed splicing tape.

Heads: The units by which the tape passes on a tape recorder. Heads can be erase, record or playback in function. They all work on the same principle: little electro-magnets with gaps across which a signal passes. Thessfe gaps face the tape and the signal is pulsed onto or off the tape.

IPS: Inches per second. The measurement of tape speed. The number of inches to tape per second that pass the tape head. The higher the tape speed ( tyfe ips orT5 ips) the better the frequency response that can be stored on the tape (bass, mid-range, treble).

Mono: A single sound source. A mono amplifier is an amplifier that will only amplify one signal. A mono speaker system would be one speaker. A stereo sound can be played mono by combining the signals of the two stereo channels into one, 'prior to running those signals into a speaker.

Oxide: The magnetizable coating on a tape. Usually iron oxide, but more recently chromium dioxide (or CR-1 tape) which is more sensitive in terms of storing electronic signals.

Polyester: Along with mylar, polyester has become the standard backing for home audio tape.

Pre-Amp: The portion of the amplifier which accepts the signal from the record player, tape recorder or other sound source and allo,ws the listenerto vary the frequencies (bass, treble) prior to the signal being amplified.

Reel-to-Reel: (Also Open Reel) Any tape configuration in which there is a reel of tape and an empty take-up reel and which the user has to thread him/herself.

Tape Deck: No matter what the tape configuration, a tape deck is a tape recorder without internal amplifiers or speakers. Just the play and record mechanisms. A tape deck must be used with an external amplifier and speakers. _

Tape Recorder: By strict definition, a self-

contained unit for recording and playing back tape including all amps, controls and speakers. Often us^d to describe a tape deck. Make sure you understand what they're talking about when you buy either.

Track: On a tape, a track is the space allotted for one channel of signal/sound. A stereo tape is a two-track-quarter-track. This means that the signal is divided between two channels or trdcks and that the width of the track is a quarter of the tape. Professional rtiachines are usually twotrack half-track machines when they use quarter inch tape, meaning that there are two signals on the tape, each taking up half the width of the tape. I.

Turntable: A device on which records are played. A turntable differs from a record or record changer in the sense that it will play only one record at a time and that the records have to be changed manually.

Video

AC Adaptor: A unit which will power portable machines from house current and recharge the batteries of portable machines. (Also frequently used with audio cassette machines.)

Audio Dub: A facility incorporated into the vast majority of video tape recorders which allows tbe user to erase and re-record the audio portion of the tape without disturbing the video portion.

Cassette: The standard EIAJ video cassette usds 3/4" tape. Video cassette recorders are easy to use and available from Sony, JVC, Panasonic and others.

CCTV: Closed circuit television," non-broadcast television. A camera attached to a tv set on which you can Watch the camera is pointed at is the simplest form of closed-circuit television. Cable television is the most sophisticated form of closed-circuit.

Color: Color video has just become a reality in alternative video, with the cost of color cameras is still in the $1,900 to $50p0 price range. Color recording decks are available, at about the same price as black and white recording decks. You use the same tape for blaqk and white as for color and a color tape can be played on a b&w recorder in b&w.

EIAJ-Type One: The standard established by the Japanese electronics industry so that tapes made on any EIAJ-Type One video tape recorder can be played on any other EIAJ-Type One Recorder. Almost every video manufacturer conforms to this standard.

Recently an EIAJ color standard has been introduced . If you are buying a color capable video tape recorder, make sure it complies to this standard.

Editing: Since editing is done electronically in video you must get an editing machine: a video tape recorder that has facilities for editing. The most advanced form of alternative video is vertical intervalediting in which the signal of the master tape is locked to the sync of the incoming signal as the tape segment is assembled onto the master tape.

Gen-Lock: A device which allows a pre-recorded tape and a live camera signal to be mixed together to form one composite signal. In alternative video, it is not yet possible to mix two prerecorded signals together.

Half-Inch: The width of the video tape used on certain video tape machines. A description of alternative video. A slang phrase to describe video equipment that conforms to the £IAJ-Type One standard. V

Helical Scan: The process by which video heads function. All half-inch, EIAJ machines are helical scan video tape recorders.

Looping: The linking together bf a number of tvs to show the sam6 picture.

Monitor: A special television set with input and output plugs on it so that it can be connected directly to the video tape machine by means of a cable. A monitor/receiver is used to record programs off the air.

Portapak: A video slang term used to describe a battery operated video unit consisting of a camera and video tape recorder such as the Sony VideoRover II (b&w) or HI (color).

Projector: Video projectors allow a large, wall size tv display. They've been around for years but have always been very expensive, in the tens of thousands of dollars. Recently low priced video projectors have been introduced by Sony, Advent, and others. They Work with a very bright, very small picture tube and a set of mirrors and lens to focus the picture at a special screen.

RF Generator: Anelectronic module which converts the video and audio signals from the video tape recorder into a composite broadcast signal which can then be run by means of a cable into a normal television set through the antenna leads.

SEG: (special effects generator) A device which allows the user to employ more than one earner^. An seg will switch from camera to camera, mix, fade, insert, and do other special effects as well as supply sync signals to the cameras (except for lower priced segs). The seg is attached between the cameras and the video tape recorder the same way an audio mixer is attached between the microphones and the audio tape recorder.

Standard: (New standard/old standard). The video standard is the EIAJ standard. Often the phrases old standard and new standard are used to describe machines that conform to the EIAJ requirements (new standard) and machines that were manufactured before any standard (old standard). 'v ?

Still: A function included on most video decks Which allows the user to stop or freeze the action at any particular segment of the tape.

Sync Generator: Included in most segs,. a sync generator supplies a pulse signal to all the video cameras being used which make sure that they are all functioning at the same rate of scan.

VTR: An abbreviation for video tape recorder. Video: Used to describe the picture on a tv screen, the picture portion of a video tape,and the signal that is the picture. Also used as a slang expression to denote half-inch video tape recording and the processes involved.

Vidicon Tube: An inexpensive TV camera tube used in portable "portapak" cameras.