Video Capture and Editing for Television
Video Cameras
I have collected a few of the Video Cameras I used in television, that's how fast they become old.
Sony DXC-1800 Pro Video Camera
In the 1980's the Sony DXC-1800 was the latest evolution of the Sony single tube professional camera line and the first departure from the Trinicon tube by using a more sophisticated 2/3-inch Saticon Tube instead. The camera’s physical design was considered radically new by using microprocessor technology to control many system functions such as automatic beam optimization, digital white balance, automatic black level, automatic iris and operator warnings. It had the best picture of any single tube camera at that time with 300 lines resolution and a 48 db signal-to-noise ratio. The price was about $5,000 in the early 1980s |
Sony CCD V-110 Pro 8mm Video Camera
In 1988 I bought myself this Sony Pro 8mm camera.This camera used a charged coupling device, CCD to capture images, I used this camera for a lot of my personal recordings throughout the late 80's to mid 90's.
Hi 8 appeared at that time and had much better video and stereo audio. |
Hi-8, the Poor Man's Betacam
Hi 8 analogue video tape was 8mm wide.
In the 90's we switched from the huge 3/4 inch tape recorder decks and separate camera to the much smaller and lighter Hi-8 Video Camera/Recorders. Hi 8 was better for gathering footage because it was all in one but the tapes were susceptible to dropouts from dust clogging the recorder heads. This format was less expensive than it's broadcast brother Betacam. We still edited, or mastered programs on the more robust 3/4 inch SP tape.
The 80's brought in a new era of Video Editing, no more "cutting tape"
Sony 3/4" Video Tape Editing
By the time I was learning to edit Sony had it's U-matic 3/4" video cassette tape recorder/editors. They were used widely in the broadcast TV industry. They were huge, the VO-2600 and VO-2610 were almost 3' x 2' x 8" each deck. They came with a edit head or controller which would start and stop the playback and record decks. These machines were capable of editing with a tolerance of 2 - 3 frames. There were 30 frames in a second so we could not be very accurate. We used variations of these 3/4' decks through the 80's and in to the late 90's, ending up with the 3/4" SP models.
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Sony VO 5600 series
These were so much better than the clunky VO-2600's edit decks, much nicer to edit on and half the size. They were easier on the tapes because of an improved transport system.
Sony SP Series
By the end of the 90's we were into the SP Series higher band width = Better pictures. Again decks were half the size.
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