How did they do this video?

[old_tv_nut]

A monochrome video, not film, about the 1964/65 New York World's Fair.

https://americanarchive.org/catalog/...512-610vq2t21d

It seems to have been done entirely with an image orthicon camera (or cameras), including on-ride sequences in the General Motors pavilion.

Questions that come to mind:

1) How did they get the camera working on a moving dark ride conveyor?
2) How did they get the signal out / onto tape?
3) Any other technical issues that pop into someone's head?

It seems like this should have received some sort of technical award, but I haven't found any evidence of one yet.

[kf4rca]

Vtr was most likely an Ampex VR3000.
https://www.labguysworld.com/Ampex_V...nniversary.htm

[old_tv_nut]

Regarding question (2), RCA/NBC already had a portable backpack transmitter in 1952, which they used with a vidicon camera at the national political conventions: the "Walkie-Lookie." So, a similar small transmitter could have been used on the ride.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

Vtr was most likely an Ampex VR3000.
https://www.labguysworld.com/Ampex_V...nniversary.htm

Maybe close, but three years too late. The program was made in 1964.

[old_tv_nut]

I haven't been able to find a dated photo, but Tele-Tape, who get the production credit, supplied remote production gear, which may have been a videotape truck. So, a possibility is: image orthicon camera with link transmitter, then link receiver (inside the pavilion?) attached to coax to truck.

[kf4rca]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Maybe close, but three years too late. The program was made in 1964.

I'm sure there were prototype units out before they went into general production.

[Telecolor 3007]

In 1964 there wheren't tranzistored cameras?
In the past I've seen a circa 1963 ad for a "G.E." tranzistoried camera - it was a big camera, but I think they could made some smaller versions too.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

In 1964 there wheren't tranzistored cameras?
In the past I've seen a circa 1963 ad for a "G.E." tranzistoried camera - it was a big camera, but I think they could made some smaller versions too.

The image orthicon tube was quite big (15 inches / 38 cm long), except for slightly smaller experimental / military specials, which I doubt this production company would have. So, the camera head would be the size of a suitcase even if the circuits were transistorized.

[kf4rca]

There was a 3 inch diameter IO besides the 4 1/2 IO. It was used in the TK60 B/W camera.
BUT at about that time vidicons were becoming popular too. The TK42 used three 1 inch vidicons in the RGB channels. The 1 inch tubes were not quite as sensitive but they probably worked well outdoors. The TK27 film camera used a 1 1/2 inch vidicon in the luminance channel.
I believe I still have some old 1 inch tubes.

[alespn]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

There was a 3 inch diameter IO besides the 4 1/2 IO. It was used in the TK60 B/W camera.
BUT at about that time vidicons were becoming popular too. The TK42 used three 1 inch vidicons in the RGB channels. The 1 inch tubes were not quite as sensitive but they probably worked well outdoors. The TK27 film camera used a 1 1/2 inch vidicon in the luminance channel.
I believe I still have some old 1 inch tubes.

Both ABC and CBS had custom hand-held I/O cameras. I've seen ABC's used at ringside on boxing coverage. There's photos of the CBS camera shooting inside a Mercury Capsule mock up at McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis during space shots.
Scenes were shot with anI/O, not a vidicon. You can see the familiar black halos around the fireworks and other extreme highlights.
The technology to microwave the video back short distances certainly existed then. I'd love to see the equipment and manpower standing behind the camera.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

There was a 3 inch diameter IO besides the 4 1/2 IO. ...

The 3 inch image orthicon tube (15 inches long) was the usual for a long time.
4.5 inch image orthicon tubes were 19 inches long.
Hitachi made a 2 inch tube:
https://www.tvcameramuseum.org/tubes/io-tubes/p20.html
A 9 inch long miniature "Mimo" tube was developed for flying bomb applications in WWII:
https://www.tvcameramuseum.org/tubes...caminotube.pdf
Don't know if any actually went into service, whereas surplus small iconoscope flying bomb cameras exist and have been restored.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/old_tv...57683670513005

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by alespn

Both ABC and CBS had custom hand-held I/O cameras. I've seen ABC's used at ringside on boxing coverage. There's photos of the CBS camera shooting inside a Mercury Capsule mock up at McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis during space shots.
...

I've seen a photo of the ABC one, but can't find it now. IIRC, it had the minimum electronics that had to be with the image orthicon and had a cable going to a separate main chassis.

[kf4rca]

Yep, IO cameras had the unmistakable halo due to secondary emission of the target.
Did you know that 450MHz was first used for video remote pickup? This was when land mobile was on 30-50 Mhz.
As I understand it, it was easier to use than 2Ghz. But then it wasn't color either.
Two Ghz was the first STL band. There was a station here that used their old 2 Ghz equipment up to the year 1995 long after that band had gone ENG.
That created a problem for truck operators that ocassionally got on top of them.
Then they moved their STL to 6 Ghz like everybody else.

[kf4rca]

ABC Hollywood used Ampex.

[Telecolor 3007]

Could they've used this? https://eyesofageneration.com/wp-con...6/06/c2060.jpg