Early Perry Como color show-filmed

[oldtvman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMNKFDfyH_U

[David Roper]

As stated in the comments, it was definitely not recorded on Super 8 film and I would venture a guess not on any other kind of 8 either. The resolution is surprisingly good and, although apparently just someone's camera pointed at a 21" CRT, the shutter is perfectly in sync with the live video.

[EdKozk2]

The Super 8 film format wasn't even around in 1958 yet. The sound quality is very good also. Had to have been recorded on 16mm or 35mm with sound film. I don't know if NBC had color video tape yet?

[old_tv_nut]

The time-delay kinescope recordings were made with separate sound tape, I believe, which would explain the sound quality. This film, however is very odd. It obviously originated on a kinescope recorder of some type, as evidenced by the lack of shutter bars. Notice also the somewhat poor vertical linearity. The question then becomes one of what type of kinescope.

1) A lenticular recording, later transferred to Eastman color?
1a) This program date may be after lenticular recording was stopped - have to find the dates when it was used
2) An experimental recording from a color kinescope? Note the round image borders as well as the vertical linearity problem. One would expect a non-experimental kinescope recorder to have nearly perfect linearity by this time.
Note that the known Ernie Kovacs lenticular film does not have a round mask, and the quality looks much poorer than the Perry Como film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBg6ansaJA
2a) maybe a color video tape, later transferred via a color kinescope recording experiment?

[old_tv_nut]

I take back the comment on sound quality - at the end, it sounds like an optical track wandering in and out of alignment. It would really be interesting to know how many generations and of what equipment this video went through.

[Electronic M]

I wonder how hard it would be for a home experimenter to synch a camera electronically to the vertical circuit of a TV? (perhaps a small synchronous motor driven from the yoke?)

I have only had time to see ~1 minute but the camera motion relative to the CRT makes me think it is not a professional/broadcast kinnescope system since those usually tended to be mechanically constrained to not move like that.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I wonder how hard it would be for a home experimenter to synch a camera electronically to the vertical circuit of a TV? (perhaps a small synchronous motor driven from the yoke?)

Really difficult because either the shutter opening time has to be perfect or the CRT scan has to be electronically gated so that no light or dark shutter bar appears in the center of alternate film frames.

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I have only had time to see ~1 minute but the camera motion relative to the CRT makes me think it is not a professional/broadcast kinnescope system since those usually tended to be mechanically constrained to not move like that.

Remember that the film weave you see could be in the camera that made the original film or in the projector used to convert it back to video or in any intermediate film apparatus used to get to the final film print. Being this bad does indicate experimental gear somewhere in the chain, but doesn't tell where.

[old_tv_nut]

Here's a diagram of two ways to get 24fps film from a 60 field per second video. The second method illustrated (intermittent fast pulldown mechanism) would not be in a home camera or even a professional film camera not specifically made for kinescope recording.

[consoleguy67]

Of course NBC had video tape back in 1958. The Fred Astaire special was on video tape.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Really difficult because either the shutter opening time has to be perfect or the CRT scan has to be electronically gated so that no light or dark shutter bar appears in the center of alternate film frames.
Remember that the film weave you see could be in the camera that made the original film or in the projector used to convert it back to video or in any intermediate film apparatus used to get to the final film print. Being this bad does indicate experimental gear somewhere in the chain, but doesn't tell where.

Your assuming 24fps film on the original camera, I'm assuming 30fps... If it was experimental why let the process be constrained by a standard difference that need not be fixed in stone.

[old_tv_nut]

30 fps is quite possible. Even if it's too difficult to pull the film down within the vertical retrace, the splice point could be at the extreme bottom or top of the TV field, which is not visible here.

[oldtvman]

Originally Posted by consoleguy67

Of course NBC had video tape back in 1958. The Fred Astaire special was on video tape.

The original notes stated this show was broadcast in 1956.

[old_tv_nut]

Curiouser and curiouser. Could be an experiment using a triniscope to get the required brightness for color film.

A post here mentions a few early color kinescope recordings that exist, including "A few of them survive—there's the second half of a Dinah/first half of Perry Como show that exists."

http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=14914

It laos inlcudes alink to this Youtube video of a 1960s color kinescope of "Truth or Consequences". Note this one has no rounded edges.

Another post says that CBS transferred some of its series to color kinescope for distribution to schools as films.

[Eric H]

The YouTube posting uses the British spelling "Colour" so I wonder if this is sourced from England?

[old_tv_nut]

Here's a quick try at color correction in Photoshop.
Note that you can see a greenish area at top and bottom, and a bit of red misregistration on the far right.