Mechanical TV recording which was on eBay
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...9005&rd=1&rd=1

The auction is over but I am curious whether this was an audio or video recording or something else. Any ideas?

There was a machine that you could buy to cut your own records. One of the machines cut aluminum records. Wansn't there an attempt to broadcast the video and audio on a record? Maybe Steve knows.


An aluminum record bought recently at a flea market contained one of only two known Amos and Andy recordings known to exist. It was recorded at home by an audiophile using an aluminum record cutter in 1928.


polaraman

WEll, it is surely an audio record - but was it a recording of the audio part of an early TV broadcast, or the video part of an early mechanical TV broadcast? Only the person who can find the proper needle to play it will find out.

Have you seen Don McLean's restorations of Baird signal recordings?
http://www.tvdawn.com/

This sounds a whole lot like the Baird "Phonovision" process which used aluminum discs in the 30's. It is a recording of the modulated pulse that comprised the mechanical signal for the video portion of the transmission. You can see Don McLean's efforts in England on his restoration of the same type of discs discovered there on his website. Great history here.

This could be the only known recording of mechanical televison in the states. A real find for whomever knew it. I suspect it is the video and not the audio portion of the program. Acetate would have been used for the audio unless this is a master pressing for later use.

I think you need a fiber needle for these. If it is audio you will know. If it sounds like a modem, it is video.

http://www.tvdawn.com/silvaton.HTM

Dave A

The 70's era RCA CED machines used 12" vinyl which spun at a very fast speed. They were prone to mistrack, but offered okay color video and excellent stereo audio.

I just saw a show on PBS that discussed these. I believe that it was as Polaraman said-an audio recording made by an amateur. Doing this was popular in the 1930s or so.

I used to have some radio program recordings of Methodist Church radio broadcast sermons that were made in the 1950s. These were on extra large red vinyl records that would have required the special radio station players to listen to. They were about the same size as the aluminum record in the auction. After contacting the Methodist Church about them and finding that they were interested, I sent the records to them.

I just saw a show on PBS that discussed these. I believe that it was as Polaraman said-an audio recording made by an amateur. Doing this was popular in the 1930s or so.

I used to have some radio program recordings of Methodist Church radio broadcast sermons that were made in the 1950s. These were on extra large red vinyl records that would have required the special radio station players to listen to. They were about the same size as the aluminum record in the auction. After contacting the Methodist Church about them and finding that they were interested, I sent the records to them.