Color differences-NBC NY vs NBC Burbank

[Jeffhs]

I've lived in northeastern Ohio all my life, and have never noticed differences in color between NBC's New York or Burbank studios when watching programs on that network. (Maybe there was better color processing at stations here in the Great Lakes region than at the stations on the coasts? ) That may have been because we didn't have color TV when I was a kid growing up in the '60s-'70s. The first color set I ever owned was a beat-up 1964 Sears Silvertone roundie with terrible convergence; I never could get it right, so never had much of a chance to notice color differences between different NBC studios or even between ABC or CBS. (Several years later, I had newer color portables--two Zeniths and a Sentry 2, and my present living-room set, an RCA XL-100 CTC185; I can't notice any difference in colors between any of the half-dozen or so networks now in operation on the RCA or the Sentry 2, and I never was looking for it on the other sets.)

Today, there is little if any difference in color on any network because of vastly improved technology, which is why today's color TVs don't have color correction schemes anymore like Zenith's old Color Sentry, GE's VIR, Magnavox's Videomatic, RCA's AccuColor and ColorTrak, et al. There is no need for color correction at the set anymore; it's all done automatically before the signal goes out on the air, so the colors should be as stable as the Rock of Gibraltar on every network. I know they are close to that on my set. I don't think I've had to adjust the color controls to any great extent since I purchased that TV nine years ago. I even shut off the auto-color control, as it isn't needed in the digital age.

[KentTeffeteller]

Those old TK-41 cameras were very high maintenance when new, worse after they were second and third hand. Many were used in small markets up to the late 1970's. I learned to maintain and align one in the early to middle 1980's when it was used in High School Cable TV duty along with good old tube era Quadruplex 2" VTR recorders. Ampexes to boot. Loved the experience. They made good pictures when all was right. Took a lot of work to make them really perform but enjoyed every minute. Modern TV operators are spoiled.

[Aussie Bloke]

Originally Posted by KentTeffeteller

Those old TK-41 cameras were very high maintenance when new, worse after they were second and third hand. Many were used in small markets up to the late 1970's. I learned to maintain and align one in the early to middle 1980's when it was used in High School Cable TV duty along with good old tube era Quadruplex 2" VTR recorders. Ampexes to boot. Loved the experience. They made good pictures when all was right. Took a lot of work to make them really perform but enjoyed every minute. Modern TV operators are spoiled.

Wow, it's amazing to know those silver beasts were still operational even in the 80s! Just curious, what did your high school ended up doing with those TK-41s? If they haven't sent them to the knackers yard already, then it might be worth chasing up these TK-41 camera chains, if they're still around and kept in decent storage then they probably won't need much to get them going again.

[philtar0079]

I don't know if this will be read by anyone, since this conversation was had years ago. But the NBC affiliate in New York City donated two 1950's video tape machines to my alma mater of St. John's University in 2005. The heads of the TV/Film department saw no utility in these machines and promptly took them to the dump. This is one of the many reasons why I hate that school.

[kvflyer]

Originally Posted by philtar0079

I don't know if this will be read by anyone, since this conversation was had years ago. But the NBC affiliate in New York City donated two 1950's video tape machines to my alma mater of St. John's University in 2005.The heads of the TV/Film department saw no utility in these machines and promptly took them to the dump. This is one of the many reasons why I hate that school.

Jerks! Idiots! Yes, I read it and do believe it.