Old videotape & color TV questions, & How Zippy got her name

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by David R. Modny, Mar 12, 2002.

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  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    The Story Of Zippy and how she got her name...

    Once upon a time, when we first found the blonde RCA 21" color TV (up in Portland Or), we couldn't figure out how to get it to LA without it costing an arm and a leg, so eventually, by truck, it made its way here.

    Each time I would call one of the old owners to ask them where the TV was at that moment, she would say, "Well, ole Zippy is probably headin' down to Eurkea right now). So, from that moment on, the set had a name.

    When Zippy finally arrived, months (it seemed) later, encased in this giant wooden crate with that liquid foam stuff inside, it took three people to get her out. Foam filling flying everywhere. By that time we were all cursing Zippy and trying to figure out what we were thinking.

    But when we got it in the house, and a TV collector buddy of mine came over and said "My God, this is the first blonde Moderne style vacuum tube RCA Color TV I've ever seen in all my years of collecting", I knew it was worth it.

    But Zippy had had a long journey and was tired out, so when we plugged her in, she promptly blew up.

    Karla and I watched with our mouths open. Then Karla said that we better notify her next of kin (the old owners) and wondered what her real name was, having only known her as Zippy. Karla reasoned it must be Zippophagus. So we wrote the old owners as follows:

    12/1/2000

    Dear Pam and Dave,
    It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of the passing of our Zippophagus. Yes, Zippy died today. In a blue blaze of electrical smoke. It was her automatic degaussing coil circuit. Must have had a weakness there. Phew! What a stink. Fortunately, there was a Doctor with Zippy at the time of her unexpected demise. This Doctor (Stan the TV Man) has hopes of resurrecting our friend from the dead. He feels certain that transplant surgery will be successful. Our only hurdle is finding a donor. At this time, the Zipster lies in state, in the family room. We will keep you apprised of the situation, knowing that, as Zippy's next of kin, you would want to know of this sad situation. Of course Zippy's birth parents, (the RCA-Victor family of Cadmen, NJ) are no longer living.

    Regretfully,
    Steve and Karla Hoffman

    But, she was indeed brought back from the dead by Dr. Stan The TV Man, and now blazes forth with an amazing Technicolor picture of such intensity that it amazes all of our friends.

    We've adapted two more sets, "Buster" and "Nigel" but that story is for another day. Go to sleep now children...

    The end.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 12, 2002
    #26
  2. John Oteri

    John Oteri New Member In Memoriam

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    Nice bedtime story with a happy ending.

    I remember when CBS (after a lot of kicking and screaming I bet) went to Color in 1965 or 66.

    At the time, my mom used to take me shopping with her and plant me in front of a color TV in the Television department. I remember that CBS' color didn't look as rich and varied as NBC's color.

    Steve, was I dreaming? If not, do you know why this would be?
     
    John Oteri, Mar 12, 2002
    #27
  3. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    My days in TV land...

    Man oh man. Steve's a vintage TV collector too?! How much cooler can a guy get!

    Anyway, back in my high school days (late 80's) I was sure I wanted to be in broadcasting. My journalsim instructor was a former reporter on local news. She still had many friends in the biz, so she managed to snag a 'retired' ENG (electronic news gathering) kit. A JVC KY-2700 three tube camera (we called him 'Butch') and a Sony 3/4 U-Matic 'portable' deck (Yeah, portable. Right. My back STILL hurts!). We put together a video yearbook with that monster gear two years in a row. First year we edited at the ABC station. Very limited, we had to sort of sneak in on a Sunday morning with our instructor's friends who still worked there.

    The second year, we had free run of the PBS affiliate for our editing. As payback, we worked our tails off for them! I got to run studio and location camera, floor direct, audio (crap TV audio, basically turning on and off mikes) and edit tape. This place was totally rag tag poor man's TV at it's worst! We did tons of live stuff, mostly begging for money. Cameras would fry out live on air, the transmitter would die, tape decks would jam, minimum wage workers wouldn't show up... you name it! Fun times. Once a CCU on a camera I was running went wacky, so I had to adjust the iris as an engineer talked in my headset "Lighter. Lighter. Darker, THERE!" The cameras were industrial grade tube type by Sony and JVC, we couldn't afford the good stuff. I always dreamed of running one of those sexy RCA TK-47's. Never had the chance (sniffle).

    They still had two wonderful Ampex 2 inch decks, most likely of late 60's vintage. They ran spots on them, those "Mr. Rogers is brought to you locally by, Gonzalez Auto Repair!" kind of spots. I also remember them using the Ampex decks to play back 2 inch tapes of The Lawrence Welk Show. I don't know why we still had Welk on 2 inch. Tell you what, on pledge nights, Welk would bring in the big bucks!

    I learned to set up those Ampex decks, it was so involed and wonderful. I got good enough to be a wiz on it. I wouldn't know where to start or what to do now though.

    Well, I'll stop rambling. Glad I'm not the only guy who misses old-school video. Who else here misses seeing comet tails from stadium lights during Monday Night Football!:D

    Dan
     
    Dan C, Mar 12, 2002
    #28
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Good story, Dan C.!

    ---------------------------------------------------

    John, the reason that NBC color looked so much more intense and deep than CBS color back in the 1960's is so simple that you might not have thought of it.

    Give up? OK. I'll tell ya.
    :D

    In 1966, CBS realized that they couldn't ignore Color TV anymore and had to quickly equip all of its studios and telecines with color gear. They weren't about to buy it from their arch rival RCA/NBC, so they bought Noralco cameras, etc. Since these were newly designed versions and knockoffs of the old NBC/RCA invented gear, they were for the most part SOLID STATE!

    That's right, solid state. But NBC was still using all vacuum tube color gear that was originally made in 1953-55. All TUBE all the time, and lots of 'em.

    So: CBS color--solid state
    NBC color--vacuum tube

    I used to hang around the newsroom of NBC in the early 1970's when I was in high school and I remember walking around NBC's master control at "NBC Color City" in Burbank trying to learn as much as I could about broadcasting. ALL of the equipment in use at that time, from the cameras to the monitors looked to be of 1954 vintage (when the place was built). That's almost 20 years of use. Big giant racks of tubes everywhere.

    Even as a teenager that blew my mind, having also hung out at CBS and all the local TV news operations. Their solid state stuff was much more compact and modern looking.

    But at NBC, their cameras still looked like this:

    http://www.pharis-video.com/

    I also remember that in (maybe) 1980 or so I went to see the Tonight Show when some MCA artist was on, and was amazed to see THE SAME ALL-VACUUM TUBE CAMERAS still in use. I loved it.

    Finally they trashed all of their tube gear and went totally solid state, and it was the end of an era for beautiful RCA color.

    Sniff...

    :(
     
    Steve Hoffman, Mar 13, 2002
    #29
  5. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Those Norelco cameras were made by Phillips, if I remember correctly.
    ABC and CBS used them for years. CBS shows like All In the Family, Maud, The Jeffersons, and ABC programs like American Bandstand were shot with them.

    I was always a fan of the big blue RCA's when I was growing up. I'd love to catch them sneak into shots on the old Letterman show and SNL. NBC's tricked out with Sony cameras now.
    Dan
     
    Dan C, Mar 13, 2002
    #30
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