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Posted by Bill Vermillion on 11/13/05 04:25
In article <dB3cf.59956$fE5.33632@fed1read06>,
WinField <doghouse@operamail.com> wrote:
>Bill, I always enjoy reading your posts. We can all quibble
>about historical details and free-will versus fate as technology
>evolved, but your experiences and memories shine through.
Well I started as a kid taking the tubes out of radios and twisting
screws to see what would happen. And I've been involved with and
worked around tech 'stuff' ever since. I the first audio recording
I made were on a Brush Soundmirror our school had. I was probably
about 12 or 13 at tat time. Later I worked in radio as a DJ,
program director, music director, and was desginated as chief
engineer at a couple of places. I've rebuilt pro-taperecorders
from the ground up. In 1977 we built an $850,000 audio studio -
that would take $3-$4million to duplcate today. Then I got involved
with computers working setting up large Cicso routers [for some
small ISPs] which weighed about 150 pound and stood 3 feet tall.
So with all that - if I haven't learned a bit by now - I'd be in
sad shape. The real trick is to learn something new every day,
always learn more than you forget, and live longer than the other
guy :-). So far I've been successful at all three.
So many people much younger than I have given up - but damn this
world is so much fun. I keep running out of time in a day. Last
night I felt tired and looked and it was 3:30AM. About 2 hours
past my normal bed-time. Got involved in working on some audio and
video editing. My son and his friends often call me with computer
and/or audio problems. It's usually the other way around.
>Hi-Definition DVD is fascinating to think about. At the moment,
>I still can't decide whether to see it's impact/performance
>as 4-channel quadraphonic -- or as a winning new format [re:
>chromium-dioxide cassete tapes obsoleting 8-track format as the
>music medium of choice].
The first time I saw hi-def was at a SIGGRAPH a few years ago.
Truly amazing quality. That was first generation studio quality.
Let's hope nothing gets lost on the way to the consumers house.
Here is a bit of trivia. Chrmomium dioxide was developed so
that it could be used with the big Sony videe-tape PRINTER.
Yup. It had a lower curie point than regular tape. The Curie
point is the temperature where a tape will change magnetism
with whatever magnetic field is in touch with it.
So Sony build mastering recorder that had the helical scan the
reverse of standard VCRs. Then the master tape would be held
oxide to oxide with the chromimum dioxied - passed through rollers
with pressure and heat - and out the far side the chromium dioxide
tape would be a mirror image of the master - which was reversed in
the original machines. Then this would be spooled into
videocassettes.
This was taking a similar approach to the way audio tapes were
duplicated. And I worked in a tape-duplication plant at one time.
The master tape would be on 1 inch wide and would go throuh the bin
at high speed and then there were 10 slave reel-reel machine with
14" pancakes for 1/8" cassette tape. Each line of machines could
duplcate 10,000 cassettes per day.
The finished reel had low-frequency tones between the complete
album so it would wind through and a the tone would be sensed, a
machine would cut the tape and splice it to leader in the cassette,
wind to the next tone and splice the tail in.
I tend to work around things that turn twist flash and blink.
I'm just a big kid at heart.
Thanks for the comment - it makes me feel good that the posts are
read.
>
>
>Bill Vermillion wrote:
>
> {Editor Winf: give me the scissors, Max! SNIP-snip ...}
>
>> When DVD came out in about 3 years everyone saw how much better it
>> was to be able to skip to chapters, take something out and put it
>> back without rewinding, etc.
>>
>> Each of those were revolutionary. The SACD was evolutionary and
>> never really took off. The HD and Blu-Ray are evolutionary so
>> there won't be the great rush among the average users to go
>> to those. I say that based on looking at the history of home
>> entertainment for the past 100 years.
>>
>> If the often predicted 'movie on a chip' or 'cube' something so
>> small that you could carry several in your shirt pocket [for those
>> who have shirts with pockets] that would be revolutionary and
>> would gain widespread adoption.
>>
>> Bill
--
Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com
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