Friday, December 5, 2008

The VKR-500 1965 Home Video Recorder





Well here's a Magazine ive had since the late 80's when I brought it at a Junk shop (on the prowl for 16mm TeleRecording no dougt)

As I dont need to state here, there are LOADS of missing TV shows (forget America, apart from the dumont network, pretty much they have Rich TV heritage)
But Us Aussies and our chums from England have had not much luck, For the past 25 years, well since I was 6-8 and read a book on my fav radio show at that time (hey, and still now)
The Goon Show Companion, It mentioned that there were loads of Goon shows missing from the archives. this shocked me as a lad and so did the 20th Anniversary Radio Times Dr Who special, which we got Down under ( I had 3 copies as I kept drawing Mows on the Dr's!) and It satated there were heaps opf missing Dr Who's. This has been a obsession with me in the past (no not a bad one) and Ive personally located 6, 4th series Goon shows for the BBC.
So my drift is there is a Helva lot of "missing Tv and Radio" even our Number 96 and the first seris of Rush (which we watched Via Umatic at school) are gone, but there may be a chance that someone recorded somthing anyrthing on these old tapes.
Im quite a fan of contiunity and Presentation.. you know the bits befor and after TV shows. well you can be sure that pretty much none exists anywhere. Like hearing old radio shows with the Add's intact seeing this old material gives us "yongsters" more of a picture of life back then.


Ok here is a link to the 1965 ATR mag about how to build a Quater Inch VT!!


Ill add some more pics of defunct tape systems (i have a box of old formats)
If you have any of these please dont hesitate to email me and i can let you know if your tape could have a missing program on it.. and of course i could restore it for nix.

and I'm not mentioning the Recorders themselves.
I don't have a "player" myself but ive Re-jigged a few for collectors. mainly replacing caps and resistors and associated electronics. youd be amazed how this trick can make a pile of 30YO unplayable tapes play again!!

Here's a few tapes from my collection!!

I have no idea whats on em. I restored most of my decks (for like minded collectors who have "passed on" ) so have no assess to a deck to play em back on ( and if you have an old one lying around I'd love to hear from you!)
But these are mostly Sony CV2000 and CV1250 and other makes .

did you know that some Epps of "Countdown" and even a few missing "Tommy Cooper" shows have been saved on the same type of tape as below!!

so yes in short I like old Archive TV! and strive to preserve some of it. I have 1000's old old UK shows that will never see the light of day, and you know what I love em, call me weird I don't care.
But that's not where it ends ive spent years looking though "junk shops" for said tapes and TR's.
What are TR's well it stands for TeleRecordings, its the process of recording a Video tape onto film for presivation and or sending to another country to show. Australia had a LOT of TR shows that are no longer in any archive, Ive come close to finding some but not recently. Did you know that Z-Cars is only represented by a handful of shows? it ran for 16 years!!

Oh BTW Im still working on bringing you the sounds of 78's and Transcription discs and "lounge type" albums, but seeing Im Moving to Queensland in a week im trying to transfer a pile of LP's/78rpm's and that's what the computer is doing 24/7!!










4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It must frustrate you not knowing what lost treasures may be on those tapes. I hope you get access to a player when you move.

Did Austrailia go through all the 405 - 625 line and vhf to uhf tv transmission changes that we in the uk went through at the beginning of the 70s? If you did would this affect how you play these tapes back? I mean would you need an older tv to play them on?

Ade42 said...

Oh yes it does frustrate me to know there may be 1000's of hidden gems rotting away awaiting throwing out to the dump by misguided relatives. I used to "work for the dole" at our "Salvation Army" opp shop. and 100's of these tapes came in every now and then. Due to "deceased estates" their policy was to junk em IMMEDIATELY!!. I tried to explain that Australians and other countries TV heritage may be lost forever, that never seemed to worry them. I was "banned" from reclaiming any tapes and they went STRAIGHT to the tip. I offed to pay for em but no.. it was all about "copyright"

Australia has always been 625 from the 1st6 transmissions in 1956. so if there are any of these tapes whether it be Sony CV2000 or Phillips N1500 or others there might be a chance to save it NOW.. !!

And if any tapes on any format were found Down Under they could be played on ANY TV , hey now that's a good start aint it!!

No crappy "optical Transfers" for us then.. Ok most UK shows would have gone though a TeleRecording stage but that's alright them.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info - interesting that Australia had 625 from the outset.

The Salvation Army situation must have been almost unbearable! Don't know how you coped! I seem to remember Peter Cook & Dudley Moore had a similar (but more personal) experience when they heard that their shows were being wiped by the BBC, they offered to buy replacement blank tape so their shows could be saved and the Beeb refused! They were given the copyright excuse I think too.

Ade42 said...

Yeh it was Pete Cook who wanted the Tapes and I think it was their 3rd season they wanted saved(don't think Dud cared!) By the time the 3rd series had aired most if not all the Quad's of series 1 and 2 were gone, But Enterprises would have held TR's. as there is a mid 70's "Best Of" which only features the Colour "OB stuff" from series 3 and the odd bit left from series 1-2.
The reason Peter Cook may have wanted to save the shows, were when they were repeated (don't know how long after the original airings, I'd say not that long) the shows Originally went out as 45 mins. and the new edits would be 29 mins. these would have been the "edits" that we got downunder.
and of course not one studio shot from series 3 is with us today. I mean ATV had all the colour "goodbye Again" until the mid 80's!! Ive got a clip from an In-house Elstree Doco.

Oh yes it was pretty soul destroying, having to see all that stuff go, but no one cared, It was all "old junk" to them. old tea towels,old cloths were all they cared about. I saw a helva lot of other stuff go too. like Mint open reel Video decks of all different brands, many good 16mm films and projectors, Gawd know really I kinda tried to work in other area's of the store when the van was being unloaded then reloaded for the tip.The problem was all to do with "saftey and OHS issues"
Previously tyhey could sell any electrical item that came into the store, but idiots had been buying old electronics and killing themselves with the stuff, when the earth cable was "unattached" etc etc. so they could not by law accept it. at one point you could go into any Op Shop and find a myriad of obscure electronics and stuff.

The Whole 625 Thing is an important "find" to missing TV Hunters. the Praticle upshot being ANY home made VT made downunder will pay 100% today. 625 Lines, 50 Cycles (Hertz or hurts)
Ive bought a few sony CV tapes on ebay before, dunno whats on em, yet.!! they guy was selling them for 2$ each! I was pretty skint so only bought up a couple.