BBC VT Panorama 1950's 1st exp use of VERA !

[LanceM]

Hello All,

Saw a neat segment of a early 1950's BBC VT promo film for the BBC TV show "Panorama" on you-tube. I certainly enjoyed seeing it, no clue if this is missing or not, no matter, a great piece of footage, neat seeing VERA in action, and not officially used on BBC programing yet, demonstrated at the experimental BBC studios. Enjoy !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0kK9zn0Nks&mode=related&search=

Also a rare look at the BBC VT room and Tape Library, shows how the various Quadraplex video spools were stored, played back, and edited. Wonder what was listed on the program's there ? Anyway this clip is from the 1970's, and in color.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8dAVYtI7TQ&mode=related&search=

Also saw this clip of The Shadows performing "Wonderful Land" on the BBC 1971 Christmas special, poster states this is not from a Beta or VCR, has original BBC VT clock present as well. Also a Shadows 1969 rendition of "Chicago" on a BBC show, is stated as a VT clip.Might these exist, or might it be missing, no clue, any info would be appreciated. Great performance, Enjoy The Show:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-NZjgozTkI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC3ERnuVjOs

Would love to hear what you all thought about these clips, hope they were enjoyed.

Lance.

[Steve Roberts]

The most interesting thing for me about that programme is that it shows two fully-functioning VERAs plus parts of a third in the background, proving that it wasn't just a one-off machine.

We still have a VERA spool here somewhere...

Steve

[hartley967]

You can see though that the VERA picture is degraded in comparison to the live picture. that and those leathal looking spools, probably meant there was no contest with the Ampex system.?

meanwhile more enjoyment

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPF5EuqEcyw&mode=related&search=

[neillp]

More information and videos on VERA is on the BBC VT OLDBOYS web site here.

www.vtoldboys.com/

and here

www.vtoldboys.com/vera2.htm

Also information on Bing Crosby system here-

www.vtoldboys.com/bing.htm

and Ampex here-

www.vtoldboys.com/ampex.htm

There is also a technical manual available. VERA tape speed was 200 inches per second so each reel only lasted 15 minutes. Therefore there had to be at least two machines to record any programme longer than 15 minutes.

The Ampex system which ran at around 15 inches per second and where a single tape could hold a ninety minute programme was much more practical and unlike VERA produced very high quality pictures.

BBC ordered their first Ampex in March 1957 but there were no overseas deliveries until 1958 (Japan in March 1958 UK Rediffusion TV in May 1958). BBC got their first Ampex VT in July 1958 but not used to transmit programmes until October 1958 because Designs and Research Department had to test and investigate. I understand that BBC recommended modifications were incorporated by Ampex.

[LanceM]

Thanks for the info Neillp, Have seen the VT Oldboys site previously, talked with some members who actually worked on these machines, some interesting tales they did tell of these early days of VT recording, and the VERA and Ampex machines.

Thanks for posting those links, VT Oldboys is a great site, full of interesting tales, and tech info.

Here are some other vintage clips from the early days of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, with Delia Derbeyshire:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoA4-3Q_fXo

Here is a rare look at behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace, how the BBC TV programs were aired, and of a behind the scenes look at a 1946 BBC Musical program, Very neat. Enjoy:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XdVBnJflJA&mode=related&search=

Here is a clip which states that the BBC messed up on the inaguration of BBC2 which has the first two and a half minutes completely silent, oops:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qlbO0khXYw

1963 BBC TV contunity anouncement stating the rescheduling of programs, as a result of the Death of President Kennedy. Neat BBC clock as well:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp9Rp88U69o

BBC TV 1936 !! Radio Olympia Broadcasting live from Alexandra Palace, way vintage BBC tv:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUjwUz921GM

BBC 1937, color silent footage, never have heard of this before, wonder where this footage was taken from ?:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DUFj_AlCuo

Best Quality footage I have seen of The Who on TOTP performing 5:15. I know this has been doing the rounds for some time. But have not seen a clip in such good quality, and in full colour no less. The other clips I saw were fuzzy black and white generational copies, enjoy The Who at Top Of The Pops:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ-8kI-W61s

Hope you enjoyed these clips, I certainly did.

Cheers, Lance.

[Robert Manners]

Best thread I have read in a while, great to see youtube been used to such a good level for once in a while.

[Andrew Doherty]

I was told by someone who worked for Ernest K. Moy, manufacturers of telerecording equipment, that while he was carrying out maintenance work on a 35mm telerecorder at the BBC, an Ampex machine had developed a fault on the first day of official use, i.e. October 1st, 1958.

Also, Before Ampex would permit the BBC to have their equipment, the VERA machines would have to be 'broken up'.

Yours,

[Robert Manners]

<Also, Before Ampex would permit the BBC to have their equipment, the VERA machines would have to be 'broken up'.>

Why would they ask this, did they fear these machines for some reason!

[Greg H]

On a vaguely related topic, I was wondering if Lance or anyone else here knew if there was somewhere online that the freak pre war BBC footage that was picked up in america by engineers and subsequently recorded on 16mm could be seen? I hope so as I havent hada chance to see this just yet.
Cheers,

GH

[Koen Br]

gh said:

On a vaguely related topic, I was wondering if Lance or anyone else here knew if there was somewhere online that the freak pre war BBC footage that was picked up in america by engineers and subsequently recorded on 16mm could be seen? I hope so as I havent hada chance to see this just yet.
Cheers,

GH

It is online somewhere (don't ask me where, though!) but unfortunately it's a clip with a rather low bitrate. I'm sure a bit of googling will throw it up!

[LanceM]

Well GH,

Here is something that will cheer you up. Direct From the Alexandra Palace Television Society web-page. Also has a lot of info on the footage, source of the clip, and National Museum of Photography, Film and Television individual by the name of Steve Cummings viewing and examining the footage that was recovered. Enjoy !

www.apts.org.uk/recording.htm

If you click the picture at the right, the clip will start playing in whatever standalone video playing software your computer has. I have Reel video on mine, played just fine, however the picture is very fuzzy, as was originally seen on the original RCA recording. Here is what the website stated about the discovery, and viewing of this historic footage:

The four-minute compilation from 1938 exists only because of a technological fluke and the enthusiasm of two television buffs, one in Britain and the other in America where, thanks to freak atmospheric conditions, it was picked up and recorded on a cine camera placed in front of a television screen as the images came in.

Andrew Emmerson, the British enthusiast, spent five years tracking down the recording and believes it is the only surviving example of pre-war live high-definition British television. The flickering black-and-white footage includes Jasmine Bligh, one of the original BBC announcers, and a brief shot of Elizabeth Cowell, who also shared announcing duties with Jasmine, an excerpt from an unknown period costume drama and the BBC's station identity transmitted at the beginning and end of the day's output.

The American recording was shown on 26 June 1999 at the refurbished National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford.

Mr Emmerson, 50, a freelance researcher and writer on the television industry, said: "Rumors of a recording existing in America have circulated for years, but no one had ever got to the bottom of them. It was known that about this time there had been tremendous sun spot activity, which had a dramatic effect on the ionosphere. Broadcasts from the BBC Television Station at Alexandra Palace traveled less than 30 miles, but because of the sun spots they were being bounced off the ionosphere and picked up 3,000 miles away on the East Coast of America."

"There were reports that RCA, which was working on its own television system, had conducted an experiment to film the broadcasts. About five years ago I decided to check it out, but with no success. RCA could not trace anything, nor could anyone else. Then last year a friend at the American Vintage Wireless Collectors' Society agreed to mention it in their magazine."

One of the respondents was Maurice Schecheter, who worked in a New York television studio. He had a collection of television material and among it was one of the RCA recordings on 16mm film.

"He cleaned it up digitally and transferred it to a video cassette for me," Mr Emmerson said. "I was astounded. This was the oldest and probably the only example of live high-definition television from the pre-war period."

Great stuff, we should all be so glad so many flukes here provided the means for this historic broadcast to be viewed today.

Lance.

[Greg H]

Awesome stuff Lance!! I had a feeling you would come through with the goods on that one Thanks a lot!
Its a really rainy morning here at work, well soaked, so this should be a good distraction, nice one
G

[LanceM]

You are very welcome GH, hope this stuff chases the clouds away, and brightens your day. Interesting article and fascinating footage.

Lance.

[Greg H]

As ever Lance, its always a pleasure to read posts from you.
By the way I never did manage to track down that steve salazar (who I was told used a few pseudonyms over the years) character again(very good mates with another guy called mark adams who used to go to the fitz occasionally) who claimed to have been shown fury ep 3, even to confirm that he was talking BS. Never managed to make any progress on that too bad.
Thanks for the link again!!!
Greg.

[LanceM]

Just had another look around youtube and found a few interesting vintage BBC and ITV TV clips I thought you might enjoy seeing:

Here is a bit of BBC contunity before a announced b/w edition of Z-Cars:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccst2d4jbmk

Here is a late 1960's intro to Thames TV show Magpie, shows a quick glimpse at some highly sophisticated Quadraplex machines, as stated by the lady announcer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3rAfPvkrY

Here is a very early BBC 2 color Ident from 1967:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSvQ8IfuLLQ

Here is a 1950's BBC bat wing ident from the 1950's apparently, has some footage of farming and a horse at the end of the clip, looks like part of a larger programe:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SaVTLMZ-bU

Origional BBC 2 ident from 1964, short, but neat to see:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxLHG1ElSpw

1968 unused Thames TV test idents, way neat:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=loQM7KLA52A

Contunity announcer stating the 1963 Eurovision song contest going to be introduced by Cathrine Boyle and David Jacobs, followed by BBC 9:00 clock Ident:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXYwuUQ-O6M&mode=related&search=

Dick Emery 1964 Christmas show segment, hilarious stuff:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEi5qEhdPoU

Gene Vincent & the shouts - Be Bop a Lula 1963 at BBC studios, what an entrance on those vintage motorbikes:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eq7i853sZ4

BBC TV 1937 Golfers in Action, vintage stuff:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q83j8ZsBt-M

footage from a 1953 royal visit to the Lime Grove Studios:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKngpqr8C4I

Alexander Alekhine was interviewed by the BBC in 1938, this is a audio soundtrack, the footage shown here is in very poop quality, I was more interested in the vintage 1938 BBC recording soundtrack. Can anyone hear who the announcer might be who is interviewing Alexander Alekhine ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M74dXmjDbVE

BBC 1963 President Kennedy Memorial Reading, a sad day for the world:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIMOB7nSV-Y

Poster states the BBC do not have this material in thier archive, also has a brief clip from a 1970 Top Of The Pops edition with audience dancing ( Lost ? )as well as a funny clip from the Goodies:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8jpj2ZlMa0

Here is a fun clip, The Beatles singing All You Need Is Love from the 1967 BBC TV show Our World, first live sattelite broadcast the first ever live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 350 million people, the programme was broadcast via satellite on June 25, 1967.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLxTpsIVzzo

Aborted BBC 1969 tv program, neat titles, way psychedelic, have a look at a show that would of been on the BBC in good ol 1969:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXOQ3l9Xngk

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore 'North Circular' sketch, with beatles song which was origionally abandoned in the origional BBC broadcast, added here on this clip, some funny moments:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg2oqZQpY9c

ATV, new colour oxford transmitter promo clip 1970:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeMm7ayyghw

Now here is a rarity, this was apparently recorded off a tv set in 1972. Features the posters father being interviewed by Welsh TV news programme 'Heddiw' on the first train to cross over the bridge when it was re-opened on 30th January 1972 (the same day as Northern Ireland's Bloody Sunday). The bridge had been closed for 20 months after the fire in May 1970. This footage has been taken off the TV screen using a digital camera- which is the reason for the poor quality. I have talked with the poster, before this it was taken off the TV using a 8mm camera, donated to the BBC for preservation, and had a copy produced, which they made him pay for, still can't belive that. So, this footage is a second generation copy using a digital camera as described previously. States he has no further rare early tv material unfortunately. Here it is:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xX7MXHtpLU

Here is a live tv broadcast from a 1957 edition of Sunday Night At The "London Palladium" Mario Lanza performing:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErbptU_CEmc

Hope you enjoyed these old vintage clips. Should keep you guys bussy for a while, enjoy.

Lance.

New: Just saw this clip tape of late 1980's pledges by Dr.Who actors such as Patrick Troughton, Colin Baker, Peter Davidson, Mark Strickson,and Jon Nathan Turner asking the viewers to pledge now and save DR who, to keep him going on public TV. The poster was a Cyberman in one of the clips, probably why he recived a copy of this footage.:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4NDsvci-Mc

I know this last clip is out of place along the other clips presented. But thought it was neat, since I have never seen this promo before, and thought others might enjoy seeing it as well.