An additional view on the invention of Time Code.
A friend of mine worked for Bell Labs a long time ago. When he found
out I was working in TV he asked if I ever used time code. When I said
yes, he smiled and said he helped invent it.
Seems that during the early rocket launchs leading up to the moon race,
they would capture tons of info on telemetry from the rockets on those
old reel to reel computer tapes. They needed someway to catalog it. So
he and buddies came up with a way to record a time of day along with the
data. The beginning of time code.
Jef
Chasteen, Howard wrote:
Below!
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*From:* owner-ds(at)Softimage.COM [mailto:owner-ds(at)Softimage.COM] *On
Behalf Of *Tony Quinsee-Jover
*Sent:* Friday, July 29, 2005 2:18 AM
*To:* DS(at)Softimage.COM
*Subject:* RE: OT - He's just fine, right?
Okay Howard - so why is EECO timecode an octave lower than EBU timecode?
I remember phoning our local broadcaster (who used quad carts for
commercials playout) to tell the transmission controller that every
other commercial (ie cart 2) had timecode bleed on the audio. He was
most grateful for me pointing it out, but it still took a week before
it got cured.
Most folks couldn't hear it, but with the mod I'd made to our TV with
the audio fed through the hi-fi it came through loud and clear.
Regards,
Tone :)
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Howdy Tony
Because EECO time code was developed for government applications first
and was adapted to video tape later. SMPTE TC replaced it having
shorter pulses and containing more information as well as normally
lower overall levels. Thus the lower frequency "sound" for EECO.
We used to have to record EECO at -4 dB and keep it on an audio track
not adjacent to critical audio to avoid bleed. It was also notorious
about bleed-through on older reel to reel oxides. Here is a quote from
the EECO info editing page,
http://www.sssm.com/editing/museum/eeco/eeco.html
"Electronic Engineering Company of California (EECO) was a major
supplier of Time Code Generators and Timing Systems for government and
scientific purposes, and in 1966 adapted that technology to time code
for Television."
EECO was the "inventor" of Time Code systems at the request of the DOD
and the first successful linear editors after the Ampex Editec system.
We had edited on Editec by using the analog tape timers! Hit or miss
which some called punch and crunch!
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Hey. When I was working at WBT the famous regional CBS affiliate, the
radio theater operations were still larger than the TV department. The
combined operations at one time had 22 broadcast engineers and I don't
mean appliance operators! All had earned First Class Licenses......
Hmmmmm? It seems I recall there was a young British transfer student
who got a job as a page for the radio shows. Now what was his name????
All I can remember is the nickname, T.Q.
He was a slim young fellow and used to talk about a treadmill and
really bad rolls for dinner as a child. After he had sharpened
everyone's pencils and provided tissue for all the little old ladies
who were moved to tears by the radio dramas he would pester the
producer of whatever show was playing to let him audition.
Seems to me he got a job playing Tom Edison as a boy and during a
realistic re-enactment he blew up old Studio B which was subsequently
renamed 911. The explosion was so magnificent that it gave the law
enforcement authorities the idea for the emergency telephone exchange
system.
;-)
Howard
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