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Description
Original exhibit label from the Foothill Electronics Museum reads: Unveiled in early 1979 at an engineering convention in San Francisco, this recorder was built in the Ampex labs of Redwood City. This is a one-of-a-kind unit, and was constructed as an experiment in digital recording technology. It was never meant to be a production model, as it was not cost-effective when compared to existing analog recorders, although digital recording will be the eventual standard. What "digital" means is simply that the information is recorded as discrete numbers as opposed to analog, which is a continuous signal. Since the noise inherent to the tape is analog, it is decoded along with the video signal and shows up as "grain" in the final picture. The noise is normally not noticable unless a copy is made, doubling the level. In digital, the noise is not decoded, hence perfect copies. Digital audio is now available, but video is still several years away.
Type
image
Identifier
B55BEF62-FC2A-46B9-9604-594974031940 2003-1-248
Subject
Ampex Corporation Magnetic recorders and recording (LCSH) Video tape recorders (LCSH) Nineteen seventies (LCSH) Digital video (LCSH)
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