“That Was Then!”
In the Mid-1960s, Philip’s Norelco Brand Meant Something Other Than Electric Shavers
 Today, the brand name Norelco is synonymous with Philips-made electric shavers. But in the mid-60s, when color television began to take hold in America, the Norelco PC-60 was Philip’s introduction to the famed Plumbicon picture tube.
The PC-60 arrived in 1966 at a time when RCA dominated color television with its one-year-old TK 42 series combo Vidicon and Image Orthicon cameras. The Plumbicon tube was smaller and more sensitive, but not as sharp. Its color was often described as mushy. Nevertheless, the Plumbicon was a major success.
Invented in 1960 as an alternative to the tubes used in RCA’s studio cameras, the chief technical advantage of the Plumbicon was that it allowed true color fidelity to be seen in TV broadcasts for the first time. Philips claimed Plumbicon tubes offered “high resolution, low lag and superior image quality” over conventional camera tubes.
Plumbicons, as implemented on the PC-60, had excellent resolution but lacked the artificially sharp edges of Vidicon and Image Orthicon tubes. This caused many critical TV viewers to perceive the tubes as softer. As a result, CBS Labs later invented the first outboard edge enhancement circuits to sharpen the edges of images generated by Plumbicon tubes.
In 1967, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded Philips an Emmy award for “Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development” for the invention of the Plumbicon tube.
During the 1960s and 70s, Philips made and marketed a complete line of Norelco professional video cameras in the United States. CBS was a notable customer, using the models PC-60, PC-70, PC-72, PCP-90, the LDH series, and later the LDK series.
By the 1980s, the Norelco name was dropped in favor of Philips. Later marketed using the BTS brand name in a joint venture with Bosch, this combined broadcast division was later sold to Thomson, where it remains today.
“This Is Now!”
PSony's HDC-1000LW: Bringing Quality To The Next Level
Sony's HDC-1000LW studio camera is among the latest and most advanced workhorses of the television studio community, where it can be found at some of the largest and highest profile facilities in the country. It's even used in the field for sports. With advanced 14-Bit A/D internal processing via three 2/3-inch 1920x1080 CCDs, it natively supports HD formats up to and including 1920x1080p, in the 6:9 aspect ratio.
The camera uses the latest semiconductor technology to perform its 14 bit A/D conversions. There's an integrated 2:3 pull down circuit to minimize flicker in viewfinder, a 2x viewfinder video expander and an external data line (RS232C or RS422) for full camera control.
The HC3500 maintains an impressive signal to noise ratio of 60dB at F10.0 sensitivity and has a vertical smear level of less than -130dB. It produces high-quality HD images with the ability to control skin tone and smoothness in real time via a feature called “Dynamic Range Stretch.”
The camera uses a new 1/2 rack width CCU (with 2 option slots) or Full Rack CCU, which both support TelePrompTer power (200VA) and long distance fiber transmission, HD/SD switchable return video, and remote control capability by Ethernet (file management, setup, and remote diagnosis). Both CCUs are compatible with Sony's RCP-700 series--MSU-700A/750 and MSU-900/950--control systems.
There's an optional Sony camera adapter unit converts signals from fiber (digital) to Triax (analog), and a AC-powered CCU I/F unit for Triax to fiber support (giving users 1,400 meters with Fujikura 14.5mm Triax cable, or 1,000 meters with Belden 13.2mm Triax cable).
A variety of electronic viewfinders are also available, including a 7-inch B&W studio model, several 6-inch Color EVFs, a 2-inch B&W viewfinder, and a 6.3-inch LCD viewfinder.
For more information, visit www.myvtp.com.
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