NBC Introduces Kinescope Recording…June 1948 Press Release

NBC Introduces Kinescope Recording…June 1948 Press Release

The Kinescope dominated TV recording for time delay in the early 1950’s. A Kinescope recorder was basically a special 16mm or 35mm film camera mounted in a large box aimed at a high quality monochrome video CRT. All things considered the Kinescope made high quality and respectable TV recordings. Most engineers called the process (“kine”) pronounced “kinney” for short.

The Kinescope was quite the clever device. It’s film camera ran at a speed of 24 fps. Because the TV image repeated at 60 fields interlaced (30 fps) the film had to move intermittently between video frames and then be rock steady during exposure. The pull-down period for the film frame was during the vertical interval of less than 2ms, something no mechanical contraption could do at the time.

Several manufacturers like RCA, Acme, General Precision, and Eastman Kodak found various ways around the problem by creating a novel shutter system that used an extra six frames of the 30 frame video signal to move the film. This action integrated the video half-images into what seemed like smooth 24fps film pictures. Of course, the kines were played back on air using RCA film chains running at 24fps so the conversion to film was complete and seamless.

Until videotape recorders made their debut in 1956, the Kinescope was the only way to transmit delayed television programs which were all shot on film.

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