New Products and Processes
power/manual zoom or 9-45mm focal lengths respectively, and come with many easy-to-use features as standard. Details are available from J. Osawa (Australia) Pty Ltd, 13 Chard Rd, Brookv a le , NSW 2 1 0 0 . T e le p h o n e : (02) 938 5733.
Two New Releases From GEC National
OKI TV Standards Converter Pics Australasia is the sole Australian agent for the OKI TV Standards Con verter. The OKI converts the American NTSC signals to the Australian PAL D and back the other way. It will also convert to and from Secam. Until the introduction of the OKI, the equipment to convert broadcast signals was restricted to television stations. The OKI by comparison weighs 40 kg and measures 266 x 610 x 450mm, and, while broadcast quality, was designed to be portable. Recently, Colorburst Pty Ltd, an inde pendent Sydney non-broadcast video production house, installed an OKI. Ross Webb, co-owner of Colorburst, is using the OKI in conjunction with a joystick color corrector. Since its installation, Webb says he has been inundated with work, mainly from advertising agencies, educational institutions with training cassettes from overseas and business houses with frequent overseas contact: “ I bought the OKI in preference to another converter because I found it to be technically superior. “ It seems to maintain a better picture stability. The best way to see this is with the American football games. When the camera does a fast pan to follow the ball, the background jerks. With the OKI, it still jerks but not nearly as much.” Webb is using the OKI’s digital enhancer and an analogue image enhancer to improve the converted picture quality. For more information, contact Marion Bennett, Pics Australasia Pty Ltd, 8 Dungate Lane, Sydney, NSW 2000. Tele phone (02) 264 1981.
The OKI LT1200 TSC TV Standards Converter, which converts NTSC signals to PAL D, and vice-versa.
Photokina Cologne 1982 The 1982 Cologne Photokina is to be held from October 6-12 (and not, as orig inally announced, from October 5-10). Agreement on this timing has been reached by the organizers: the German Photographic Industry Association (Ver band der Deutschen Photographischen Industrie) and the Cologne Trade Fair Company. This change in dates will meet the wishes of manufacturers and also of German and foreign dealers who are in favor of having the fair open on a Monday, and having it run for seven days, as in the past.
National Panasonic has announced the release of the NV-8050, the first
readily-available, time-lapse, video cassette recorder. Using 1/2-inch VHS cassettes, the NV-8050 provides an easy-to-use monochrome animation system with its one shot mode, or a broad range of applications in its other time-lapse modes. The picture quality for all speed operations is high, with a horizontal resolution of 310 lines. An optional plug-in unit allows day/ month/ year/ hour/ minute/ second data to be displayed. The U-matic format (3/4-inch) cassette has been given a new lease of life with the intro d u ctio n of the National P a n a s o n ic S e rie s 9000 h ig h performance system. Not just a revised model, the system promises high quality video performance with a signal-to-noise ratio of 46 dB, color and horizontal resolution of 260 lines color, and 330 lines monochrome. The editing system includes the NV9240 recorder, which is used as a source, the NV-A960 editing controller and the NV-9600 high performance editing recorder. The NV-A960 editing controller is a m icro-processor based logic controller with sequential speed search dials for source and editing decks. Search is in forward and reverse at various speeds, and there is a tapesearch memory for specific entry and exit points selected for an individual edit anywhere on the tape. For further details, contact the local offices of GEC National.
The National Panasonic NV-8050 time-lapse video-cassette recorder.
Developed by the same company that lights America’s space vehicles, Daymax HMI lamps have a generous warranty to guarantee their long life. A pro-rata warranty of up to 400 hours is given on some lamps and, if a light fails in less than 50 hours, it is general practice for Pics Australasia — agents for Daymax — to give a free replacement. With average use, it should take nearly a year to burn a lamp for 400 hours. To date, Pics has not had to replace any Daymax lamps. Produced by the Californian company, ILC Technology, Daymax owes its reli ability and design to the lighting used in manned and unmanned space vehicles and satellites. Chosen by NASA for their efficiency and light weight, ILC-designed lighting systems were most recently used to light the interior and exterior of the Columbia space shuttle. Daymax HMI lamps’ long life and high performance is achieved through a com bination of plasma physics, unique high temperature seals, advanced electrode technology and special manufacturing techniques. Their sensitive metal halides are handled entirely within a specially designed and equipped dry box, where an ultra dry, very pure argon atmosphere is maintained. The lamps are processed with an all metal vacuum system before and after being charged with metal halide in the dry box, while a turbo molecular pump prevents hydrocarbon contamina tion. For more information, contact Pics Australasia Pty Ltd, 8 Dungate Lane, Sydney, NSW 2000. T elephone: (02) 264 1981.
Take Pride "III...... .... .........
David and Tod Pride of Pride Studios have just completed work on the first of three com puter-controlled special effects systems. It is a camera mount with seven computer-controlled axes of motion. Fitted with a Fries reflex con verted 35mm Mitchell with video-assist viewfinder, the system also has nodal head-point movement. For further details contact David Pride, 640 Warringah Rd, Forestville, NSW, 2087. Telephone: (02) 451 7542.
Sony's Video Responder
The National Panasonic editing system.
John Barry Group Sets Up New Singapore Company The well-known Australian film and television supply and rental company, the John Barry Group, is setting up an independent company in Singapore to be known as Barry and Warta Trading Pty Ltd. John Barry is managing director of the John Barry Group, and Horst Warta the Group’s form er general manager. Warta is to take up residence in Singa pore and will be the com pany’s managing director. Barry and Warta, Singapore, will be responsible for marketing professional film, television and theatre products throughout Singapore, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Warranty On Daymax HMI Lamps
Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand. Horst Warta is well known on the Asian film and television scene, having been export manager for the John Barry Group for some years before his appointment as general manager. He has travelled extensively throughout the region and is familiar with local market requirements. The new Singapore company will follow the pattern set by the John Barry Group, Australia, in that it will specialize in marketing and servicing quality film and television equipment from leading worldwide manufacturers.
Sony’s new video recorder is an inter active learning system with a micro computer that allows student-paced individualized learning. The entire system is made up of four components: VRS-100 video responder, VRP-100 printer, VRC-100 programmer and VRD100 dubbing converter. Responders and printers are required for each learning module while only one programmer and converter are needed for each installa tion. Individual learning positions also require a player and a monitor. The VRS-100 enables the student to respond to the videotape. The optional VRP-100 printer provides printouts of students’ answers as well as a printer record of programming. The VRC-100 encodes new or exist ing video-tapes and the VRD-100 facil itates new programming of pre-recorded tapes. This unique learning system allows each student to advance, at his or her own pace, while the printer allows the instructor to monitor the progress. The Responder system is compatible with program m able Betamax and random access U-matic equipment. ★
CINEMA PAPERS April - 151