video-magazine-1990-10

VID OPTICAL SECmRagaEziTneS! NWA OXe sae(e'= Visions le ® & phriheseetp YZ ee y, CLIFFHANGERS : CNeoowlumsnhopper,5 VIDEOTESTS Fuzzy Logic (Go areoe=s _ CPoanmabsioniPlcayer Plus2VCRs I

- with builtin 3.waySurround Sout includingDolby” ittsoundstrue to life,too. Call 1-800-HITACHI and find out where to experience Ultravision for yourself. © HITACHI ©1990 Hitachi, Ltd. Ultravision isa trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. @Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. For additional information. |circle No 23 0n Reader Senice Card ana reore Nee LETS

FEATURES INSIDE OPTICS: HOW CAMCORDERS SEE 44 An eye-opening look at an amazing class of lenses and the innovative systems they 50 PROGRAMMING harness to shape the face of video. By David Ranada 52 SUPER VHS UPDATE: SILENT RUNNING 16 Super VHS landed with a splash, then seemed to sink. Yet scientists have quietly improved the format. Here’s what they've been up to. By Roderick Woodcock 61 SERIAL THRILLERS: BLASTS FROM THE PAST From Superman to Nyoka, classic cliffhangers stage a video revival. By Bruce Eder 74 A GHOSTBUSTER’S GUIDE TO ANTENNAS ; 716 How to tell a yagi from a dipole—and cut down poor reception. By Gordon McComb WIN OUR VIDEO OLYMPICS! Enter our second annual Video/Scotch home tape contest and win a trip to Europe. REVIEWS The Hunt for Red October, Glory, Bad Influence, House Party, Cry-Baby, Sullivan's Travels and Harvey on laserdisc, classic TV programs, more KIDVID / A peck of Peter Pans DIRECTORY / The latest releases on tape and disc DEPARTMENTS MITSUBISHI HS-U82 SUPER VHS VCR, 24 Fisher FVC-880 8mm “fuzzy logic” camcorder, RCA VR685HF hi-fi VHS VCR, Panasonic LX-200 combi player. By Berger-Braithwaite Labs 4 8 CHANNEL ONE / And #%*$*% to you, too 10 FEEDBACK / Letters from readers 12 Cover: LATE NEWS / New Chinon 8mm subcompact cameorders, cable bill update, more 14 New 8mm and VHS-C GAZETTE / Top horror films, director Volker Schlondorff, more 18 camcorders advance Q & A/ Technical queries answered COLLECTOR’S CLEARINGHOUSE / A new column of reader requests for the art of designing au- hard-to-find tapes. This month: Max Headroom, Liberace, early Hitchcock, more 20 etofMocusinrgatzaoomelilteneses YOUR MONEY’S WORTH / A new column on getting top value for shopping dollars. Bs month: seven free services you may not know gernpanies offer graph by Vittorio Sartor CAMCORNER / Edit as you go—the art of live camcorder switching 22 NEW PRODUCTS / Camcorders from Zenith, Chinon and Sunpak, Pioneer Combi player, Video Magazine Sony VHS VCR, more 34 Volume XIV OFF THE AIR / Unleashing video's neglected treasure 118 Number 7 VIDEO Magazine (ISSN 1044-7288) is published monthly by Reese Communications, Inc., 460 W. 34 St., New York, NY 10001. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing The office. © 1990 Reese Communications. Inc, All rights reserved. © under Universal, International, and Pan American Copyright Conventions. Reproduction of editorial or pictorial content in any manner ‘Auidit is prohibited. Single copy price $2.50; $2.95 in Canada; £2.50 in U.K. One-year subscription (12 issues) $15.; Canada, $21 U.S.; foreign, air mail, $40 U.S, Address subscription orders, change of Bureau address, correspondence and inquiries to: VIDEO, Box 56293, Boulder, CO 80322-6293. Cahsansguem9es of address takes 60 days to process: send old address label, new address, and zip code. All material listed in this magazine is subject to manufacturer's change without notice, and publisher no responsibility y for such change. Printed in the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VIDEO, Box 56293, Boulder. CO 80322-6293. For microform copies of issues or articles, write to: Serials Acquisition Dept., University Microfilms, Inc,, 300 North Zeeb Rd,, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 3

Satellite CHANNEL ONE Television 1990 Buyers Guide And #% *$*% to you, too with Comparison Chart Letters, we get letters. Lots of letters, covering virtually every column and feature article we publish. We run as many as possible in our Complete “Feedback” section, but we can’t print them all. This angers some of our readers, one of whom recently accused us of holding back those System! communiques which disagree with our opinions, evaluations, judgments and sanity. FCHOSTAH Not true, as a close reading of our new “Reader Forum” (July ’90) SRD-4 clearly illustrates. In that inaugural column, we published a range of let- ters written in reaction to our earlier “Format Face-Off ” feature Includes: = {0' Dish (March 90). Many took strong exception to the “Face-Off,” and let us e Echostar 4000 with Decoder know about it in no uncertain terms. The Ultimate Satellite Receiver Still, we can’t print every letter, so I’ve decided to distill some of Houston Tracke 10 with MTS! the venom dripping from recent missives, and present it here. In the in- terest of space, I’m omitting both the letter writers’ names and the ¢ Programmable UHF Remote topics in question. Here goes: ¢ 100 Video & Audio Selections “Shame on you for such shoddy thinking.” “...some 17-year-old vent- ¢ Fully Computerized Auto Tracking ¢ ing his ignorance!” “An absolute outrage!” “Appalling!” “Excellent example of scrambled thinking.” “Nothing short of a flagrant brain- ¢ Full On-Screen Graphics Display ¢ washing attempt.” “What a bunch of morons!” That’s only a sampling of the kind and gentle things said about us. I’ll share more with you in Crystal Clear Reception @ future columns. “ —_@ MTS Stereo! With this issue, we launch two new columns: “Collector’s Clearing- house” and “Your Money's Worth.” “Collector’s Clearinghouse” EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN, Call for Price! © essentially invented itself, being the most obvious answer to the over- whelming volume of mail triggered by “Possessed,” our feature on Satellite System Owners: program collectors. Turns out we have thousands of possessed readers, all desperately searching for hard-to-find videotapes. We hope “Collec- Inquire about our exclusive tor’s Clearinghouse” makes the task a little easier. Trade-In Program “Your Money’s Worth” is, very simply, an effort to help you get your money’s wor—twhehther it involves buying new video gear, getting cur- E rent equipment serviced or taking a flyer on used equipment. The first 1-800-327-0046 column, written by long-time colleague and talented freelancer Chris- In Calif. 1-800-327-2345 tine Begole, outlines seven free services you can get from video Office # 805-652-0255 manufacturers. We’d like your reaction to this first effort, and to subse- Fax # 805-652-2190 quent “Money’s Worth” columns. Let us know what you think. 2316 Channel Drive Ventura, Ca. 93003 Art Levis Editor-in-Chief ‘BJUB“[JZ‘P9OO/UDI/FNOPOUDAINDJOODBEIUSYPWPODJU!

df P.,,asonic introduces the pos Single Hand Movie™ Palmcorder™ — ae and its revolutionary new ot > | digital image stabilizer. = Ironically, as camcorders get ves smaller and easier to carry, they're a becoming harder to hold steady. The slightest shake in your hand 4 shows up in your home videos. The new Single Hand Movie baal Palmcorder, PV-40, from Panasonic —_ changes all that. Its UI revolution- x— ~ ary new A CAMCORDER Digital EIS Stabilizer THAT CAN (0) MD)1,\\2 can hold aay WHEN YOUR the picture steady even ifyour hand shakes. Yet despite its advanced technology, it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. And with the Palmcorder there's no need to make special connec- tions to watch your home videos. You just slip the 90-minute cas- sette in the PlayPack adapter, which then slides into your VHS recorder. And you can show your home videos on any of the 60 million VHS recorders out there. The new Panasonic Palmcorder. Its size is unbelievable. Its tape Is VHS compatible. Its new image stabilizer can steady shakes that were once unavoidable. So getting anything else would be unthinkable. i HAND SHAKES USA q 1992 US. OWMPI TEAM QALY CSRN1cFiaoaieonedrr.fdacdvoild.irteecmireaotniaoln, U.S.C. 380 Panasonic just slightly ahead of our time*

VIDEO magazine If you’re Curious about those shiny discs you’ve been seeing all President and Managing Director, over, you're not the only one. Hundreds of thousands of people Jay Rosenfield have already brought laserdiscs home. It seems no one can pass up the latest movies on laserdisc, with its incredible picture Editor-in-Chief, Art Levis (60% sharper than ordinary videotape) and flawless CD sound. Managing Editor, Stan Pinkwas You're probably next. Just be careful when you visit your nearby Technical Editor, Lancelot Braithwaite laserdisc store. The way it’s been going, these things are likely to Senior Editor, Kenneth Korman fly out aS Soon as you open the door. YQ PIONEER’ laserfise Associate Editor, Brent Butterworth Assistant Editors, Brian Clark, |1“‘OJ@U}0[O}UPDOD4DNOI|PDUYMDODOEKWS/YIPOPJDL! Stephen Cusick Contributing Editors: Bob Angus, Mavis © 1990 Pioneer LDCA, Inc., Long Beach, CA. For a store near you, call 800-421-1404, Arthur, Bob Barlow, Ivan Berger, Warren Berger, Bob Brewin, James Caruso, Steve Daly (Directory), Mark Fleischmann, Ty Harrington, Lawrence B. Johnson, David Lachenbruch, Martin Levine, Frank Lovece, Gordon McComb, Marianne Meyer (Kidvid), Timothy Onosko, Martin Porter, Murray Slovick, Greg Solman, Roderick Woodcock Editorial Assistant, Lily Schwartzberg Art Director, Lonnie Heller Associate Art Director, Kristina Juzaitis Art Assistant, Luis Ramos, Jr. Production Manager, James LoGrasso Production Assistant, Janet Barrett Typesetting, Janet M. Holland Vice President, Circulation and Special Projects, Rena Adler Newsstand Sales Director, Gerald Levine Circulation Assistant, Elizabeth Moss Financial Officer, Albert Mineo Business Manager, Janette Evans Assistant to the President, Leslie Dionicio Publisher, Eric C. Schwartz National Advertising Director, Linda DeRogatis Marketing Director, Luanne Rao East Coast Sales, Dina Redding-Berrigan, Annette Y. Schnur Classified Sales, Mary Au Midwest Sales, Milton Gerber, Carolyn Bowman West Coast Sales, Cynthia Gallivan West Coast Advertising Assistant, Sharon Millikan Ad Coordinator, Maria Sozio National Editorial & Sales: 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001; 212-947-6500, 212-947-6727 (fax) Midwest Sales Office: Gerber/Kamikow, 60 Revere Drive, Suite 915, Northbrook, IL 60062; 708-291-8900, 708-291-8905 (fax) West Coast Sales Office: 1453 Third Street, Suite 490, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 213-393-5057, 213-393-5538 (fax) Japan Representative, Call Publisher REESE @ CIONMCMORUPNOIRCAATTEIDONS 6 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

There’s AFine Line That Separates AGood Video System From The Very‘BestInThe World. Color Variation It begins with consistent screen color, a vital element in big-screen viewing. And as the | line to the left shows, the Elite’ Pro-93 Monitor, with its Linear White Circuit, offers the most consistently accurate color pirelet‘llever find. With a picture that's visibly brighter and sharpercorner tocorner than any other big-screen. But the element that really sets the apart 11 s theLD-S2 LaserDisc Player. It offers Elites exclusive Total cmsfor the purest tte gone and is recognized LD-S2 and Pro-93 Call 1-800-421-1404: for the Elite dealer nearest you. © 1990 PioneerEYectronies (USA) Ine., Long Beach, CA j Re2S: a For additional information, circle No. 14 on Reader Service Card. }

HEEDBACKEDITED BY BRIAN CLARK Hamming it up A recent column (‘“Tomorrow,” Aug. 90) states that sending color still video images by radio is a new idea. Amateur radio operators around the world have been exchanging video frames via the ham frequencies for years. And they BPrhiodtalovgerilaphFayll,byYosAenmsietle ANdaatmiosn.al CoPuarrkt,esyCalioffortnhiea Acn. se1l927Adams aren't spending kilobucks to do it. One Coming to America? Betaphiles hope Sony's anni- popular setup uses the Amiga personal versary Beta VCR, available in Japan, will land here. Publis ring Rights Trust. All rights reserved. computer, an inexpensive video digitizer me is the extent to which the VHS SOME OF THE GREATEST and a special modem to interface to the camp has been able to convince the THINGS IN AMERICA American people that the Beta format is radio transceiver. Software is available dead in this country. How successful has Through photography, this been? Let me cite two examples. Ansel Adams immortalized the to manipulate such aspects of the images First, my fellow workers (electrical engi- unspoiled beauty of Bridalveil neers) recognize the technical advan- Fall for all America to see. as compression, noise reduction and en- tages of SuperBeta over HQ VHS, yet they're hesitant to invest in a format for Some things never change hancement. Ray Dabkowski, which pre-recorded and blank tapes are But one great American becoming increasingly difficult to find. tradition has changed—U.S. Chesterland, Ohio Savings Bonds. Now Savings Call sign: N8SKBF Second, Sony seems to be abandon- Bonds pay higher variable in- ing the U.S. Beta market. Even though terest rates like money market Time-base experiments Sony now owns Columbia Pictures, the accounts. That’s the kind of CBS/Columbia House Video Club is change anyone can appreciate. Regarding your article on time-base er- phasing out Beta movies. Even more ir- Just hold Savings Bonds ror (“Technically Speaking,” June ’90), ritating is Sony’s shunning of Beta con- for five years and you get the it’s worth adding that all home-enter- sumers by excluding Beta tape new variable interest rates. Plus, tainment VCRs and videocassette play- purchasers in a current promotional of- you get a guaranteed return. ers exhibit time-base error to some fer. Greg L. Kimnach That means you can earn a lot degree. TV sets and monitor/receivers more, but never less than 742%. have circuitry that corrects for some er- Parma, Ohio You can purchase Bonds ror in the source material: The degree to at almost any financial institu- which a unit corrects is called its “pull- Satisfied laserphile tion. Or easier yet, through the in range.” I experienced this type of Payroll Savings Plan where you problem and, after consulting service Regarding Mauricio Heilbron’s com- work. people and experimenting with several Buy Savings Bonds. Like combinations, learned that VCRs with ments about feeling betrayed by rising the wilderness, they’re another excessive time-base error (usually inex- part of our proud heritage. pensive models) require TV sets or mon- laserdisc prices (“Feedback,” Aug. ’90), For the current interest itors with superior pull-in ranges rate and more information, call here’s another point of view. I’ve been toll-free 1-800-US-Bonds. (usually more expensive models). The converse would also be true. an avid supporter of laserdiscs since US. SAVINGS BONDS. Mark Weber 1980, and I agree there may be some Paying Better Than Ever ~~ Toronto, Ontario You beta believe it frustration with many re-releases. I too The debate over VHS versus Beta has hope the studios continue to improve been rekindled by your “Format Face- Off.” (March ’90; also “Reader Forum,” the quality of releases. But, as for my li- July 90). As a Betaphile, what perplexes brary of titles, nothing gives me more Video Magazine welcomes your comments. Please include a phone number, but not a pleasure than to replace an old panned- return envelope as the volume of mail does not permit replies. Letters may be edited for and-scanned movie bearing analog clarity and space. Address correspondence to Feedback, Video Magazine, 460 West 34 sound with a new letterboxed version Street, New York, NY 10001. featuring digital sound. The increasing average cost of laser- discs is a problem, but blame for this price increase lies with only a few distributors. All in all, I feel laserdiscs are finally making good on promises made a decade ago. Tony Cook Jerseyville, Illinois 8 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

3% GREAT MOVIE GIFTS AT A MERRY PRICE. % * GIVE OR GET ANY 6 FoR 69‘ EACH ® = (RROOMYEAOL &BAJLULLEITE)T °| FAT MAN & LITTLE BOY [9124022| 5196032 I olUS Z more for Up to 85 Yo off! 8146082 se ciaerane |2711062 +with membership in the UpSee details below. eee ae A CHRISTMAS CAROL | 2710072 | BABAR AND FATHER CHRISTMAS | 3431112 _|WHEN HARRY MET SALLY 3914092 | CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG 0548092 AINCHWIALLDE’SS CHRISTMAS | BABAR: THE MOVIE 8133032 | ROLLING STONES 25x5: THE LOOK WHO'S TALKING 5979062 7247082 _|THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S 4046082 |CONTINUING ADVENTURES 2940092 |TWINS 5810092 DAD 9216012 | THE COLOR PURPLE 6301032 | TO SIR WITH LOVE 5990012 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 9108022 | DR.ZHIVAGO 0026182_| CLEOPATRA [0579432 INDIANA JONES & GHOSTBUSTERS 1742012 | COCKTAIL 5493032 THE TEMPLE OF DOOM 9107032 | GHOSTBUSTERS II 5044082 | SEENO EVIL q INDIANA JONES BEN-HUR 2603312 | HEAR NO EVIL 5942002 y & THE LAST CRUSADE 9106042 | BLACK RAIN 9117012 |ARABIA (RESTORED) 5919092 .- KNIGHTS OF THE AN INNOCENT MAN 505032 ROUND TABLE 8740082 | PICNIC 5971042 SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE 5963042 5, 4s CROCODILE DUNDEE Ii 4415012 RAIN MAN 2869062 ea WORKING GIRL 3722012 THE WIZARD OF 02 “S| CHOCOLAT 2381052 : (ANNIV. ED.) 2941082 MURMUR OF THE HEART 2380062 WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? | 5499072 LICENCE TO KILL 8802032 TRUE LOVE 8725072 iti THE LAND BEFORE TIME 5822052 KICKBOXER 6742002 WHITE CHRISTMAS 64442165000422 \"s CBOATMMIANNG T(1O98A9M)ERICA . NEW YORK STORIES 9500082 2072092 THE MORMON TABERNACLE BEACHES 5498082 _| .4 : PINK CADILLAC 6422072 _|HARVEY 9217002 CHOIR CHR7I8S1T00M5A2S CLASSIC STAR WARS 0564652 a Lf PINK FLO—DYELIDCATE 9521012 SOUND OF THUNDER THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK 0910092 & 4627052 _|THE UNTOUCHABLES 8504042 RED RIVER 4321042 [GOING MY WAY 7025092 | RETURN OF THE JEDI 3547042 f CAHILL, U.S. MARSHAL RUDOLPH THE RED THE MUSIC MAN 6147012 7507032 _| AN OFFICER AND 2021352 NOSED REINDEER 8017042 | LETHAL WEAPON 6308062 6355082 |AGENTLEMAN TEENAGE MUTANT LETHAL WEAPON I! 6427022 _ | 5 é SM : THE HORSE SOLDIERS 0892012 | SESAME STREET PRESENTS: 6117232 NINJA TURTLES: PARENTHOOD 5841022 ; CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB 6345012 _|FOLLOW THAT BIRD 0508012 COWABUNGA SHREDHEAD 8138082 | HOLIDAY INN 1035152 K-9 5834012 | PLATOON THE TEN we 5970052 TEENAGE MUTANT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: PET SEMATARY 4479042 |WEST SIDE STORY 6436012 7842072 5978072 |ONFINJTAHETUKIRLTLLEERS:PICZAZSAES LOVE THOSE TRAINS | STEEL MAGNOLIAS BEETLEJUICE 6330082 _|IMMEDIATE FAMILY 8025042 _| | THE KARATE KID 4710092 | INCOUNTRY TTUERETNLAEGSE: MUTANT NINJA THE BLACK STALLION 0504012 | THE KARATE KID Il 1894072 : THE EPIC BEGINS 7986032 THE LONG HOT SUMMER 8830092 | THE KARATE KID Ili 5954052 THREE MEN AND A BABY 5491052 |TOP GUN 4269322 | ADRY WHITE SEASON 8849082 E.7, THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL SCARFACE (1983) 2168042 PETER PAN 8970092 DIE HARD 3676072 | TEQUILA SUNRISE 6389082 FIELD OF DREAMS. 9203062 ‘AN AMERICAN TAIL 2184042 | JANE FONDA’S DEAD POET'S SOCIETY 8506022 STAR TREK— 6359042 SHIRLEY VALENTINE 9105052 THE MOTION PICTURE COMPLETE WORKOUT 3507512 THE ABYSS 8811022 STAR TREK II— 2035052 [|MY FAIR LADY 2095282 TANGO & CASH 6474042 THE WRATH OF KHAN 4478052 KEYS OF THE KINGDOM 8831082 STAR TREK Ill— CHARLOTTE'S WEB 2350022 SINK THE BISMARK 8827042 THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK 2013012 |MAJOR LEAGUE 6529172 THE STORY OF RUTH 8829022 ROBOCOP 2016082 [AMADEUS | HARLEM NIGHTS 9118002 STAR TREK IV— TIN MEN §483052 5993082 THE BEAR 8141032 Oe THE VOYAGE HOME 4306032 | GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM 5482062 JOHNNY HANDSOME THE NUTCRACKER STAR TREK V 4486052 _|ANNIE 1516132 SEA OF LOVE 9204052 DIRTY DANCING 4955152 |THE NAKED GUN 4471022 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 4393072 | BILL & TED'S THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS 8134022 5218072 MISSISSIPPI BURNING 6336022 4079082 CAMELOT 6027482 THE GODFATHER 1982002 NEW KIDS ON THE UNCLE BUCK 5838072 | THE GODFATHER PART Il 3674092 BLOCK: HANGIN’ TOUGH 9654002 | DO THE RIGHT THING 5640032 | FATAL ATTRACTION WAR OF THE ROSES 0339022 2131162 _|EXCELLENT ADVENTURE 3912012 _|NEXT OF KIN 6472062 CASUALTIES OF WAR 5965022 | TURNER & HOOCH | 8503052 | OUT OF AFRICA : WHERE JESUS WALKED 1345022 | JANE FONDA: LIGHT | 6432052 BACK TO THE FUTURE | 2114092 | AN EVENING WITH SAMMY ALWAYS 9215022 CHRISTMAS INCONNECTICUT | 2713042 | AEROB. &STRESSREDUCTION | BACK TO THE FUTURE Il | 9213042 | DAVIS JR. & JERRY LEWIS 7848012 _|THE PAJAMA GAME 6392032 All movies available in VHS only. ©1990, CBS Records Inc. Got some movie fans on your buying opportunities. Advance Selections Choose only the movies you want: | P.O. Box thon Terre Haute, IN 47811-1112 Christmas list? Then do your holiday shopping with our Video Club. You can_ if you want the Director's Selection, don’t Yes, please enroll me under the terms outlined in |choose any six movies for just 69¢ each do a thing-it’ll arrive automatically. If thisadvertisement. As a member, I need buy just SAVE UP TO $140 MORE- six more movies at regular Club prices within the HAVE LESS TO BUY LATER! (plus shipping/handling). What's more, you'd prefer an alternate movie, or none at || next three years. you can even get 2 more movies at a sav- all, just mail the card always provided by Send me these 6 movies for 69¢ each |ings of up to $70 each (see Advance Selec- the date specified. You'll always have two You may order oneor two more movies now for only $9.99 plus $1.20 each shipping & handling (Total: $11.34). each-so you cansave up to $140! What's more, each |tions box in the coupon). full weeks to decide. (If you ever receive a # # discount purchase immediately reduces your membership |There’s no membership fee for tape before having had two weeks to obligation by one! joining, nor do you have to buy a lot of decide, just send it back at our expense. ) # # Also sendmyfirst selectiofnor$9.99 plus $1.75 movies. Just six more within the next shipping/handling which I'm adding to my $11.34 three years. And you'll have no problemin |Half-Price Bonus Plan: after fulfill- # |# |ing your membership obligation, you'll teedbeabsome [|payment (total: $23.08). I ||| finding six movies you want, because our automatically become eligible for our Half- L. (instead of6) in 3 years. / : Price Bonus Plan. With each movie you library holds over 3,000 titles; from the PleMaysechcehcekckis ehnoclwosepda.ying: M97/M99/Ll. Ry ee init oheies buy at regular Club prices, the plan cur- very newest releases to classical favor- | ites. Our regular Club prices currently rently allows you to take another movie of | Charge my introductory movies and (buoytaol:nl$3y44.82m)o.re[(tihnesntenaeded aaa equal value or less at 50% off. future Club purchases to: of6) inthenext 3 years. ' range from $79.95 to $29.95, plus ship- = 10-Day Risk-Free Trial: we'll send | CJMasterCard [1Diners Club ping and handling; and we also offer a | your introductory movies, along with American Express (] VISA selection of specially priced videocas- || settes, down to $14.95. Your only mem- more details on how the Club works. If for M98/L10/L12 |. 7 Expiration D —_— bership obligation is to buy six movies in any reason you're not satisfied, return i count ##J Exptration Date three years for as little as $29.95 each- everything within 10 days for a full, |and you may cancel membership anytime prompt refund and no further obligation. |after doing so. j For fastest service: use your credit | Signature How the Club operates: about every card and our toll-free number to order. || Narne eee eee eee none | ) four weeks (up to 13 times a year) we send Call 24 hours a day: | Address. you our Video Club Magazine, reviewing Apt. 1-800-544-4431 our Director's Selection, plus many alter- a: CBS/Columbia House | “3 nate movies. And up to four times a year, | ae aaa: os tached A-bia an; Cdanada CaSrtaatneessen Zip. ———_282/F¥0 VIDEO CLUB Seitey. Syeoluectmiaoyns,alsuosuarlelcyeiavte a odfifsecrosunotf oSfpfecrieagl- Toronto (offer may vary). 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LATE NEWSEDITED BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH Chinon 8mm: POORSDNEaCBkTRaRagGceeBsRWReTAEDD, pixel. Fades and wipes can also be Panasonic preview? * frozen at any point. Both models El hit the stores this fall. Chinon’s introduction in July of two new Panasonic '91? Chinon’s Matsushita-made 8mm Cable bills hang on subcompact 8mm camcorders startled no one, since the company has offered camcorders may indicate Panasonic’s plans for 8mm. After months of debate, discord and di- 8mm machines before. The surprise was atribe, cable reregulation bills in both the actual manufacturer of the cam- finder menu to control functions like houses of Congress remain alive, but corders: Matsushita, Japanese parent fade, white balance and shutter speed. A hardly kicking. Despite a recent Federal company of Panasonic. Given the flurry step-up model, the $1,795 SC-98, adds of new 8mm models by RCA, Hitachi an 8x zoom and an exceptional selection Communications Commission report and Zenith earlier this year, Chinon’s of scene transition options. A user can that recommended legislative measures move left many in the video industry choose edge-to-center wipes in square wondering if Panasonic will also bring and diamond patterns, with soft edges or to increase competition in the industry, out versions of the new machines. strobe-like artifacts. A random fade mode turns the picture white pixel-by- President Bush is likely to veto any re- Both Chinon models look like long- regulation bill. er, lower versions of Panasonic’s Com- pact VHS PV-10, and both are slightly Reregulation bills have been ap- smaller than Sony's TR5. The $1,595 proved by the telecommunications com- mittees of both houses. A compromise SC-96 includes a 6x zoom and a view- bill probably will emerge, and may come up for a vote before the three-month THINK congressional recess that begins in Oc- GLOBAL tober. The Senate bill would guarantee cable competitors access to all program- Would you buy a computer, a fax or a disk player ming, allow local governments to dictate | that operates in the USA only? which channels cable operators must carry, and permit rate regulation in the Then why would you settle for a VCR without absence of competition. The House bill international capacities? is similar, but also limits foreign owner- ship of cable companies. Our VCRs have all the bells & whistles of other lux- ury VCRs, but in addition they will play PAL or U.S./Japan HDTV entry SECAM tapes from overseas, as well as your wins Moscow test American NTSC tapes, on most standard Ameri- can TV sets. A recent test in the Soviet Union com- pared high-definition TV standards pro- One day soon Global Video Communication will be posed by European researchers with as common as sending letters. standards from American and Japanese labs. Although the European standard Make sure that your next VCR is prepared for the offers greater resolution, the testing 90's to handle tapes from all over the world. group preferred the U.S./Japanese ver- sion hands down. The Soviet Union cur- Call the exclusive manufacturers of Global VCRs: rently uses the PAL standard common to most of Europe. But the results of this INSTANT REPLAY, 2601 S. Bayshore Dr. Ste. 1050, Miami, FL 33133 Fax: (305) 858-9053 test could help persuade Russia —and maybe the world—to adopt the future CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER —1(800) 225-7778 or (305) 854-8777 American HDTV system. SEE OUR AD FOR THE “CAPTION MASTER” ON PG. 37 The proposed European standard produces 1,250 scan lines at 25 frames per second, while the U.S./Japanese standard delivers 1,125 scan lines at 30 frames per second. While several HDTV systems have been proposed, most conform to one of these standards. The Moscow group compared sys- tems on 38-inch Sony monitors. The testers faulted the European standard for a flicker caused by its lower frame rate. = 10 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

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SAIETEEDITED BY KENNETH KORMAN 2 gettable Re-Animator. As in that earlier welcome humor (the killer is partial to | classic, Gordon juggles Lovecraftian | melodrama, deadpan humor, kinky sex, red Ferraris and speed metal music). | and buckets of blood, ably supported by MacLachlan’s performance as an alien whacked-out performances from Jeffrey cop looks more and more like a dry run | Combs and Barbara Crampton. for his role as the spacey Agent Cooper on Twin Peaks. e Demons (1986; New World). Mov- iegoers turn into zombies in this ludi- e Near Dark (1987; HBO). Kathryn crous gorefest from Lamberto Bava, son of Italian horrormeister Mario Bava. As Bigelow (Blue Steel) directed this stylish, moronic as they come, Demons nev- ertheless employs some gimmicks you’ve atmospheric vampire western. Lance definitely never seen before. (At one Henriksen leads a vanload of blood- point, a helicopter plunges through the suckers on a Sun Belt rampage, high- theater’s ceiling to rescue the sur- lighted by a massacre in a redneck bar rounded hero!) Easily the LOUDEST that’s one of the most brutal sequences horror movie ever made. you'll ever see in a horror film. A gor- geously executed, ingenious addition to @ The Fly (1986; CBS/Fox). Jeff Gold- vampire movie lore. blum turns into the titular insect in genre master David Cronenberg’s first e Bad Dreams (1988; CBS/Fox). Unfairly | big mainstream success. Like many of Cronenberg’s best, The Fly traces the slagged as a Nightmare on Elm Street rip- | slow physical degeneration of its hero in A Real Mouthful: The Hidden’s alien creature departs. agonizing detail, but beyond all the pus, ooze and vomit is a compelling character Hollywood’s little whose demise is, ultimately, heartbreak- crop of horrors in Four years ago this magazine published a e Evil Dead 2 (1987; Vestron). Camp- story defending “splatter” movie—tshat ers fight off demonic possession in Sam is, horror films boasting unflinching, graphic violence. Since then, Holly- Raimi’s hilarious remake of his 1983 The wood’s resistance to splatter has dimin- Evil Dead. The highlight of this hyperac- ished, as witnessed in recent mainstream tive thriller is the hero’s duel to the blockbusters like Total Recall and Ro- death with his own right hand! Filled boCop 2. The gore quotient in fright with goofy camera angles and consis- flicks has risen accordingly, and here are tently inventive gags, and topped by a some of the bloodie—satnd bes—thor- wonderful epilogue, Evil Dead 2 is as ror movies of the last four years, pre- close to a live-action cartoon as any- sented just in time for Halloween: thing else. e The Hitcher (1986; HBO). Glassy- @ Hellraiser (1987; New World). A eyed maniac Rutger Hauer tracks bewil- man explores new dimensions in plea- dered student C. Thomas Howell on the sure and pain via a sort of demonic road, leaving a trail of severed human Rubik’s Cube. Clive Barker’s directorial limbs in his wake. This is one of the debut isn’t as masterful as his gut- most relentlessly mean-spirited movies wrenching fiction, but this mix of ever, made all the more disturbing by graphic sadomasochism and sweaty, the homicidal Hauer’s complete lack of nasty sex is unforgettable. And the alien “Pinhead” remains one of the any apparent motivation. most vividly realized movie monsters e From Beyond (1986; Vestron). A sci- of the last few years. entist unleashes some nasty monsters e The Hidden (1987; Media). from another dimension in director Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Stuart Gordon’s follow-up to his unfor- Nouri chase down a homicidal extraterrestrial body-shifter. Di- rector Jack Sholder delivers plenty ofjolts along with some Buggin’ Out: Jeff Goldblum’s transfor- mation is total in The Fly. 12 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

Schlondorff’s maid who comes bargain city to live in the house of a govern- ment official (Ro- bert Duvall) and Tooth and Nail: Near Dark’s highway vampires. When director Volker Schlondorff his sterile wife looked into his crystal ball to decide (Faye Dunaway). off, Bad Dreams features Richard Lynch what the near future would look like in as a cult leader who, after engineering a Through a pseu. 3 The Handmaid's Tale, (HBO Home Vid- do-religious cere- Handmaid's Atwood Jonestown-style mass suicide, haunts the eo), he saw clothing by Sears, furnish- mony, the young and Schlondorff dreams of the only survivor. A nifty twist midway through the movie makes this ings by K-Mart. handmaid is impregnated by the com- clever low-budget thriller worthwhile. “It had to be in the future, and yet mander, while lying between the legs of e The Lair of the White Worm (1989; had to look familiar,” says Schlondorff, the wife. If it is humiliating to imagine, it Vestron). A slinky seductress sacrifices an Americanized German (by way of was even more humiliating to film, says nubile young virgins to a giant snake god France) who specializes in adapting lit- Schlondorff. in this feverish fantasy from the always unpredictable Ken Russell. The Bram erary works to the screen. (The Hand- “This scene could either be totally Stoker story is updated with a healthy maid’s Tale started as Margaret Atwood’s embarrassing or hilarious. It’s very hard dose of campy humor (you aren’t sup- futuristic novel about an authoritarian to ask actors to do that, because they are posed to miss the phallic suggestion in society in which young women are en- the title), but it’s Amanda Donohoe’s slaved for breeding purposes.) “We com- the ones who have to drop their pants. luscious performance as the snake-wor- posed this future out of the cheapest And we're not talking any actors here.” shipper that makes this one memorable. elements of our present. Whatever the future is going to be it’s going to be Richardson’s comment on the —Lou Kesten scene? “I saw how well the others were cheap. There’s pollution, civil war, and coping, so what can you do? You go off they don’t have much.” in a corner, have a little cry, take a deep breath, and you start over.” Natasha Richardson plays the hand- —Jami Bernard poeeremnment The Cup Runneth Over. Did last utors will, however, be allowed to sell remaining stocks. summer's endless World Cup cover- Meanwhile, Turner Home Entertainment has re-acquired age leave you less than enthralled? Consider Italy’s obsession with the the video rights to Bringing Up Baby (‘Flashes,” May soccer tournament: Not only did a 90), putting that classic Grant-and-Hepburn comedy back in print. mind-boggling 87 percent of all view- Feast Your Eyes. Video's roots obviously ers tune in for their team’s semi- go deeper than antique finals defeat to Argentina, but a surge black-&-white TV sets in VCR sales —an increase of over 20 percent compared to the same period last yea—rwas with tiny ten-inch widely credited to the availability of previous years’ screens, and the World Cup matches on videocassette. And as soon as Smithsonian Institution the 1990 Cup ended, representatives of RAI, Italy’s pub- is now offering an inter- lic broadcaster, went door to door hawking copies of active look at the broad each of this year’s 52 games, available on 52 cassettes. range of synergistic Under the Knife. Gordy Falk, the “Picasso of technologies which Pumpkins,” shares all his practical and creative secrets in helped shape video and a new 30-minute videocassette titled How to Carve Great other seminal informa- Faces for Halloween (Maier Communications, $9.95). Falk tion systems. has risen to fame gradually since he started carving eight “Information Age: Peo- years ago, but his pumpkin-covered lawn is now the ple, Information & prime tourist attraction of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. The Technology” celebrates 150 years of electronics develop- video covers such essential topics as “Carving the Lid,” ment, beginning with Samuel B. Morse’s telegraph system and ending with today’s advanced computers. In be- “Tool Selection,” and “Candling.” The tape comes with tween? Glimpses of those old TV sets, plus early video a free carving knife. Pumpkins not included. cameras and the first bulky camcorders. Helping drive Now You See ’Em...If you've been putting off pur- chasing those Indiana Jones cassettes, now is definitely touch-screen monitors and other interactive aspects of the time. Paramount has placed all three titles “on mor- the exhibit are 43 video monitors, 52 laserdisc players atorium,” meaning that the films will be unavailable on and more than 350 videodiscs, all donated by Pioneer tape and disc for two-and-a-half years. Stores and distrib- Electronics (USA). OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 13

GET STATE OF THE ART MORE (or less) | 7CFA0RMO0MCMORYLDOEEUNRRS BY RODERICK WOODCOCK While alkalines aren't rechargeable, they maintain power for longer periods, Honorable discharge and without the worry of whether they'll be able to deliver when the time comes. ay I use Sony NP-66 batteries on my Keep the battery case with the cam- corder, but not attached to it, so the | batteries won’t dribble their voltage away while in storage. PORES 8mm camcorder. Should I store the batteries fully charged or fully dis- Copy complications charged when I’m not using them? 2 I recently purchased a Panasonic NV-FS100 VCR in Japan. I tried to Bill Hausmann copySFPRR:Ssome pre-recorded tapes here with Lake Carmel, New York it, using my older RCA VDT-625 as the player, but the picture dropped out on @ 0.5X gives you #f| | Sony's NP-66 battery, like other about half the tapes, although the sound \"batteries sold for their camcorders usually remained. twice as much if (and similar models sold under other brand names), is nickel-cadmium. Such When I reverse the two VCRs, I get in your shot batteries have a tendency to lose their great copies, and I have no problem re- charge faster than lead-acid batteries. If cording broadcast programs with either @ Keeps sharp you store the batteries fully charged, you VCR. The salesman said that the prob- may find they have discharged when you lem was some sort of copy-protection in focus for the . go to use them several weeks later. Store the tapes. Is this correct, or is there them discharged, and charge them a day something wrong with my VCR? _~ whole zoom range * or two before use. Name Withheld @ Autofocus with most If you charge the battery after using San Francisco, California camcorder models it for only a short time (10 minutes or | Your attempts at copying pre-re- so), it will memorize this short-term cy- ©) corded tapes have been frustrated @ Distortion-free really bright image cle, and the charge won’t last as long. by Macrovision, the anti-piracy encryp- tion currently used by most major soft- RAYNOX tele (Depending on the camcorder, a new ware companies. As you’ve discovered, NP-66 should deliver from 60 to 90 min- the system isn’t foolproof —some makes converters give you less — of and models of VCRs, especially older your subject — just like being utes of continuous recording.) This can machines, can defeat the signal. closer, but without moving be cured by completely discharging the battery. To do this, leave the camcorder There's nothing wrong with your yy A range of 10 new VCR, but its circuitry is typical of on, without a tape in it, until it automat- many newer models, which are adjusted to make it more difficult to copy Macro- ically shuts itself off, indicating battery vision-encoded tapes. exhaustion. Then recharge the battery. super quality Close, but no cigar converters from Ultra Don’t store a battery on the cam- corder or attached to the recharger, ) I'm interested in buying an 8mm Wide to Long Tele - since a small amount of current flows -. camcorder, either the Radio Shack even when the camcorder is off, contrib- model or a Sony. My Radio Shack dealer all with adapter rings uting to rapid discharge. Also, remove a says the model they sell is made for them freshly charged battery from the charger by Sony. Is this true, and if so, what Sony and protective cases to avoid overcharging, which can also model is it similar to? |George Talbot degrade battery life. Oakland, California Given these quirks, it’s difficult to keep a camcorder and a battery ready for spontaneous videos. My solution was to purchase Sony's EBP-55 battery case ($21 from Sony dealers), which uses six AA alkaline batteries to deliver about 45 minutes of recording time. Distributed hin USAe Video Magazine welcomes your questions. PJB‘ULB/JOUOID/L/NFOUPDADO[DJHDSOYUYSJWPOPJDU! i 10490 W. 164th Place Please include a phone number, but not a h The Radio Shack 8mm camcorder return envelope as the volume of mail does Orland Park, Ill.60462 not permit replies. All letters may be edited ©. is made by Sanyo, not Sony. It’s very for clarity and space. Address queries to Q Tel (708) 349 1570 & A, Video Magazine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001. LTD. Fax (708)349 1559 similar to the Fisher FVC-720, which Raynox is the registered TM of sells for about the same price. ] Yoshida Industry Co Ltd Tokyo Japan 14 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

Eopé | Titie SalePrice 24119 | ABYSTHSE(L,TB) 46.48 ALWAYS (KTBX) 37.18 APOCALYPSE NOW 37.45 |BACKToTHEFUTURE2| 32.63 BAMBI 27.89 23980 |BATMAN 37.48 22754 |BENHUR (LTBX) 46.45 28111 |BLACK RAIN 27.85 |2a0ae|CASUALTIES OFWAR(LTBX)|32.50| 22888 |CHINATOWN 37.48 20891 S|e|CCOHURSIISNTSMAS CAROL,A | 29.95 23842 32.50 23175 |CROCODILE DUNDEENN | 23.20 23928 |DIAMOARNEFDORSEVER |37.15 23046|DIEHARD(LTBX) 46.48 24011 |FRITDHE4A3TYHPT.8 | 32.50 23562 |GANDHI 41.80 23781 |GHOSTBUSTERS2 23.20 23414 |GODFATHERT,HE 41.80 23098 |GOWINTHTEHEWIND | 46.45 24176 |WARLEMNIGHTS(\\T6X) |23.20 |__2|3982 |ISNDTIAHNAUJSOTNoEnuSsaDe | 27.85 23739 |K9 32.53 ae LANDBEFOTIRMEE,THE | 23.23 24458 |LEATHERFACE ‘| 32.80 23981 LETHAL WEAPON 2 |+ 23,23. LOOK WHO'STALKING 23.20 MADONNA: VIRGINTOUR MAJOR LEAGUE. {NAKGEUND,THE Why travel to the ends of the a You call us toll-free, we take down earth for your favorite laserdisc your credit card number, and then Cal the goods are delivered to your door. titles when, instead, you can travel to the end of your driveway? That's it. There are no obligations. And, of course, no shipping costs* Presenting the LaserDisc Fan Club, the easiest way to get the So enjoy all your favorites on ee .. @@ LaserDisc FanClub _ 1-800-322-2285 even cult favorites. With thou- a mailbox near you. fopocbespaerye* . laserdisc. Coming soon to ‘TTamO-O7RpDmE,R,SaCtA-SLuLn.US8TamO-L5pLm-(FPSRTM)Eo.nEV-i:Fsrai,. sands of choices, in fact Here's how it works notavailableineitherAlaska orHawaii, — © 1990LaserDFiasnCclub For additional information, circle No. 9 on Reader Service Card.

Enter your tape in our second annual Video/Scotch Contest. A trip for two to the fabulous Funk- any other original tape you deem worthy duction and editing techniques, such as ausstellung audio/video fair in Berlin of consideration. can be yours if you enter your original graphics and voice-over narration, may home video in the second Videotapes may be submitted on any help distinguish your work from the competition. Originality counts in all Video Magazine/Scotch Vid- @ half-inch or 8mm format (no three of our catego—rVaicaetisons and eocassette Contest. film allowed) and must not Family Events as well as Video Art. exceed 15 minutes in length. Don’t be afraid to dazzle us with the Our first contest drew You may enter one in each full impact of your personal vision. And such a tremendous response, of two categories, but each don’t forget to have fun with your we're expanding this year’s entrant will only be eligible video project. event —along with your chances to win. Entrants to win one prize. continued on page 114 have a choice of three cate- One winning tape will be gories: 1) Vacation—sAs in last year’s contest, this cate- selected for each of the three gory lets you present your categories. The tape judged most captivating out-of- most outstanding of the three will win our Grand town adventures in any manner you see Prize. The other two tapes fit.2) Family Eve—nWetddisngs, pic- will win First Prizes. Special Merit nics, reunions —in short, tapes of any- Awards —for any unique qualities that thing you do with those near and dear to catch our ey—ewill be awarded to five separate entries, regardless of category, your heart. 3) Video Art —Here’s a cate- gory dedicated to your most creative ex- for a total of 8 prizes. All judging will be pressions. Send us your scripted plays, music videos, experimental works, or by the editors of Video Magazine. A few words of advice: All entries should be as polished as possible. Pro- 16 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

™ Panasonic mm Puts MVHS Editing » On The Table. Make your next video soar to even greater heights. With the Panasonic® AG1960 SVHS Editing VCR. By bringing e exceptional resolution of SVHS anda host of professional editing capabilities to your table. For starters, the AG-1960 SVHS Editing VCR delivers over 400 lines of resolution. And it’s upwardly compatible with VHS. But that’s not all that makes it so special. Because the AG-1960 lets you arrange videos into any sequence you desire. With professional editing capabilities like insert and assembly editing, and audio dubbing when coupled with a Panasonic AG-A95 Editing Controller. To speed up the editing process, the AG-1960 incorporates a jog/shuttle dial, auto digital tracking and an innovative High Response Mechanism. Which dramatically reduces its fast forward and rewind times. And brings up images from “stop” in less than three seconds. So if you're ready to do more than just play and record, put a Panasonic AG-1960 SVHS Editing VCK on your table. For more information, see your Panasonic Professional/Industrial Video Dealer, or call: Eastern Zone: (201) 348-7620 Central Zone: (708) 981-4826 Southern Zone: Dallas Region: (817) 685-1117 Atlanta Region: (404) 925-6841 Western Zone: Seattle Region: (206) 285-8885 Los Angeles Region: (714) 373-7275 Panasonic Professional/Industrial Video For additional information, circle No. 10 on Reader Service Card.

POULECTOR TAPED TREASURES Readers in search of Max Headroom, Fractured Flickers, CLEARINGHOUS |gcarly Hitchcock, TV thrillers, Liberace—even nightly news. nce again, we’ve been overwhelmed I’m looking for copies of the first six “pi- by letters in search of hard-to-find lot” episodes of the ABC sci-fi series tapes. The premiere of “Collector's Max Headroom, which ran in early 1987. Clearinghouse” (Aug. ’90) drew They were never in reruns or picked up double the response of our earlier notice by cable in my area. I’m willing to pay all announcing this new department. While expenses to get these tapes. Hel-hel- we can’t print every letter (though we help! Robert B. O’Neil wish we could), we can share this month’s most intriguing requests with 222 Sutton Place our readers—and we'll continue to run more in future issues. Norwood, NJ 07648 To be eligible for the Clearinghouse, simply send us a letter describing exactly I'm interested in a couple of great trashy what you're looking for, and be sure to include your name and address. Re- movies: Attack of the Giant Leeches quests for copyrighted material must be for personal use only. You may offer to (1959) and The Thing with Two Heads reimburse expenses, but the Clearing- house is not open to requests for the (1972). The latter, about a bigot who purchase or sale of tapes. Send requests to Collector’s Clearinghouse, Video Mag- finds his head transplanted onto a black azine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001. man’s body, stars Ray Milland and Rosie I worked and traveled with Liberace for Grier. You don’t get much trashier than many years, and was a personal friend of his. Iam looking for tapes of any of the these two. Anybody willing to admit TV series he had through the years, as well as for tapes of his appearances on Hero on Wry: Max Headroom, network newshound. they own them? Denia Hester variety shows, specials and The Tonight Show. It would truly mean more than I commercials. I also collect news bulle- 70 West Huron, #2401 can express to add them to my collec- tion. I prefer tapes in the Beta format, Chicago, IL 60610 but any tapes will be appreciated. tins and “continuous coverage” events, Pam Ellis 5578 Sunnywood Lane like the early moon shots, JFK’s assasina- After seeing a performance of Phantom Cincinnati, OH 45239 tion, etc. I will gladly trade or reimburse of the Opera in London, I became a fan I've been taping the dinner-hour net- work newscasts since 1979. My collec- expenses. George FE. Miller, Jr. of the story. I’ve collected a copy of the tion is enorm—onueasrly 3,000 news- casts. Right now I am looking for news- 9733 South 51 Avenue original book plus videotapes of all the | casts from the ’50s through the ’70s. | am especially interested in NBC’s Hunt- Oak Lawn, IL 60453 movie versions that have been made. ley-Brinkley Report and the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, preferably However, I missed the made-for-TV complete, in color, and with original Your “Collector's Clearinghouse” is the mini-series that was broadcast this year. tops. Before I die I would love to see Sudden Fear, a 1952 thriller with Joan I will gladly pay reasonable costs to any- | Crawford, as well as a segment of the 1953 TV series Suspicion called “Split one with a copy. Charles R. Hamil Second” or “Fraction of a Second,” star- ring Bette Davis. I will pay all costs or 464 Fern Avenue trade for rarities if available. Please help an unfulfilled collector. John Samuel Titusville, FL 32796 5127 Winchester Avenue. I have been trying to locate VHS copies of Alfred Hitchcock's early movies: The Ventnor, NJ 08406-2452 Ring, Champagne, Juno and the Paycock, Waltzes from Vienna, The Pleasure Gar- I am looking for the two-part extended den, Downhill, The Farmer's Wife, Elstree edit of Dune that aired on television in Calling, The Skin Game, Lord Camber's 1988. Also, I would like any commercials Ladies and Harmony Heaven. that feature the late Clara Peller, the “Where's the beef?” lady. I will pay ship- Ernie Norris ping, handling and materials, and I will accept VHS or Beta. C. Ray White 3485 Sawtelle Boulevard, #14 Los Angeles, CA 90066 5029 Perkins Street Pensacola, FL 32526 I’m looking for videos of the TV series ISNLEHLDAUWS Fractured Flickers. It was hosted by Hans Conreid and featured silent movies with humorous dialogue, music and sound ef- 18 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

fects added to them. I last saw reruns of I am always looking for VHS copies of adelphia Wings vs. New England this show about 15 years ago. movies and documentaries on World Blazers) that aired on April 13, 1990. My Kent White best info says it was only broadcast on Box 421 War II and on airships (zeppelins, the New England Sports Network. I am willing to reimburse costs. Ken Saroka Fort Scott, KS 66701 blimps, etc.). I have many items on Box 1215 As Meryl Streep’s biggest fan, I am des- these subjects for trade. I am actively perately looking for any talk show ap- Levittown, PA 19058 pearances she may have done as well as seeking Weekend in Dunkirk, a French/ any programs about her. Also, I would like to begin a collection of Academy Italian production starring: Jean-Paul Awards ceremonies; I need all but the last three years. Finally, I’ve been Belmondo; a British film called It Hap- searching for a 1979 thriller, When a Stranger Calls, with Carol Kane and pened Here; and Dirigible, circa 1931, di- Charles Durning. I’m willing to reim- burse reasonable postage and tape costs. rected by Frank Capra. Naturally I I am a Leave It to Beaver collector look- Jeff Marshall would reimburse for tape and postage. I ing for four episodes: “Beaver and Gil- 1656 East Wood Decatur, IL 62521 will consider any VHS tape speed or bert,” ‘““Wally’s Orchid,” ‘‘Beaver’s I am looking for episodes of My Three Beta. Tom Whitehouse Team” and “Beaver the Bunny.” I’m Sons from 1965 to 1970. These episodes should be in color. I also need I Love 24 Ludwig Street willing to pay reproduction and tape Lucy episodes from 1962 to 1965. I will pay expenses to anyone who has these. Staten Island, NY 10310 costs. I have all the other episodes if Scott Schilbe anybody needs them. George Rech 2175 S.E. Laurel Run Drive Box 961 Ocala, FL 32671 I am seeking the “Titanic” episode from North Cape May, NJ 08204 the '60s series Time Tunnel. I also want Please help! My tapes of the mini-series the complete “California Jam I” concert Lonesome Dove were damaged in last that aired in the 70s and features The Eagles, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake October's earthquake, and I have been and Palmer. I will reimburse expenses for a high-grade Beta or VHS copy. searching ever since to replace them. John A. Francese The show appeared on CBS in February 1876 Carhart Avenue 1989. I have exhausted all my resources Peekskill, NY 10566 and hope to obtain a copy through this new service. | will gladly reimburse ex- penses. Vicki Hammer I am looking for a copy of the Major In- 158 Harbor Oaks Circle door Lacrosse championship game (Phil- Santa Cruz, CA 95062 4 * It opens the world of professional cinematographic motion to amateur videographers.” “The Steadicam JR will Timothy Onosko—VIDEO MAGAZINE, May 1990 revolutionize home videos.” « Leightweieght camcorders Rich Warren—CHICAGO TRIBUNE, January 19, 1990. are free to soar.” Bill Southworth—VIDEOMAKER, July/August 1990 The Oscar“winning invention that revolutionized gall ~\\ moviemaking can now revolutionize your videos. i Steadicam JR\"simply mounts to your compact camcorder for rock-steady handheld shots while you move creatively. The image glows out ofthe builtin monitor—treeing your eye from the viewfinder. Your videos look professional. You'll notice the difference. So will your audience. 1-800-955-5025 J{ey, For a free brochure Wa OAMP.AS. Cinema Products j From JR 3211 SoutH La Cieneca Bivp., Los AnceLes, CA 90016 @& 213-836-7991 tx3 CINEMA PRODUCTS MAKER OF THE Oscar” & Emmy\" ©A.M.P.A.S. WINNING STUDIO STEADICAM®. CS3NRcaiFoaeioneodrr.rfdacdvoildi.rteecmieraotniaoln, OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 19

BY CHRISTINE BEGOLE MONEY'S GRIEF RELIEF Manufacturers offer more services than most expect. Here’s how tooke4 y use them. XX ~ arlier this year Business Week re- a ported that economists expect the 90s to be the Decade of the Cus- anor ‘tomer—a decade in which people Pwwdualy At gravitate to companies that spend what- ever time and money is necessary to en- Sete st sure customer satisfaction. Even though Ga—sCeA:e geaee.e, it’s still early in the decade, we decided to check on the state of customer ser- to program the VCR is a frequent re- features, functions and prices. Within vice at leading video manufacturers. quest. But if your questions are at the their own brand, they can also clarify We found that most will go beyond complex end of the spectrum, customer differences among models up and down providing product literature and dealer the current product line. referrals. In fact, many companies are service representatives are trained to willing to bend over backward to win consult the technical staff to track down @ Owner's manual replacement. If you your good will, especially if something answers. goes wrong through no fault of your need a new manual, customer service own. You'll get better service if you can can help. Most video manufacturers keep a supply for recent and current | Most customer service representa- boil down your problem to a single sen- models in stock. For older models, many tives are trained to answer a variety of tence. If the question is fairly technical, manufacturers can provide photocopies commonly asked questions and to pass suggest that perhaps a technical person of manuals which they no longer have technical questions on to specialists. should call you back, and be prepared in stock. The more complex your question, the with a phone number where and when more likely you'll be passed along, may- you can be easily reached. e Help with complaints about dealers or be more than once, in search of an an- authorized service companies. When swer. If you want to know how to use e Comparison shopping. If you’ve read things are not going well, customer ser- two cable boxes to feed five TV sets, or previews about a new leading-edge prod- vice departments can put a stop to your how to add a satellite dish, surround uct, most customer service departments feeling like you’re being given a run- sound or a video enhancer to an existing can tell you when the product is des- around. Centrally organized companies are set up to help wheels turn more system, take heart—the answers are tined to be on U.S. shelves, and can sup- there. Prepare to be patient, polite and ply up-to-date information about SJEHFAFNRNIOENS to the point. If you have questions before making a purchase, take the time to contact customer service departments of the various brands you're considering. In ad- dition to finding answers, you'll be able to sample their attit—usodmeethsing that can’t be described in a chart or in pages of product description. Through our own questioning, we discovered seven major types of help that compan- ies can provide: e Operating and installing assistance. This covers clarifications about basic functions as well as operations that may not be in the owner’s manual, such as how to successfully link the product to a variety of other components. Most calls to customer service involve operations 20 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

quickly and efficiently from headquar- ATins Here are four tips for getting help over the phone from ters. Decentralized companies give lots For companies or dealers when something goes wrong with of problem-solving authority to regional Faster one of their products, even if the warranty may already offices and individual dealers, servicers Service have expired. The basic idea is to keep cool and take notes. If you can do this, you stand a much better and distributors. chance of getting a company to deal with your problem Customer service should know the quickly and effectively. fastest way to solve your problem —and e Call when you're calm. You'll get further, faster if your emotions are under control. Call before you get tru- will refer you to a person who has ly frustrated or, if it’s too late for that, postpone the call until you get a grip on yourself. enough clout to get the job done. e Packing and moving. If you’re faced e@Arm yourself with info. Before your first call, start a log. Write down the model and serial numbers of the with moving to a new location and no item you're calling about and its date and place of pur- longer have your components’ boxes chase. Summarize the problem in one short sentence, and packing materials, practically all then write it down and use it to start your discussion with customer service. manufacturers can give you advice on preparing video gear for transit. Sony e Keep a record of who says what. Note the name of and Toshiba provide materials upon re- each person you speak to—as well as the date, the time quest, and other companies may have what you need. It’s worth a call to find out e Sounding off. Sony and RCA are two examples of companies that rou- and any action he or she promises. As you hang up, tinely pass along customer comments agree on a date for a follow-up conversation. Setting a and criticisms to their design depart- specific time often helps others meet their commitments. ments. Thus, calling customer service e@ Try to be reasonable. Being abusive may make you can influence future product designs. feel better, but it’s not likely to elicit the most useful re- e Emergency assistance. Many com- sponse. If you're not satisfied with the help you're getting, ask to speak with a supervisor. If you're in an panies we talked with recounted tales of rescuing people from dire circumstances emotional state, hang up and regroup, then call again or helping customers who had truly and ask to speak wiisth someone else. —CB managed to get rotten deals. For in- stance, one company told us about a which worked just fine. underway. projection TV owner who needed three Companies also mentioned calls Our moral: Call if you’re in trouble. service calls on his brand-new set in the about camcorders that go on the blink a Companies are often willing to give un- first three weeks. When he called cus- few days before some long-awaited usual help, especially if the problem in- tomer service to complain about need- event, like a wedding, a birthday party volves a manufacturing defect. They ing a fourth visit, the company took the or a vacation. In some cases companies want you to feel positive about buying set back and refunded the purchase jumped through hoops to get the cam- their brand again. And if you give them a chance, they’ll work hard to restore price. As a result, the customer went out corder repaired in time; in others, loan- and bought a new set of the same brand, ers were provided while repairs were your good will. \"iOacdh 2 DON'T GET MAD, GET ON THE PHONE Here are customer service numbers for major video man- Panasonic, Quasar and Technies: 201-348-9090 ufacturers. Most are 800 numbers, which means you for Consumer Affairs; 800-447-4700 for service informa- won't be charged for the call. The hours, where noted, tion. are in Eastern Standard Time. Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania, Philco and Canon: 800-892-0020. General Electric: 800-447-1700; 24 hours a day, Crosley: 615-475-0317, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., weekdays. Proton: 800-829-3444, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day. RCA: 800-336-1900; 24 hours a day, every day. Hitachi: 800-262-1502 and 213-537-8383. Sharp: 800-526-0264, 201-512-0055 and JVC: 800-252-5722 for customer service; 800-447-4400 (service information); 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. 800-537-5722 for service information. Sony: 201-930-7669 on the East Coast, Mitsubishi: 714-220-1464; 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 708-250-7669 in the Midwest, 714-821-7669 on the West Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Answering machines take messages on evenings Coast. and weekends. Toshiba: 800-631-3811. NEC: 800-366-5213 and 708-860-0335. 4 Zenith: 708-671-7550; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., week- ays.

CAMCORNERSTATE OF THE ART Edit as you go—the art of live switching BY JAMES CARUSO shots from all the cameras can be re- would have taken a lot of time to edit AND MAVIS ARTHUR corded on one piece of videotape to pro- two tapes into a rough edit master. duce a finished show. A.K.A. wanted to Meanwhile, the performers would be sit- Most camcorder photogs shoot an event do the same thing so that band members ting around waiting. In addition, both then simply watch the raw footage. Some go to the trouble of editing their could see themselves as an audience camcorder operators would be framing tapes into short films, a time-consuming would see them. But the cost of hiring a their own shots. No one person would task however much fun it may be. But be making decisions about the content when it comes to camcorders, one plus professional production company to do one can equal thr—esepeceially when the job was prohibitive. or framing of individual shots. They planned performances are involved. might duplicate some shots while miss- There’s a way you and a friend can link The band could have recorded its ing others entirely. There was just no your camcorders to shoot and edit while performance on two isolated camcorders way to control such a shoot. the action you're snaring actually takes then edited the tapes together, but it place. A live, switched shoot was the only SETTING UP A SWITCHED SHOOT answer for A.K.A. Indeed, it may well The technique is called live switch- prove to be a useful, inexpensive way for ing, and professionals use it to shoot TV CAMCORDER 1 CAMCORDER 2 other performance-oriented video buffs programs all the time. Not only will it to test their acts before going in front of give you a more polished tape more MONITOR 1 an audienc—ebe it at a community the- quickly, it will sharpen your directing ater, a dance recital or a school play. skills and send a heady rush of ad- (SE renaline through your system as you ex- Still, switching between camcorders perience the challenge of calling shots. aeS= ---|0! during a performance is a challenge that Y CONNECTOR requires working out a few technical We used live switching to shoot a re- VIDEO IN H problems and putting up with certain hearsal video for a talented new heavy limitations of consumer-grade equip- metal band called A.K.A., managed by a VIDEO OUT ment. For example, there’s the lack of friend who goes by the unlikely name of synchronization between camcorders, a Crockey. The band needed help fine-tu- MASTER RECORDER problem common to all video signals not ning its act and Crockey challenged us (VCR OR CAMCORDER) in sync with each other. This causes a to rise to the occasion. We couldn’t re- glitch when the director switches cam- sist. AUDIO BOARD (OPTIONAL) corders. In our setup, the glitch lasted The five members of A.K.A. had Rock ‘n’ Rolling: You can edit as you shoot by using about 30 frames, or one second. It written a group of songs they would soon two camcorders and feeding them through a switcher. looked like a vertical roll and appeared perform live. They were satisfied with Use small TVs to track each camcorder's visuals and in the recording. the music but were still trying to polish an audio mixer for extra sound options. their onstage look. The problem was If you can put up with this type of that they could not see how well their minor aberration, here’s what you'll act was working or properly judge its en- need to arrange a two-camera live, tertainment value. They especially switched shoot. First, gather two cam- wanted all their body moves to be per- corders, a VCR (or another camcorder), fect for this appearance because the band had just gotten its big break. They three TV sets or monitors, and a special are the first artists to be signed by a new effects generator (SEG) or any device record label called Elektra Rising, with two video inputs and one video backed by Elektra Records and headed output. You'll also need two.Y connect- by Van Halen. ors, two long video cables and two long Crockey knew that a lot of television audio cables, four short video cables and shows are shot with two or more cam- an audio cable. Gaffer’s tape and simple eras connected to a switcher so that walkie-talkies, preferably the headset type, are also handy to have around. James Caruso and Mavis Arthur are the authors of Video Lighting and Special Ef- For the A.K.A. shoot, our “studio cameras” were Ricoh’s Hi8 R-800H, fects (Prentice Hall, 1990). which was hand-held, and Canon’s 8mm VM-E2N, mounted on a tripod. Both were powered by their AC adapters. Each camcorder was wired with a 20- foot cable that ran from its video- out jack to one arm of its own Y con- LHCJLOEAUNLMRSNLEUTIESSRERAO/TPI 22 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

nector. Each Y connector was plugged Don't overlook obvious. Adding such transitions on the into the video-in jack of our master con- fades. They can run makes live switching a little more trol switcher, a Sansui AV-99 SEG. We make glitches complicated, so your timing is crucial to used gaffer’s tape to secure the cables to less obvious. the camcorders since RCA phono jacks its success. are not really designed for this kind of basement) doesn’t have this conve- For a wipe, first wipe out the outgo- use. nience, use the camcorders’ micro- phones and plug two long audio cables ing signal to video black or another col- The second arm of each Y connector into the two audio inputs on the switch- was wired to a video monitor so that the or, although black works best. Next, director could see the output from each er. Or you can use two wireless mics, camcorder and tell each operator what and eliminate the extra audio cables. switch the recording VCR or camcorder shot he wanted. I talked to my cam- corder operators through the walkie- Just as we thought we were ready to to the new incoming video. Then wipe talkies, in this case, units from the My roll tape, we realized the color from our First Sony line for kids. Our switcher has two studio camcorders didn’t match in the new video. Then get set to do it two video inputs and two video outputs, even after we white-balanced them. The so that in its normal configuration it can Canon’s picture was a little warmer than again. You can do the same thing with switch from VCR A to VCR B and vice the Ricoh’s. We fooled the white bal- versa. It also has two video outputs for ance on the Canon by showing it a pink fades. monitors, one for viewing the shot you “While you were out” telephone mes- are working with and another to moni- sage slip while putting the camcorder in In fact, Sima has introduced two tor any effects the AV-99 generates. its auto white balance mode. This took care of the video matching problem. simple video switchers that automat- Since a video signal doesn’t care if it’s going to a monitor or a VCR, we During the shoot, only the CVK-610 ically fade video in or out while you connected the video-out jack for the ef- was recording. Neither of the two studio camcorders were recording, although manually switch from one source to the fects monitor to our recording machine, they could have if we had wanted them which was not a VCR but another cam- to. Had they recorded, we could have other. The basic Ed/it 1, priced at corder, the Magnavox CVK-610. used their tapes to clean glitches on the master tape, to change or add special ef- $129.95, fades video in and out and au- You'll remember that we had already fects, or just as backup in case some- hooked up our two monitors to the thing went wrong with the master dio up and down simultaneously. The switcher-so that we could see the output recording. of the individual camcorders to let us Ed/it 2, for $179.95, adds the ability to judge what to record on our master tape. If your SEG can handle fades or We hooked the RF output from the wipes, don’t overlook these transitions mix in additional audio either through CVK-610 to the RF input on our TV set. when directing your two-camera shoot. This became our switched program They won’t eliminate glitches caused by the mic that comes with the Ed/it 2 or switching, but they can make them less monitor. through some other recorded source. The audio was simple for us because If you want to get the feel of being a A.K.A. had a professional audio board, and we just wired the mixed audio out of professional TV director by calling the the board to the audio-in jack on the Magnavox camcorder. If your studio (or shots live, give this two-camera setup a try. Any switching device will work, pro- vided it has two video inputs and at least one video output. We even hooked the two studio camcorders up to an RCA VJM 2023 monitor/receiver and it worked fine. This set has two video inputs, one intended for a VCR and the other for a laserdisc player or a second VCR. The point of our exercise was to help A.K.A. improve its look. And it suc- ceeded — without the expense of renting pro equipment and hiring a crew. It was also a lot of fun, for all of us. Try it the next time some performers you know need help, or just to experience the ex- citement of directing. a dY MOIVFIEYSOU THREEYN'TRE JAMMING YOU TOO! Wee, When playing back a rented movie you may notice ‘ annoying flashes, streaks, color lightening and darkening, ete. - This is caused by Macrovision copy protection ; jamming embedded in the video. 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VIDEOTESTS True TrackingT:hedynamic tracking video heads on Mitsubishi's HS-U82 are designed for cleaner pictures in cue, review, frame advance and slow motion modes. | VIDEOTEST NUMBER 556 steps backward because they’re now usual ones include jog/shuttle dials on | controlled by menus instead of discrete both the VCR and the remote control, Mitsubishi Super buttons. Of course, some users prefer twin flying erase heads instead of the | VHS hi-fi VCR fewer buttons because it makes the con- usual one, two-speed locking search, bi- trol panel less intimidating, but others directional skip search, spot check to see Mitsubishi’s HS-U82 is the long-awaited find menus awkward and slow. the picture during fast forward and re- replacement for the outstanding U80 in- wind, color and tint adjustment on play- | troduced two years ago. For picture Mitsubishi has taken one major step back, dynamic tracking, a monochrome quality, the U82 is well worth the wait, that may spur the entire industry to ac- color creator and artificial intelligence because of improvements in the chroma tio—nitsupplies a large, comprehensive picture enhancement. The U82 also car- signal-to-noise ratio. Other characteris- manual, designed specifically for clarity. ties most standard high-end VCR fea- | tics, like audio, retain about the same The company has also redesigned other quality. A few features have taken small manuals in its line, and plans to redo all tures. of them. The U82 manual is not yet per- fect, but it deserves special praise. Description. The gray and black | HS-U82 is a rather large VCR, with a The feature list is impressive. Un- footprint measuring over 16 inches per Mitsubishi HS-U82 DATA 1/10x and 1/20x; fewer for menu, power/pro- tor/Index/Cue: Timer: S-VHS VER options on remote con- index and time search 8-event/4-week Suggested Price: trol grammed record, video/ ae MITSUBISHI $1,699 TV, TV operation, VCR Linear Audio: Special Features: Speed Play: mono dual flying erase heads, VPMLIHEODSORETSOIOTLGELRSOATPHS: Weight: from either shuttle operation, audio up and auto play speed select, 23.9 pounds ring—ex forward, 3x re- down, video up and Hi-Fi AFM Audio: Still frame, frame ad- verse; VCR shuttle ring down, volume up and stereo vance (from jog dials), Dimensions: only—3x forward down, channel up and remote pause (from edit 4-3/4 x 16-3/4 x 16-1/4 down, last channel re- Tuning Method: jack), separate eject, inches (h/w/d) Rapid Search: call, mute, record, data frequency synthesis audio dub, video dub, remote shuttle ring—5x onscreen, stop, pause/ insert edit, auto rewind, Power Requirements: and 70x, SP; 10x and Still, rewind/search, Channel Selectors: channel lock, auto 120 VAC, 60 Hz 200x, EP; VCR shuttle play, fast forward/ VCR- programmable up/ channel-change, visible ting—5x and 10x, SP; search; under compart- down scan; remote— fast forward and rewind Power Consumption: 10x and 30x, EP ment lid—buttons for scan plus direct access by holding down button 47 W VCR A, VCR B, skip in each mode Cue & Review search. index minus, in- Preset Method: Tape Formats: (Search): dex plus, OTR, input auto program with man- Accessories: S-VHS, VHS two-speed, up to 30x at select, repeat, antenna ual add and erase temote control with bat- EP A/B, cancel, enter and teries, stereo audio Tape Speeds: 10-digit keypad Broadcast Tuning cable, S-video cable record—SP, EP; play- Fast Forward/Rewind Range: and 75-ohm antenna back—SP, LP, EP Time: Counter Digits: 2 to 13, 14 to 69 cable less than 2 min. for 5—hrs:mins:secs. Video Heads: 4 T-120 Cable Tuning Range: RESULTS Counter Memory: 2 to 13, 5A, A-5 to A-1, Slow Motion: Remote: no, but access by A to W, W+1 to W+84 Horizontal Resolution: from jog dials—variable IR wireless with jog/ counter number is pos- S-VHS—over 400 lines; speed; trom shuttle shuttle dial, activator sible AFT: VHS—240-250 lines rings—2/3x, 1/3x, 1/6x, and indicator; buttons always on Program Start Loca- 24 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

side. A small black area at the lower VIDEOTEST NUMBER 557 right covers input jacks for video, S-vid- eo, stereo microphone and a headphone Fisher 8mm fuzzy jack with level control. The slim gray logic camcorder bar above holds LED indicators for | S-VHS, digital tracking, stereo, SAP, Although the Sanyo/Fisher Corporation Flat & Fuzzy: The FVC-880 is one of the first cam- | video dub and audio dub. The large was one of the earliest to field 8mm corders to use fuzzy logic circuitry. | black area covers a comprchensive dis- equipment, it is not usually associated | play. The only exposed control is an ac- with breakthrough technology. The wide and flat—the user holds it some- | tivator button for the power button Fisher FVC-880 is different because it is what like binoculars. Average users inside the panel. among the first camcorders to use fuzzy should find it very comfortable. Fisher logic. Fuzzy logic is a form of artificial in- wisely placed the zoom rocker on the The back wall of the control com- telligence that works with analog-type left side to force two-handed operation, partment holds rotary controls for slow information instead of the usual yes/no adjust, still adjust, manual tracking, col- pattern of digital logic. which steadies the picture. However, or and tint. There are also switches for taping for extended periods tires the Fisher’s new Studio-Standard model arms, and it is awkward to tuck the el- high-speed search, VCR A/VCR B re- applies fuzzy logic to autofocusing prob- bows into the waist for extra support. mote, auto/manual tracking, paint lems. A field of view typically contains | (which converts the picture to mono- objects at varying distances from the The remainder of the design is rela- lens. Digital logic can focus on only one tively basic, with six shutter speeds up to | chromatic colors) and S-video/video in- object at a time. When confronted with 1/4000-second, completely automatic | put selection. Further right sit stereo multiple subjects, most camcorders with white balance, optional manual iris (but digital autofocus go crazy, focusing first no backlight compensator), auto fade, audio level indicators and sliders for left on one object then another. This is often edit search, one-title memory, eight-col- | and right audio record level. referred to as hunting. In contrast, fuzzy or superimposition and date imprinting. logic looks at many objects at different The inner surface of the door holds A supplied remote lets the operator the jog/shuttle and switches for T-120/ distances, chooses a compromise setting get into the picture and control basic T-160 tape remaining, S-detail (used and stays put—it doesn’t seesaw in and out of focus. functions from there, however, zoom when an S-cable is plugged into the out- cannot be controlled from the remote. We've always favored leaving the The new design and control layout is a put), hi-fi/normal mix and AC online. autofocus off and occasionally using the | Other buttons include timer reset, pro- one-shot AF button. Fisher’s application great first step in a new direction. | gram record, input select, audio moni- of fuzzy logic for focusing is a step for- Description. The FVC-880 looks ward but it must now be perfected. The tor, video/TV, record speed, index FVC-880 also uses fuzzy logic for auto like a large, black sandwich with a wrist search, data onscreen, channel up and iris, where it seems to work almost per- strap. It’s supposed to feel like a fectly as well as unobtrusively. pair of binoculars, but is continued on page 32 wider and doesn’t The FVC-880’s radical new shape is Luminance S/N, hi-fi—20_ Hz-20 kHz, apparent long before a user dis- | Unweighted: +1.4/-2.3 dB; linear (-3 covers the benefits of fuzzy dB)—100 Hz-12 kHz, logic. The camcorder is S-VHS—43.8 dB, SP; SP; 80 Hz-5 kHz, EP 42.8 dB, EP NYC coe Hi-Fi Dynamic Range: Luminance S/N, 90.2 dB ay Weighted: $-VHS—50.4 dB, SP; Linear Audio S/N: A New Feeling: 49 dB, EP 43.6 dB The FVC-880 handles like a set of binoculars. Video S/N, Un- Audio Distortion: weighted: hi-fi—0.3%; linear— VHS—46 dB, SP; 46.3 1.2% dB, EP RATINGS Video S/N, Weighted: Picture Quality: | VHS—50.1 dB, SP; excellent | 51.5 dB, EP Audio Quality: Chroma AM S/N: excellent 49.8 dB, SP; 45.7 dB, EP Operational Ease: very good/excellent Chroma PM S/N: 46.3 dB, SP; 42.8 dB, Overall EP Performance: very good/excellent Audio Frequency Re- sponse: OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 25

bend in the center. Both sides are tiage, which slides out before popping start/stop button. The left operates rounded. The camera section sits to the up. left. zoom, scene search and optional manual The front holds the microphone, an controls, including macro. Along that side are the focusing win- earphone jack and the lens. The lens dow; buttons for macro, auto fade, shutter cap stores on the security strap while Although the fuzzy logic achieves speed and one-touch AF; and an auto/ shooting. Most of the rear panel is nor- acceptable, if not perfect, focus, it takes manual focus switch. There’s also an in- mally covered by the battery, which almost four seconds to move from really dented rotary control for manual iris. A slides onto grooves. To its right sits the distant objects to those about four feet bulge near the back holds jacks for video red run/stop trigger; to its left, buttons from the lens. Shooting closer requires and audio, a switch that determines for title on/off, memory and color. hitting the macro button. White bal- whether they function as inputs or out- ance is always automatic, but focus and The title memory captures a high- iris can switch to manual mode. puts, and a DC out jack for the RF contrast image that can be superim- adapter. The top of the left edge holds posed on a picture in one of eight colors Title and dating operations are two rockers, a large one for zoom and a during record or playback. straightforward, but the adjustment but- smaller one that delivers normal-speed tons and counter controls are tiny. The scene search in record mode. The remote control is small, simple recorder controls are also small, but the and light, with all camcorder controls remote makes these functions more ac- The electronic viewfinder sits on except start/stop grouped at the front. cessible. top, and is hinged at its forward end. This group comprises buttons for title on/off, memory and color; counter reset On iris, the fuzzy logic works effec- The viewing hood must be extended tively and unobtrusively, as automatic and locked with a twist before the user and memory, and date. The VCR con- focuses the magnifier. The camera/off/ trols further back include a pair of re- functions should operate. On focus, it is video standby switch occupies the cen- ,Slow, and travels noticeably past opti- ter rear of the top and a bump extending cord buttons and others for pause/still, mum focus before backing up to the cor- forward holds buttons for counter mem- minus and plus scene search, rewind/ rect setting. We rate operational ease as ory and reset, date and adjust, rewind/ search, play, fast forward/search. Fur- very good, but without raves for fuzzy search, play, fast forward/search, stop, thest down are buttons for stop and logic. We're somewhat forgiving because pause/still and record. camcorder start/stop. it is a first application. We expect it to get a lot better, which it must before we A catch on the right side lets the Operation. Using the camcorder is would be completely happy with it. user raise the top right side for access to easy if you have a large hand. If your the cassette hatch. A blue eject button hand is small, you:may have to stretch a Performance. The FVC-880 de- hides inside, along with the cassette car- bit to reach some controls. The right livers 250 lines of horizontal resolution hand provides support and operates the and an unweighted video signal-to-noise CaTnhoenneEw5/ issimpl eath ik

ratio of 40.3 decibels. The weighted vid- Fisher FVC-800 Auto Fade: Cue & Review tenna transformer and eo S/N is 47.6 dB, while the chroma AM picture and sound, (Search): 13x shoulder strap | S/N is 44.6 dB and the chroma PM S/N Fuzzy Logic about 6 seconds Fast Forward/Rewind RESULTS | is 38.7 dB. Under low light conditions it delivers 50 IRE units at 7.3 lux, but the 8mm Camcorder Shutter: Time: Horizontal Resolution: 1/60 (normal), 1/100, 6 mins. for 120 min. autofocus is unreliable at these levels. 250 lines 1/250, 1/1000, 1/2000, cassette Video SIN, The resolution boosts an otherwise aver- || DATA 1/4000-second Lae / age Tphiectuareudituooe good. Suggested Price:: Viewfinder: ___| : IR wireless witIhat b“uttons: |Unweighted: frequency | |$1,300 eke a indi . ae 40.3 dB | response of the | mono AFM track is 20 hertz to 10 kilo- | |weight: record, low tape, dew, __onioff, title color, title Video S/N, Weighted: hertz, +1.3/-3 dB, down 6.7 dB at 20 1.8 pounds without cas- low battery, cassette memorize, record (2), 47.6 dB anti-erase tab set and start/stop, play, fast for- kHz. The dynamic range is 80.9 dB and sette or battery tape end ward/search, rewind/ Chroma AM S/N: search, scene search the total harmonic distortion is 0.4 per- Dimensions: Viewfinder Controls: minus and plus, and stop 44.6 dB 3.1 x 7.4 x 8.4 inches operating position, fo- | cent. There is no PCM audio. This au- (hiwid) cus, and tilt up to Counter Digits: Chroma PM S/N: | dio performance is typical for 8mm vertical position 5—hrs:mins:secs. 38.7 dB Power Requirements: camcorders, and we rate it as good com- 6 VDC VCR Controls: Hi-Fi AFM Audio: mono Audio Frequency pared to camcorder sound in general. rewind/search, play, fast Response: Power Consumption: forward/search, stop, Special Features: 20 Hz-10 kHz, +1.3/-3 Conclusion. The FVC-880 is un- 6.5 W pause/still and record auto white balance, fly- dB, -6.7 dB at 20 kHz usual in design and introduces fuzzy log- ing erase head, still ic applications that hold great promise Image Sensor: Microphone: frame, separate eject Dynamic Range: for the future. Picture and audio quality 1/2-inch CCD omnidirectional electret (under tape compart- 80.9 dB of the unit we tested is just good, but condenser ment flap), counter ease of operation is very good. We like Lens: memory, insert edit Audio Distortion: f/2, 6x (11-66 mm) Jacks: 0.4% power zoom with macro infout switchable audio Accessories: and video, DC out for remote control, AC RATINGS the feel and could get accustomed to the Filter Diameter: 37mm RF adapter, earphone adapter/charger, 55-min and external mic battery, lithium clock Picture Quality: good layout. Overall performance is good to Minimum Focusing very good. The suggested price of $1,300 Distance: WTanae pe SFooermeadte::: 8SmPm oni tbiantgtercyo,rd,powceharnnceolnn3e/c4- Audio Quality: good is slightly pricey, but typical for a design 4 feet: 0.6 feet in macro Operational Ease: || wtiaitnhlyso amcuacmhconredwer tectohnomleorgiyt. aIt tirsyoceurt- ||Aauuttoomfaotciucese:with fuzzy ve ry good when you're shopping. It could be your ||Ogi: Switchable to ape speeds: oF only — AF adapter, antenna Overall Performance: y eta anes yi manual Video Heads: 4 cable, 75/300-ohm an- |good/very good dream camcorder. ] In fact, the E57 is so full of features, yet so fully automatic, it can turn any moment into breathtaking video. Its 10x power zoom lens gets you in close when you're far away. o\\ It comes with an attachable video light for beautiful color rendition —— while shooting in low light situations. The 180°FlexiGrip™ lets you catch action from hard-to-reach angles. And Canon's expert lens crafting means sharp, brilliant color images every time. It even has a wireless remote so recording and playback are more convenient. Make your video moments more breathtaking. Visit your Canon dealer and check out the new Canon E57 8mm camcorder. Canovision 8\" | Canovision: | We know what it takes to make great video. a us0RECCAOMREDREAR ont SC1FaNicRoeoai3ndenrrr.fdavcdoilid.rtecemieraotniaoln, Oyi? 4/1000 ‘The Official Camcorder ) of Little League Baseball pa manual L\"AF eMACRO pmecAciFSai7ONn0Eo0NGnLMIENEAESRED ‘aia Enjoy easy extended payments with the Canon Credit Card A€sek19f9o0r deCetaaniolns at participating Canon dealers and retailers Available only in US. U.S.A .Inc Canon U SA .One Canon Plaza. Lake Success, NY

VIDEOTESTS ON SCREEN PROGRAMMING (ES HO. Shuttle Sale: The RCA VR685HF is 4 HEAD+ FLYING one of the lowest-priced VCRs to feature a jog/ 1 shuttle dial on the re- mote control. POWER! STOP-EvECT PAUSE REWIND, FWD. V CHANNEL A VIDEOTEST NUMBER 558 ically assembles up to six scenes with an The user can also call up an abbreviated onscreen table to assist in marking the RCA hi-fi VCR with start and end points of each scene. onscreen instruction manual. An auto- editing features matic head cleaner minimizes the need Even for those who are not inter- for manual head cleaning. RCA’s VR685HF should appeal to those ested in editing, this is a desirable VCR, who want good editing facilities but do Description. The VR685HF is not want to invest in a top-of-the-line because it is attractive, easy to use and dark gray with a shiny black band cam- VCR. It has a flying erase head for versatile. It is rather small and light for a ouflaging the cassette hatch and display. glitch-free edits, a jog/shuttle dial for full-featured machine. The simplified Below the black band sits a row of indi- precise location of edit points, audio dub front panel is not forbidding and the cators for hi-fi level and exposed buttons to the mono linear track, and video dub, timer is among the easiest to set, thanks for power, stop/eject, play, pause, re- which erases the hi-fi audio. to simple onscreen prompts. Its 181- wind/search, fast forward/search, VCR/ TV, channel down and channel up. A The VR685HF includes edit in and channel, cable-compatible MTS stereo lower band conceals a compartment edit out control jacks, successors to the tuner automatically programs all active containing a headphone jack, plus synchro edit jack, that let this machine channels, and will decode and record sliders for headphone level and left and be either master or slave in a dubbing/ SAP. Simulcast recording is possible. tight audio record level. The compart- editing operatio—nit can either send or receive synchro edit commands. The Automatic functions include power continued on page 98 programmable edit controller automat- on when a cassette is inserted, switch- able auto play if the tab is missing, re- wind/power off at the end of the tape and selectable repeat. Most functions are available only through the remote. Many operate through onscreen menus. DATA Rapid Search: fast forward/search, off and repeat channel lock, auto Audio Frequency Suggested Price: using shuttle ring; SP— frame advance, pause, channel-change Response: $649 3x, 7x, 10x; SLP—9x, play, record and auto Linear Audio: mono hi-fi—20 Hz-15 kHz, 21x, 30x edit; and concealed Accessories: +0.3/-3.0, down 5.0 dB Weight: buttons for off/power, Hi-Fi AFM Audio: stereo remote control with bat- at 20 kHz; linear (-3 10.6 pounds Cue & Review (Search): TV, VCR 1, VCR 2, teries, 75-ohm RF dB)—80 Hz-12 kHz, locking—7x, SP; 21x, program, clear, memo- Tuning Method: cable, 75/300-ohm an- SP; 80 Hz-5 kHz, LP; Dimensions: SLP non locking—10x, ry, help, display, index, frequency synthesis tenna adapter and 80 Hz-4 kHz, SLP 3-1/2 x 14-3/4 x 12-5/8 SP; 30x, SLP time search, input, pre- VHF/UHF splitter inches (h/w/d) vious channel, 10-digit Channel Selectors: 8H2i-.F4i dDBynamic Range: Fast Forward/Rewind keypad. 100. 2x, slow, programmable scan on RESULTS Audio SIN: 43.3 dB Power Requirements: Time: 4-1/2 min. for T-120 VCR, scan plus direct 120 VAC, 60 Hz slow speed up and access on remote 2Ho4r0i-z2o8n0talliRneesoslution:| Audio Distortion: Remote: down, tracking up and hi-fi-0.4%; linear—1.2% Power Consumption: IR wireless with jog/ down, auto tracking and Broadcast Tuning Video S/N, Unweighted: 21 W shuttle dial plus indica- tape (record) speed Range: 46.3 dB, SP, 45.5 dB, RATINGS Tape Speeds: tor; exposed buttons for 2 to 13, 14 to 69 LP; 43.7 dB, SLP SP, LP, SLP jog/shuttle activate, TV, Counter Digits: Picture Quality: VCR 1, VCR 2, off/ Cable Tuning Range: Video S/N, Weighted: very good/excellent Video Heads: 4 power, TV/VCR input, 5—hrs:mins:secs, 2 to 13, A to W, W+1 53.6 dB, SP; 52.9 dB, display, clear, volume to W+84, A-5, A-4, A-3 LP; 51.4 dB, SLP Audio Quality: Slow Motion: up and down, channel Program Start very good buttons or jog/shuttle up and down, memory, Locator/Index/Cue: Timer: Chroma AM S/N: dial on remote; variable time remaining, previ- index with auto mark 8-program/1-year 45.3 dB. SP; 41.6 dB, Operational Ease: 1/7x to 1/30x ous channel, mute, and time search by LP; 41.4 dB, SLP very good/excellent rewind/search, stop, counter display Special Features: flying erase head, auto Chroma PM S/N: Overall Performance: Auto Functions: play speed select, still 41.4 dB, SP; 37.9 dB, very good/excellent power on, play, rewind/ frame, counter memory, LP; 38.8 dB, SLP audio dub, video dub, 28 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

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VIDEOTESTS Panasonic AUTO REVERSE Murti Laser Screen Surprise: When playing CDs or the audio portion of CD-Videos, Panasonic's LX-200 displays onscreen level meters for left and tight audio channels. VIDEOTEST NUMBER 559 ] 12-, 8-, 5- and 3-inch discs, and can both speakers. This is important for switch between the video and audio mono programs with different informa- tion on each channel. Panasonic only parts of a 5-inch CD-V disc. The LX-200’s CAV effects include combi player For CAV discs, it offers frame, chap- ter, index and selected point access plus still frame, bi-directional frame advance scan, programmed play, random play, (step) and variable-speed playback rang- ing from 3x to 1/90x in ten steps. The programmed random play and repeat scan system operates at a low speed for the first two seconds, then continues in The LX-200 is a significant new combi with both front panel and optional on- the chosen direction at a higher speed. With scanning and the various quick ac- player because it is one of the first two to screen displays to guide the user. For cess modes, a user is never more than a minute and a half from any selection on carry the Panasonic brand. Although it CLV discs and CDs it accesses segments one side. A user can also select sides di- rectly, then use one of the other access is the more economical of the two, it by time instead of frame numbers. boasts many sophisticated features, in- On discs with both digital and an- cluding CD/CD-Video/LD capability alog audio tracks, users can switch be- and automatic side changing for laser- tween those tracks, and listen to either discs recorded on both sides. It accepts the left or the right channel through Panasonic LX-200 DATA Frame Advance: chapter/track skip re- Accessories: Audio Frequency Combi Player Suggested Price: bi-directional—LD, CAV verse, pause, chapter/ remote control with bat- Response: $850 discs only track skip forward, teries, power cord, Panasonic speed minus, speed S-video cable, video digital—10 Hz-20 kHz, Weight: Multi-Speed Motion: plus, multi-speed re- cable and stereo audio 20.3 pounds bi-directional—3x, 2x, verse, multi-speed cable +2.4/-1.4 dB; analog— 1x, 1/2x, 1/4x, 1/8x, forward, repeat, A-B re- 20 Hz-20 kHz, Dimensions: 1/16x, 1/30x (1 frame/1 peat, stop, CD-V/AV, RESULTS +0.7/-1.7 dB 5 x 17 x 16-3/8 inches second), 1/60x, 1/90x; random play, audio lev- (h/w/d) LD, CAV discs only el, audio select and Horizontal Resolution: Audio S/N: D/A-CX 425 lines analog—74.1 dB; digi- Power Requirements: Rapid Search: tal—over 103 dB, our 120 VAC, 50-60 Hz by custom index, Counter Digits: Luminance S/N, limit frame, time, chapter or frame—5; time—4, Unweighted: Power Consumption: track depending on disc mins:secs.; chapter/ 48.7 dB Dynamic Range: 41 W codes track—2 and 20 dis- digital—97 dB crete indicators; Luminance S/N, Disc Formats: Cue & Review index—2 Weighted: Audio Distortion: 3-inch CD single, 5-inch (Search): 50.9 dB 0.01% CD and CDV, 8-inch 3x for the first 2 sec Counter Memory/ LD and LD single, and onds, then 90x (approx.) Locator: Video S/N, RATINGS 12-inch LD (LV) points A and B with re- Unweighted: Picture Quality: Remote: peat between points, 45.4 dB excellent/very good Disc Speeds: IR wireless with buttons and start of any side, CD, CLV, CAV for power. open/close, chapter/track, index, Video S/N, Weighted: Audio Quality: side A, side B, display, frame or time 47.9 dB very good/excellent Play Speed Select: time mode, program, automatic recall, clear, mode, 10- Analog Audio: Chroma AM S/N: Operational Ease: digit keypad, +10, step FM stereo excellent Still Frame: forward, still/stop, step 40.2 dB LD, CAV discs only reverse, reverse scan, Digital Audio: Overall Performance: play. forward scan, stereo Chroma PM S/N: excellent/very good 41.3 dB 30 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

methods. The LX-200 offers an excel- Maybe the key to more professional Nady 501 VR HT Pro lent collection of options. home videos isn’t the way they look, but the Wireless System way they sound. Enter Nady Systems video Description. The LX-200 is gray- camcorder accessories. Nady 501 VR LT Pro ish black with silver and gold accents. Wireless System | The disc tray near the top of the front Nady’s popular, easy to use 151 VR | panel is almost centered. The power | wireless microphone for video with a lapel Nady 151 VR Wireless button and remote sensor sit to the left. or handheld transmitter gets the microphone HT (Handheld) Mic System At the right are buttons for play, open/ up close, without the hassle of microphone close, pause and stop, with a ten-digit cables, even if you’re 200 feet away! Nady 151 VR Wireless LT (Lavalier) Mic System keypad and a +10 button. The pedestal Their MCM-400 portable mini at the bottom holds a quarter-inch camcorder microphone mixer lets you mix AVM-300 4 Channel Mixer 1995 headphone jack, a headphone level con- the sound from up to 3 microphone sources, trol and buttons for forward and reverse do voice overs, even add background music MCM-400 Portable Mixer 69.95 while you’re shooting. And for post scan, forward and reverse chapter/track production editing, try Nady’s 4 channel VCM-100 Boom Mic skip, program, clear, side A and side B. AVM-300 mixer with its own microphone. NHM-200 Narrator’s Headset... 19.95 The rear panel holds a socket for the Nady also offers a convenient VCM- | detachable power cord, output connect- 100 boom microphone and a NHM-200 Nationwide: 800/222/8228 narrator’s headset, so you can monitor the In CA: 800/624/1784 ors for S-video, optical audio, standard audio or add voice over narration. stereo audio and video, F-connectors for 15 Day Money Back Guarantee VHF in and out and a channel 3/4 RF And for truly pro wireless audio, the 501 VR boasts unsurpassed dynamic range Add $5 per order for shipping and handling. CA output selector. and a rugged metal cased receiver. residents add applicable sales tax, Visa and Mastercard The remote control groups buttons accepted. Special Delivery services available. | by function. Furthest forward are power Mail check or money order to: | and open/close. An L-shaped group be- Bonus NHM-200 Narrator’s Headset 1NSRCciaoF9ioeaneanor.rfdracvdoildi.rteecmireaotniaoln, low contains buttons for display, side with $150 purchase (A $20 value!) Offer good until December 25, 1990 1900 Powell St., Suite 1135 and search options. Next to these are a Emeryville, CA 94608 ten-digit keypad and a +10 button for programming, and index and search functions. The middle group contains buttons for play, pause, still/step, for- | ward and reverse pairs for frame ad- | vance, scan and chapter/track skip; and | buttons for playback speed and direc- tion, repeat play, A-B repeat, random play and stop. Operation. The LX-200 is ex- tremely easy to hook up and use. It can | be connected to the audio and video or S-video jacks of a monitor/receiv—eror to a standard TV set by routing the VHF signal from the antenna through | the player. The LX-200 output automat- | ically switches from the RF source to the | player output when a disc is playing. All the basic operations can be han- dled from either the front panel or the remote. Scan visibly searches desired portions of the disc, and is the only spe- cial effect that works on all discs. A user | can play CAV discs at ten speeds, in- | cluding an unusual 1/60x (one frame ev- | ery two seconds). Out-of-sequence playback of chap- ters or tracks, either programmed or random play, is possible on discs with those codes in the table of contents. The LX-200 can also repeat a single chapter/ | track, a side, both sides, a program, a | random play sequence, a programmed random play sequence and a segment the user selects between points A and B. Performance. The LX-200 pro- duces an exceedingly good picture marred only by a tendency to roll when | searching CLV discs. Its horizontal reso- lution is about 425 lines with an un- weighted luminance signal-to-noise continued on page 106

MITSUBISHI The somewhat forbidding manual The weighted video S/N is 50.1 dB at SP lists some features under common and 51.5 dB at EP. continued from page 25 names, others under uncommon ones The chroma AM S/N is 49.8 dB at down, eject, repeat, one-touch record and others not at all. For example, play- SP and 45.7 dB at EP, while the chroma controls, jog/shuttle activation and the back of LP tapes is apparently not men- PM S/N is 46.3 dB at SP and 42.8 dB at usual transport controls. tioned. The manual, although accurate, EP. The luminance S/N could stand reads like a cross between a school text- slight improvement, but the chroma The remote control operates two book and a sophisticated cookbook. The Mitsubishi VCRs and a Mitsubishi TV. measurements are exceedingly high. Pic- Its top is divided into three areas. The best bet for learning the machine is trial ture quality is excellent. lowest contains the jog/shuttle dial, its and error using a spare tape. LED indicator, the activator button, and The audio frequency response of the a button that calls up the main menu. After learning the machine, the user hi-fi tracks is 20 Hertz to 20 kilohertz, The middle area has buttons for power/ will be pleased with how well many of + 1.4/-2.3 dB, with a dynamic range of programmed record, video/TV, TV and the features operate, especially the very VCR operation, audio function up and fast search speed, tuning, timer pro- 90.2 dB and a total harmonic distortion down, video function up and down, vol- of 0.3 percent. The frequency response ume and channel up and down, last chan- gramming, the data screen and the mul- of the mono linear track at the -3 dB tiple-device control capability. Other points is 100 Hz to 12 kHz at SP and 80 nel recall, mute, record, data onscreen operations, like menu selections and jog/ Hz to 5 kHz at EP with an S/N of 43.6 and transport controls. shuttle adjustments, can be awkward if dB and a total harmonic distortion of 1.2 The front portion swings upward to the user is accustomed to more straight- percent. Audio quality is excellent. reveal buttons for VCR A, VCR B, skip forward VCRs. Despite these comments, Conclusion. The HS-U82 has ex- we rate ease of operation as very good to search, index minus and plus, OTR, in- excellent. cellent picture and sound which justify put select, repeat, antenna A/B, cancel, its $1,699 price and very good to excel- enter and ten-digit keypad. Performance. The HS-U82 deliv- ers over 400 lines of resolution in lent ease of operation. Some of the fea- Operation. Using the HS-U82 is a S-VHS and 240 to 250 lines in VHS. tures one expects on a top-grade VCR little complicated, partly because it has The unweighted luminance signal-to- are absent or buried in menus, making so many features but partly because of them less accessible. The manual de- the new manual. The menu system elim- noise ratio in S-VHS is 43.8 decibels at serves an A for effort but needs work. inates buttons that would otherwise clue SP and 42.8 dB at EP, while the weight- a user in to some features. ed luminance S/N is 50.4 dB at SP and Overall performance is excellent for ca- 49 dB at EP. The unweighted video S/N sual users, but only very good for sophis- in VHS is 46 dB at SP and 46.3 dB at EP. ticated users. It is an excellent source machine for dubbing.

ur home videos contair some great moments. And some not-so-great moments. Now you can make your home videos something you'll be proud to sual _ DirectED videos, as professionals do! Mark hundreds of scenes on the tapes in your home video library and DirectED PLUS will automatically -assemble them into.a polished production. And only DirectED PLUS can complete your productions with its brilliant, digitally- generated titles, graphics and _special effects! Built-in title generator! Sizzling graphics and special effects! Add titles in 64 colors and 12 ‘different styles. Combine them with any of 17 special effects and 22 ase DirectED PLUS is all you need! It works with virtually all camcorders and remote-controlled VCRs. “More for your money! Only DiregiED PLUS offers full-functioti” editing plustitles, graphics and special effects. Put your : _best foot forward with DirectED PLUS. Call 1-800-338-EDIT ke . for the name of your ae nearest dealer. Edit your best with DirectED PLUS! V4’ VIDEONICS — 1370 Dell Avenue, Campbell, ;CA 95008408-866-8300 <= _ Fewaiutlhaoiuotn cneotsicee.or i sinlleta. Specifications are subject to change For additional intormation, circle No. 20 on Reader Service Card. 199 Videoni HH rights 1 ise oe ae las iondse

#lagsaonte NEW PRODUCTEDITED BY BRIAN CLARK SPECIALISTS FOR MORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE TOLL FREE:.... 1 (800) 444-6300 FAST SERVICE, BEST PRICES! Canovision 8’ We know what ittakes to make a great video 8xIZREOLOEMSS 2yAA , Hi 8 HI-BAND VIDEO Zenith introduces VHS-C camcorder 10x ZOOM LENS HI-FI STEREO Zenith’s VM6400 VHS Compact camcorder uses a half-inch CCD with 270,000 AmKnNY IM pixels to produce 330 lines of resolution. The f/1.4 lens has a variable speed 8:1 power zoom. White balance and backlight compensation are automatic. Editing PALM SIZE features include assemble edit control, zero frame memory and counter memory, STEREOUHI-FI which indexes points on the tape for fast access. The 6400 will record in SP or EP REMOTE and has recording settings for a quarter, a half and one-second intervals. The cam- corder has a 3-lux rating. Price: not available. For additional information, circle No. 153 on Reader Service Card. Toshiba IRD features S-video output Toshiba’s TRX-2000 integrated receiver/descrambler has an S-video output that sends only S-video signals to components for an improved picture. More than 100 channels are factory-programmed into 12 categories. Dual audio/video outputs permit recording one program while watching another. Onscreen displays contain information on a satellite’s name and transponder, plus audio information and memory data, all of which can be adjusted via the remote control from any room thanks to the remote’s built-in UHF transmitter. Both C- and Ku-band signals are accepted, and the unit contains a VideoCipher II Plus descrambler module. Price: $1,949. For additional information, circle No. 154 on Reader Service Card. TOSHIBA We ship within 24 hours. All prices quoted include manufacturer's standard accessories & U.S. Warranty. All units are facto! BDJOU‘“B(JOFIUDD/FjNEODZUAHPDsNIODeOUAGIaSWYlPMJePEOdOJ.U!BWReANarDeSan AUTHORIZED WE SELL! 10 DEALER for AL DAY EXCHANGE. S & H NON-REFUNDABLE!

Hagteonta SPECIALISTS FOR MORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE TOLL FREE:.... 1 (800) 444-6300 FAST SERVICE BEST PRICES! Sony VHS deck features front-panel inputs ‘@ viWEDEAROEANICcS Video and left/right audio inputs on the front panel make viewing camcorder tapes FRANCHISE DEALER! simple with the Sony SLV-676 VHS VCR. High-speed rewind takes less than 2- 1/2 minutes on a T-120 tape. A shuttle dial controls freeze, frame-by-frame advance, © 16 WIPES BY COMBINING 5 BASIC PATTERNS slow motion, 2x play and picture search in forward and reverse. Editing features include a flying erase head and synchro edit with pre-roll. Other features include © COLOR BALANCING w/JOYSTICK CONTROLLER | VHS hi-fi sound, stereo broadcast reception and digital audio tracking. © 8 BACKGROUND COLORS, PLUS Price: $700. COLOR BAR CHART For additional information, circle No. 159 on Reader Service Card. @ COMPATIBLE w/SUPER VHS. & 8mm HI-BAND GE presents large-screen projection TV VIDEO ENHANCER A digital comb filter is among the key el- ements in GE’s 46GW950 46-inch pro- « INDEPENDENT A/V FADERS JIX-SV55 jection TV set. The set’s advanced optics include a high-performance first CHGAERNAERCATTEORR surface mirror and a multi-element screen. Other features include a 178- © 6-SPEED VERTICAL channel tuner, MTS broadcast stereo & TYPEWRITER SCROLLING with SAP, 10-watts-per-channel stereo @ TITLE ZOOMING amplifiers, a 13-jack monitor panel with © 8-PAGE MEMORY an S-video connector, commercial skip and auto programming. There are on- © 200 CUTS — 100 SCENES screen displays for time and channels, as well as a sleep timer. The set comes with @ ACCURATE TO WITHIN 3 FRAMES a 38-button GE universal remote that operates many different VCR and cable @ AUDIO MIXING INCLUDING box brands. FADE IN/OUT Price: $2,299. © COMPATIBLE w/VHS, BETA, 8mm, SUPER-VHS For additional information, circle No. 156 on Reader Service Card. © 63 VOIUDTEPOUTISNPUTS/ Pioneer offers economical combi player 8 Pioneer's CLD-980 combination laserdisc/compact disc player produces 425 lines of resolution with a signal-to-noise ratio of 47 decibels. The unit uses a 4x over- 8 sampling 18-bit digital filter and twin 16-bit digital-to-analog converters. An intro scan feature plays the first eight seconds of each chapter or track consecutively. Up 5 to 24 chapters or tracks can be programmed. @ TOP OF THE LINE s Price: $500. © VHF WIRELESS SYSTEM § For additional information, circle No. 157 on Reader Service Card. i © 1500 ft. RANGE 5 © COMES W/2 MICROPHONES. ~ fPe 3 Cr, £ o< = oo oePRICES ALWAYS COMPETITIVE Ss aS |eel 2 |i S We ship within 24 hours. a All prices quoted include manufacturer's standard g fie accessories & U.S. Warranty. All units are factory [iS sealed. We are an AUTHORIZED DEALER for ALL 5 NAME BRANDS WE SELL! 10 DAY EXCHANGE. ina S & H NON-REFUNDABLE!

Hluj giJaoute SPECIALISTS FOR MORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # MEMORY MONITOR. maT (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 mesa eaice WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE TOLL FREE:.... 1 (800) 444-6300 FAST SERVICE, @HITACHI FS .PRICES! VHS: Eight-segment assembler automates editin Hitachi video printer adds graphics chores, placing desired scenes in any order. Hi Circuitry and digital auto- Hitachi’s VY-15A color video printer delivers a color print in 100 seconds. The unit tracking ensure quality video uses a Thermacolor video print kit designed exclusively for the VY-15A by East- and fuss-free playback. man Kodak. The kit consists of thermal paper and a color cartridge to produce 30 3-1/2 by 5-inch prints. Shots can be taken from any TV, VCR, camcorder or disc S-VHS: Feature-laden deck offers the utmost in player. Dates, titles and illustrations can be superimposed over a frame in eight scene-finding convenience. Full-featured different colors. All controls and loading bays are on the front of the unit. remote with display dupli- cates on-screen programming Price: $999.95. capabilities. For additional information, circle No. 155 on Reader Service Card. S-VHS: Automatic assemble and insert editing with Sylvania fields eight-scene memory and preview mode for editing 20-inch portable TV ease. Video-on-sound feature dubs video over prerecorded hi- Sylvania’s RKS240CH 20-inch TV set is fi tracks. sie its first portable set to use a comb filter. It also features picture-in-picture, audio/ S-VHS: Title/date recording adds personal video inputs, variable audio outputs, a touch. Bargraph-style “tape time remaining” sleep timer, onscreen graphics, random display eliminates recording access tuning and MTS stereo sound. surprises. Synchro-edit Sylvania’s 3-in-1 SupeRemote — which feature simplifies dubbing. can run a TV set, a VCR and a cable box —is included. S-VHS: Optical scanner digitizes graphics for aah dk ee a Other digital tricks include Price: $499.95. color correction, fades, wipes, For additional information, circle No. 158 on Reader Service Card. negative/positive, titles, and Editing system uses any wireless remote noise reduction. Lenmar’s QE101 QwickEdit editing sys- PRICES ALWAYS COMPETITIVE tem harnesses the wireless remote from SaESDe any VCR or camcorder to help it control : the edit functions of playback and recor- ae ding decks. It can memorize 100 scenes We ship within 24 hours. eros and 250 commands, and is compatible with all video formats and television All prices quoted include manufacturer's standard standards. PBJ[JUB“BOIOyOUF/IDNUOPAHDODJD!GOUJS2WDIPODJUas}ecacleesds.orWiees & U.S. Warranty. All units are factory Price: $249.95. are an AUTHORIZED DEALER for ALL For adaitional information, circle No. 160 on Reader Service Card. NAME BRANDS WE SELL! 10 DAY EXCHANGE. S & H NON-REFUNDABLE! Sunpak delivers lightweight light Sunpak’s Readylite 20 for camcorders weighs only se- ven ounces and measures 2.3 by 3.9 by 1.9 inches. The Readylite puts out a soft light up to 20 feet away, and runs for about 17 minutes on a charge. The light comes with a replaceable, rechargeable battery that takes five hours to recharge with the included recharger, and at- taches to a standard light shoe. Price: $64.95. For additional information, circle No. 161 on Reader Service Card.

Chinon camcorder CAN TV & VIDEO offers digital features IMPROVE Electronic image stabilization is among YOUR CHILD'S GRADES? the unique digital features on Chinon’s CV-T124 VHS camcorder. Its digitally Apparently so, as a number of researchers using ‘closed captioned’ tele- enhanced zoom lens offers two high- vision report. magnification settings, for 30x and 96x. You may never have seen captions, but they are hidden in more than 190 At the lens’ 12x setting, its optical limit, hours of TV programs every week and in over 2000 of the most popular the digital zoom further magnifies an im- home Video movies. When captions are decoded the dialogue appears age up to eight times to produce 96x on the screen (much like subtitles) so the viewer can read the script as it is magnification, a level equivalent to the spoken. reach of a 720mm lens. A gain-up fea- Closed captioned TV & Videos are being used by a number of progres- ture decreases the low-light rating from sive schools and Universities. Instructors now recommend that students 5 to 1 lux. The camcorder can also re- should watch all TV & Video programs at home ‘with captions because cord continuous sound over a still im- ..“consistent reading of television will exhilarate their reading abilities, age, and a “mirror” feature puts a live result in greater retention and improve comprehension...” recording on the left side of the frame next to an identical image on the right. So if you want to give your child a head start at school, here is how you Other digital features include strobe and a trio of fades: to black, white and color can turn those passive TV hours into active learning sessions: mosaic. A “power assist” feature allows A new VCR with the unique capacity to decode and display closed cap- autofocusing while in manual mode. tions, formerly exclusively available to schools, can be bought now for The kit includes a ten-watt light. use at home. This is good, old home education with a Television Age Twist. Call the exclusive manufacturers of Educational VCRs: Price: $2,395. INSTANT REPLAY, 2601 S. Bayshore Dr. Ste. 1050, Miami, FL 33133 Fax: (305) 858-9053 For additional information, circle no. 140 on Reader Service Card. CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER —1(800) 225-7778 or (305) 854-8777 MFJ Super WIPERS Color Video VIDEO LABELLING CONCEPT PROCESSOR WRITE N WIPERe PAA“MPI AneDVrAe¥NItDRCOPREOCDERSOR soon ss 4 : Video Walkman adds ed NS hi-fi stereo MFJ-1452 You can correct poor videos of ERASABLE ¢ REUSABLE weddings, sporting events or the Sony’s GV-300 Video Walkman TV/ Using Wipers® specially designed pen on VCR has a four-inch color LCD screen. $29995 kids at dance recital and make Wipers® treated labels you can write, wipe A user can watch 8mm tapes or use the plus $6 s/h great copies for everyone! The and reuse labels over and over again! It’s 99-channel VHF/UHF, cable-compati- MFU-1452 is the most sophisticated (and as simple as writing on and wiping off. ble tuner. The GV-300 has AFM hi-fi fun) Video Processor available today. stereo sound. It can also be used as a Wipers® Package contains color monitor when a camcorder view- Why? Because you get complete control 12 reusable VHS/BETA Wipers® finder proves awkward or inconvenient. of contrast. You can expand or compress Other features include onscreen chan- whites to save faded or contrasty videos and labels and a Wipers® pen nel display, picture search, still and slow increase or decrease blackness of videos that modes and index marking. are over or under exposed. FULL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE Price: $1,400. You can convert film negaitves to YES! RUSH ME WIPERS! positives for recording or viewing. You can For additional information, invert chrominance and invert luminance NAME ST. circle no. 141 on Reader Service Card. for special effects. You can use the enhancer ADDRESS UNIT COST and a white ‘‘blob’’ becomes a face with CITY — individual eyelashes! Split screen feature ary | gives you side-by-side unenhanced/ enhanced comparision. x $5.50 each cCSNR9iaFoiaoendenr.rfdacdvoidl.irteecmireaotniaoln, x $1.25 shipping & handling You can correct weak colors, color shifts and brighten faded videos. Brightness con- TOTAL ENCLOSED trol improves too dark or too light scenes and allows fading in or out. Luminace meter PLEASE ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY helps you accurately set brightness level. SEND TO: JORRIN ENTERPRISES v Call today for free catalog or to order P.O. BOX 1035, CHAMPLAIN NY 12919-1035 - Full 1 year unconditional guarantee! 1-800-647-1800 MFJ ENTERPRISES, INC. CSR5NicaFoaeiondenr.rfdacdvoild.irteec9mireao2tn1iaoln,Louisville. Rd., Starkville, MS 39759 Phn. (601) 323-5869; FAX: (601) 323-6551 © 1990 MFJ Enterprises, Inc.

BY DAVID RANADA HOW CAMCORDERS SEE An eye-opening look at an amazing class of lenses and the innovative systems they harness to shape the face of video. very video embodies a way of seeing. camcorder opt—iespcecisally if you from company to company, yet cam- Even amateur tapes of simple scenes | think you know about video lenses from corder zooms share important principles. from family life tell us something, if using 35mm cameras. Video and film Most are divided into three groups only a little, about the person wield- cameras exploit a common optical tech- of elements: the variator, the relay and ing the camcorder. The videographer’s nology by fundamentally different the compensator. Variator elements perspective colors even casual shots. means. The structure of their lenses, the move backward and forward to adjust a And so does the camcorder’s: If we systems that focus them, the way they lens’ focal length. They actually com- know how to look, videos tell us also sense and control light go a long way to- prise a variable telescope within the about the camcorders used to shoot ward explaining the differences between larger lens, producing a so-called virtual them. video images and photographs. They image, which the relay section —a group We see first of all how different a also answer common questions about | of normal, fixed focal-length elements— video image is from a photograph. Its how camcorders work and yield impor- projects onto a sensor. The compensator texture, its field of view, its perspectives, tant insights when it comes time to buy elements keep the image in focus on the its treatment of motion all signify the ; one. sensor as the variator shifts back and presence of a distinctive medium. And forth. less obviously, a distinctive system of op- ANATOMY OF A ZOOM Beyond this three-part structure, tics. Zoom lenses are the optical hearts of zoom lenses vary greatly. For example, Half camera and half VCR, cam- consumer camcorders. Although they’re the elements that focus on a subject can corders are the centaurs of consumer still specialized options for film cameras, be either in front of or behind the varia- electronics, ingeniously compressing two their presence on camcorders is taken tor group. The former arrangement al- separate components into compact de- for granted. Complex and costly, they lows simple manual focusing by twisting vices barely larger, in some cases, than give camcorders extraordinary reach an external focusing ring. Internal focus- the 35mm cameras they are increasingly and flexibility, yet sometimes weigh no ing elements usually require a motor- coming to resemble. Yet, while they more than a few ounces. driven, switch-activated control. Some share much with 35mm cameras, the All zooms are made ofamultitude of zoom lenses, like those on Panasonic’s cameras inside camcorders are as differ- lens elements—up to 12 in a typical de- Compact VHS Palmcorders, even do ent from SLRs as electronic keyboards sign— using a variety of glasses and plas- without compensators because their au- tics. Each element has a unique set of tofocus systems are programmed to do are from pianos. We're going to take you on an eye- curvatures and each plays a specific role the job. opening excursion into the heart of in correcting or compensating for lens Recent camcorders, like Panasonic's aberrations that would otherwise occur. PV-660, which have electronic image David Ranada's writings about aspects of Some move almost constantly, at times | stabilization and electronic zooming, A/V technology have appeared in numerous in opposite directions. Designs for the rely on electronics, not optics, for these publications. elements and their arrangement vary enhancements. The electronics massage 38 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

Lens Is More: Subcompact 8mm and VHS-C camcorders by Sony. Hitachi, RCA, Ze- nith, JVC and Pana- sonic (left to right) illus- trate the progress made in miniaturizing auto- focusing zoom lenses. the output of the lens’ image sensor. In sumer models, they come either as a lya convention inherited from the days the case of zooming, the central portion charge-coupled device (CCD) or as a of imaging tubes, when Vidicons, Satic- of the sensor’s signal is electronically en- metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) chip ons, Plumbicons and the like were de- larged to fill the whole frame. Since the in one of three sizes: 2/3 of an inch, scribed by the size of the outer diameter central portion of a lens’ image is the half-inch and 1/3-inch. Half-inch chips of their tubes. And just as the active, easiest part to process without aberra- are the most widely used. The larger image-sensing areas of the tubes were tions, the task adds no new burdens to sensors are found in some Hi8 cam- smaller than their nominal sizes, so the the optical system. It becomes the sen- corders and professional cameras, and image-sensing areas of chips are a few sor’s job to maintain the image quality at the smaller ones in many of the newest millimeters smaller than the stated sizes the enlarged ranges. of solid-state sensors. ultra-miniature models, both 8mm and SENSOR SIZE The real significance of sensor size is Solid-state image sensors in cam- Compact VHS. its role in miniaturization. As sensors The size of a sensor does affect a shrink, so can lenses—with no loss in corders take the place of film in cam- picture quality. And small, light lenses eras. Light, relatively inexpensive, camcorder's optical design. But, con- are easier and less costly to produce. durable and simply aligned, these re- trary to popular belief, it bears no direct markable chips contribute much to relationship to image quality. A bigger FIELDS OF VIEW making camcorders easy to use. In con- chip doesn’t necessarily deliver a better Camcorder lenses are often touted picture. The practice of referring to an SVIATRTTOORRIO OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 39 image sensor by its size in inches is mere-

INSIDE OPTICS in terms of their zoom ranges; that is, slightly from these viewing fields.) 35mm cameras. For example, the 27-de- whether they're 6x, 8x, 10x, or, in rare The chart shows how lenses with gree vertical angle furnished by a stan- dard 50mm SLR lens is considerably | cases, 12x (a factor also expressed in ra- identical zoom ratio—s6x or 8x, for ex- tio form as 6:1, 8:1, etc.). Unlike sensor ampl—emay cover different fields of wider than the 17-degree vertical view size, this is a useful concept, but it’s in- view. This happens when their focal complete. To get the whole picture, it’s ranges differ. Looking at the chart, we afforded by the standard focal length for necessary to know a lens’ field or angle can see that even though lenses ranging vid—ewhoich is always twice the diago- of view, which describes how much of a from 9 to 54mm and from 11 to 66mm given scene a lens can capture. may both use half-inch sensors, their nal dimension of the sensor. This works viewing fields vary by several degrees. out to 16mm for a lens using a half-inch You can determine a lens’ field of Especially noteworthy are the different sensor (which has an 8mm diagonal). view if you know the two extreme focal viewing fields for camcorders that range lengths between which a lens can zoom. from 11 to 66mm and from 12 to 72mm, As a result, video has a zoomed- even though they both share 6x zoom in quality compared to still photog- These numbers, expressed in millime- raphy. But this shift toward narrower ters, are usually right on the lens barrel. power. angles, made practical by the small size For a simple lens, like a magnifying glass, At wide-angle, or short focal length, of sensors, has been found to produce the focal length is the distance from the less distortion and more pleasing per- center of the lens to the point where settings, differences of a degree or two spectives during pans and other cam- light from an essentially infinite distance are negligible, especially since most TV corder movements. converges. If you try to scorch a piece of monitors trim the edges of camcorder paper with a magnifying glass, its focal images anyway. But at telephoto, or long length is simply the distance from the focal-length, settings, one degree can lens to the point of sunlight that triggers mean the difference between a distant object filling the screen or floating in the the smoke. For a zoom lens, the focal middle of it. length is the distance from the focal point to the whole assembly’s optical You can see these differences during center, which changes according to the in-store comparisons in which cam- corders are set up on fixed stalks with zoom setting. adjustable tripod heads. Few will want Using focal lengths, the sensor size to base a buying decision solely on a camcorder's field of view, but under- and a dash of trigonometry, it’s a simple standing how fields vary helps in de- matter to calculate a lens’ angles of view. The accompanying chart (page 40) ciphering the differences among illustrates how these angles vary across camcorders. For example, you may want zoom ranges and sensor sizes, as to go with a camcorder that has a wider well as how they compare to viewing fields for common 35mm film lenses. short focal-length, rather than one with (Since the chart data are derived from a comparable, but narrower range. calculations, not actual lens measure- Even at their widest settings, cam- ments, specific brands of lenses may vary corders have narrower angles than Relay 3 Ways to See: AUTOFOCUS Elements Schematic drawings of Few things contribute more to the a zoom lens illustrate usability of consumer camcorders than how variator and com- autofocus systems, which are primarily pensator elements shift electronic in nature, not optical. Yet while there may seem to be as many au- in relation to each other tofocus systems as there are camcorders, for wide-angle, tele- the systems all fall into three categories: photo and macro rangefinding, phase detection and blur settings. reduction. The oldest autofocusing system still widely used — mainly because it’s reliable and inexpensiv—eis infrared rangefind- ing. A camcorder-mounted light-emit- ting diode, like the one on a TV set’s 40 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

COMPENSATOR FILTER Zoom With a View: VARIATOR 1/2\" CCD Cross-section of a 6x Matsushita zoom lens shows how its 13 ele- ments relate to each other. The relay section comprises the elements between the compensa- tor and the filter. remote control, emits a beam of infrared left and right halves of the zoom lens. A Barrel Distortion light through a special lens. Another self-correcting loop in the arrangement lens, mounted nearby, catches the drives the focusing elements so that the Pincushion Distortion beam’s reflection from the camcorder’s images on the detector match each oth- Moving Targets: During rapid zooms, some cam- subject and directs it to one of many lo- er as much as possible. corder lenses display visible aberrations known as cations on an infrared detector, usually a barrel and pincushion distortions. photodiode array or a special CCD chip. Some camcorders mount the phase- detector behind a single, separate, un- The subject’s distance determines tinted lens on the front of the unit. This the precise spot on the detector on reduces the amount of light diverted which the reflected beam lands. This in- from the.main lens. formation is then used to adjust the lens’ The newest TTL autofocus systems focus. Usually, the detector is mechan- are all variations on the theme of blur ically linked to the focusing elements so reduction, a concept that makes more that the arrangement forms a self-cor- intuitive sense than the other types of recting loop, continuously adjusting the systems, since eyes also detect focus by focus. You can usually spot an infrared rangefinder by looking for one or two the lack of blur. Electronically, blur can be detected in any of several ways, such |dark red windows on the front of the as by measuring the contrast within an camcorder. These usually cover the in- image. Piezo and digital autofocus sys- frared emitter and detector. On some tems exploit the fact that a sharp, fo- cused video signal has a larger non-infrared models, such windows cov- proportion of high-frequency video in- er the remote control sensor. formation than a blurry image of the same scene. In principle, it’s a relatively Phase-detection autofocus is an im- simple matter to direct the focusing ele- portant type of through-the-lens (TTL) ments to maximize a zoom lens’ high- | system. Dispensing with special infrared lenses, TTL systems determine focus frequency video output. conditions by monitoring the video sig- Fuzzy logic autofocus, along with nal or, in the phase-detection variety, by monitoring the light that passes through piezo and digital systems, are not means of focus detection, but focus control. They the zoom lens. In a standard phase-detec- deal with more subtle aspects of focus- | tion setup, some of this light is diverted ing, including how and how quickly a onto a detector array where it forms two system determines when and in which separate “images” that correspond to |the light streaming through the extreme BEILEILReOUGTSMTAReANTIONS: OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 41

In looking for a camcorder, these char- the iris. Videographers can only control deed, comparisons of camcorders’ sensi- acteristics need to be evaluated on a tivity, or lux, ratings with their lenses’ model-by-model basis. the iris setting, and, to a lesser degree, speeds show no correlation between the exposure time (often incorrectly referred two factors. Indeed, it’s extremely difficult to to as shutter speed). They have no con- predict how well autofocus systems work trol over chip sensitivity, the video Auto-iris systems face their greatest by reading data sheets and brochures. equivalent of film speed, unless they challenges when the illumination in a Important variables include a focusing own Sony's Hi8 CCD-V101 or one of its scene changes fast and frequently. This system’s speed, accuracy, stability and clones, all of which feature variable gain. can cause unacceptable surges in picture minimum distance; how much it hunts brightness if the changes outpace the for a proper focus; its ability to find low- Until recently, camcorder sensors iris’ ability to keep up. Backlit scenes contrast, patterned and off-center sub- were set for an exposure time of 1/60 of a can also lead to loss ofdetail in a subject jects; its reaction to windows, reflec- second, the duration of a single video as the iris responds to the overly bright tions, backlighting and movement; even field. This left the exposure burden background by stopping down. Back- the ease with which it switches over to squarely on the iris mechanism. Since light-compensation controls, present on manual mode. exposure requirements can change rap- idly as subjects move in and out of a many camcorders, widen the apertures a So many factors come into play that frame, the process has long been auto- little to restore detail to foreground sub- wise shoppers should simply try out jects, although sometimes at the cost of models in which they're interested, or mated, even on professional video cam- excessive background light. Some of the their functionally equivalent clones. eras. This means taking the camcorder for a new auto-irises, like the one on Fisher's serious test drive. Either shoot a short A motor, driven by automated cir- FVC-800 8mm camcorder, use fuzzy log- tape and play it back on a proper moni- cuitry, opens and closes the iris to con- ic circuits as well as a division of the sen- tor, or plug the camcorder's video out- trol the amount of light falling on the sor into multiple zones, for a finer and put into a TV set and put the lens faster degree of exposure control. through its paces. It’s pointless to evalu- sensor. Under intense light, the auto-iris ate focusing and other lens functions control “stops down” the lens, leaving Aperture size as controlled by the through the viewfinder (though you only a small aperture. Under low-light iris also affects a lens’ depth of field, should check to see how well the view- conditions, the aperture is opened fully, which is increased by stopping down and finder itself adapts to your eyesight). letting all available light hit the sensor. decreased by opening up the iris. Depth- The maximum size of the opening is in- of-field control is a primary tool of ex- IRIS AND SHUTTER pression for still photographers and cine- Still photographers control exposure dicated by an f-stop number, which usu- matographers, but it is rarely used ally ranges from f/1.2 to f/2 for artistically in video. This is largely be- three ways: by selecting films of different camcorders. This rating (also known as cause iris control is so crucial for correct speed (sensitivity), by varying the shut- lens speed) is far less important in video exposure and because video exposure ter speed to regulate exposure time, and than in still photography because the time traditionally has been fixed at 1/60. by twisting the f-stop ring to shrink or range of available lens speeds is much more limited, and because chip sensi- However, all recent camcorders have adjustable shutter speeds, and a tivity (which is fixed), rather than lens speed, primarily dictates how well a few, like Sony’s CCD-VI101, have specific camcorder performs with little light. In- 42 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

provisions for depth-of-field control, at’ much as in the programmed exposure LBM ne modes available now in 35mm cameras. Own your own Videographers can trade off, within a limited range, the iris opening against Video Photograph the shutter speed. LENS ABERRATIONS The critical still photographer has much to worry about when it comes to pdcoyYd(o(-Me- WaTalc1o 0(-MnUte(-tom o)alo) coleie-) ola) me-y-laU(e—a (o] lens selection. There’s spherical aberra- ¢ Conventions e Weddings and other social tion, chromatic aberration (both trans- e Realtors functions verse and longitudinal), coma, astigmatism and field distortion. For a e Attorneys e Convert home, school, and number of reasons, life for the videogra- pher is much simpler. First, you can’t (at e Insurance inventories ‘industrial movies to video tape least not yet) select the lens separately The No. 1 growth business of the 90’s. As featured in from the camera. Second, good consum- Entrepreneur, USA Today and Venture, VDS is the largest video er camcorder lenses are easier to pro- taping and film to tape transfer service in the U.S. duce than film camera lenses because they are much smaller in diameter. But _Our complete package includes all equipment, live classroom most important, the performance crite- ria for even the best lenses for consumer training, field assistance, sales brochures, direct mail letters, camcorders are much lower than those for 35mm lenses because video as a me- comprehensive marketing program and much more. Can be dium is far less demanding than film. started on a part-time basis. Ideal as family business. Complete package $15,950. Call for information package now, or write On top of all this, the eye is less sen- sitive to some of these aberrations when rol\\diare Mmat-lan\\smum-(o(olc-1-s-eum o)alolalomalelanlel—16 an image is complex and in motion. And nearly all these basic lens defects are VpEO DATA SERVICES’ ) swamped by luminance and chromi- 24 Grove Street, Dept. V nance resolution limits in the NTSC Pittsford, NY 14534 video system, and quality limits in a 800-836-9461 (24 hours) camcorder's attached VCR. Works with AC adaptor The only basic aberration that or batteries should cause more than passing concern to a camcorder buyer is distortion. This Rewinds comes in two flavors, barrel and pin- videotapes cushion, both of which are troublesome Uses both wet and dry in zoom lenses. Zooming in to a narrow Watcielaladslaicieis cleaning methods telephoto view can produce pin-cushion simultaneously cleans and Cleans in both forward distortion, while zooming out to a wide- rewinds your and reverse direction angle shot typically generates a barrel ef- VCR tapes, fect. Barrel distortion can be especially Includes replaceable obvious if the camcorder or the subject Couipaliarelciare} cleaning posts is moving, and can visibly increase as a macro function comes into play. forelpitetaniiaar)ety Cleans both sides iaratmerslelsicure (ere(0) of videotape Flare is of more concern to still pho- Pare mule.cle) tographers. But it can show up in cam- corders due to internal lens reflections. distortion, In camcorders, vertical smearing by the sensor is more important. But this is a \\Atbnertect . factor unaffected by optical design. If it VIDEOTAPE OLEANEN 8 REWNOEH strikes, you may be able to reduce it by manually stopping down, if your cam- V{| HS corder allows it. With so many details to consider, camcorder optics may seem intimidat- fill out this coupon order form below and save $10.00. ing, eee of pring bett ae ee | ORDER INFORMATION: SOLD TO: | anetetresn.tio; n.But it’s aneswubjheci. tgh-wrelelsolwuotrit:on | #Unit: s OrdeJ) red eed @ $59.95 = $ The | Add for shipping and handling $ 3.50 Name: | camcorders and the pending arrival of Address: | interchangeable lenses will place ever- | Texas residents add sales tax $ l greater demands on camcorder optics. TOTAL $ | | And as home videographers develop | Payment Method: Check M/C VISA AMEX Expiration Date better technique and more sophisticated | Card Number: Sans SCR2NcaiFoeai9oendnrr.rfdacvdoidli.rteecmireaotniaoln, taping tastes, the cameras inside cam- Mail this coupon to: corders will have to keep pace with the 4265 San Felipe, Houston, TX 77027 U.S.A. VisionPerfect Corporation Telephone: (713) 621-2808 FAX: (713) 621-1639 improved skills of their users. ] ee, — eee ee ee ee eS ePleeasee allow 2O-3e weeks feor edelievery. ee =a OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 43

BY RODERICK WOODCOCK OILENT RUNNINGSuper VHS Update Super VHS landed JVC introduced Super VHS more than which they consider good enough. Con- with a splash, then three years ago as the video format that sumer acceptance of S-VHS in the U.S. seemed to sink. Yet would extend the worldwide supremacy has not lived up to JVC’s expectations— despite slow sales, of VHS into the ’90s. Despite sharp less than ten percent of all new VHS scientists have machines sold are in the higher resolu- quietly improved competition by 8mm and the surging tion format —and many are camcorders. the format, while popularity of small camcorders and, fitting it into ever more recently, laserdiscs, VHS has easily While prices on S-VHS machines smaller packages. maintained its top dog position. But has are finally coming down, tape prices still S-VHS lived up to its promise? And remain high. S-VHS T-120 cassettes list Hi-Res Hit: for around $15 with ST-C20 reels selling Indiana Jones and the does the format still hold any surprises? Last Crusade, one of The answer to the first question de- for almost as much, even though they the few blockbusters hold one-sixth as much tape. With VHS available in S-VHS. pends on where people live and on what they use their VCRs and camcorders for. blanks selling for as little as $3, price- | The answer to the second question is a sensitive buyers are reluctant to switch formats. clear yes. With little or no fanfare, S-VHS has experienced a series of re- Despite sluggish sales, S-VHS con- finements since its January 1987 debut— improvements that enhance the S-VHS tinues to mature as a format, with im- picture, improve the system’s efficiency, provements that make today’s products and help it perform in smaller environ- superior in most respects to the first | VCRs and camcorders. One early criti- ments, like the chassis of an S-VHS-C cism of the format was that, while it in- camcorder. Yet S-VHS has never really caught the imagination of American consum- ers. In Japan, where videophiles em- brace new tech- nology with more enthusiasm than elsewhere in the world, S-VHS ac- counts for more than 40 percent of the market. Vir- tually all “replace- ment’ VCRs use the S-VHS for- mat. But Ameri- cans have been slower to appreciate the improvements of- fered by the new sys- tem. Confronted with higher prices for S-VHS decks and blank tapes, many have stuck with standard VHS, 44 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

Getting Better All the Time: VCRs like Mitsubishi's U-82 (left), Panasonic’s PV-S4080 (below) and Hitachi’s VT-S730 (bot- tom) include updated features that enhance S-VHS performance. creased picture detail by raising the Erevens SVHS) luminance frequency, not much was done to improve the color signal. Early Even with Y/C (luminance/chromi- a detachable LCD spate tland a diminu- confusion surrounding the format’s sepa- tive CCD color camera. rate processing of the color and lumi- nance) signal processing, however, some nance signals led some to believe that color noise remained in the final picture. OVAL CUTS JVC has overcome this problem in such S-VHS manufacturers have also S-VHS was a component video format, newer VCRs as the HRS-10000 and the as good as broadcast formats such as Be- HRS-8800 enhancements. The decks concentrated on video head design, not use a new Y/C separator along with a only to enhance S-VHS quality, but to tacam or M-II. This is not the case. new circuit to reduce color edging and bring new features such as hi-fi sound to While S-VHS maintains a separate sig- spreading at image borders. A more ad- VHS and VHS-C camcorders. JVC has nal path for luminance and chromi- developed new oval-cut video heads nance signals, the color signal is vanced noise reduction circuit processes with rounded corners that eliminate the | converted to a lower frequency for re- low- and high-frequency signals inde- tisk a head will pick up erroneous signals pendently. A linear phase aperture cor- from adjacent tape tracks. Conventional | cording, as with standard VHS, Beta, heads, the company claims, have sharp 8mm and even the 3/4-inch U-Matic rection circuit also contributes to a more edges that coincide with the azimuth format. natural-looking picture. angle of the main head gap, resulting in Still, by keeping the color and black ghosts and beats in a picture. Although These improvements apply to both it was developed as an S-VHS improve- & white picture components separate the SP and EP speeds, but are especially ment, the oval-cut heads have become a for most of their trip through the VCR useful in enhancing the appearance of standard feature in all of JVC’s high-end and, ultimately, to the TV monitor, VCRs and camcorders. S-VHS significantly benefits picture tapes made in EP. Ob- quality. Color crosstalk and picture taining satisfactory EP Other manufacturers have also de- moire are eliminated, as is the dot crawl picture quality in S-VHS vised improved heads. or hanging dot effect that often shows at is a high priority with Both Hitachi and Panasonic are now the border of two colors. JVC, since this is the speed the company Not for the Superstitious: The video drum on Pan- hopes will give S-VHS asonic’s PV-S160 camcorder uses 13 heads. parity with the rival 8mm format. Currently, the longest VHS-C cas- sette delivers 30 minutes at SP or 90 minutes at EP. An even longer (and thinner) 40- minute tape capable of holding two hours of EP programming is un- der development. Quality S-VHS pic- tures at both SP and EP are important elements of JVC’s plans for new prod- ucts, such as its SC-FOO7U modular vid- eo system, which consists of a tiny VCR, OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 45

SILENT RUNNING using laminated super-amorphous Smallest S-VHS: heads, previously available only on JVC's SC-007U person- professional S-VHS models, on many al video system comprises a pocket-size consumer VCRs. Hitachi’s VT-S730 VCR and VM-CIA Thin Man cam- stereo S-VHS-C re- corder use these heads. An amorphous corder, a tiny LCD head (amorphous film on ferrite) offers monitor and a hand- higher magnetic flux density and more held video camera. permeability. The Hitachi design adopts | raises the luminance and chrominace a cross configuration that creates two signal-to-noise ratios by at least 3 dB in The solution is as graceful as it is different head widths in a double EP —but that’s a significant improve- complicated. The video and the audio azimuth configuation: a wide head for ment over earlier designs. heads are clustered together in four SP record/play, and a narrower head for Panasonic’s decision to use a smaller | groups around the drum. These compo- EP. The cross-head design also elimi- 41.33mm diameter video cylinder in all site heads include a 24-micron ferrite nates the false gap that can pick up its latest camcorders required an inge- head for the audio signal, and two amor- noise-inducing extraneous signals and nious solution to the problem of adding phous heads (23 microns and 30 mi- concentrates the magnetic energy to- hi-fi sound to its PV-S160 S-VHS-C cam- crons, respectively) for the EP and SP ward the center of the gap. corder (see illustration). The difficulty video signals. This new laminated head Amorphous heads have a multi-lay- lay in cramming 13 heads on the small- is built on a non-magnetic substrate and er construction that reduces picture diameter drum: four heads for each tape has the advantage of eliminating con- noise and enhances color. Hitachi’s new speed, SP and EP, plus four heads for the tact or “rubbing” noise between the | head design raises the color signal-to- hi-fi audio signal, plus a frame-width fly- head and the tape, enhancing the sig- noise ratio by 3 decibels, and the lumi- ing-erase head. In addition, a brass nal-to-noise ratio and improving color nance S/N by at least 5 dB (in SP weight was needed on the opposite side | images. mode). The improvement at the EP of the drum to balance the mass of the On many table models, like the speed is not as great. The new design | flying erase head. HRS-10000, and on some camcorders, like JVC’s compact GR-S707, new me- chanical tape stabilizers reduce tape jit- ter. One drawback of the smaller size drum was unwanted tape vibration in- duced by contact between the extra heads and the tape. A new design with a Flying Erase raised edge on the lower part of the Head drum has fixed the problem. Almost all new VHS decks now use full-load transports, which keep the tape threaded around the video drum in all operating modes, including stop, for- ward and reverse wind. This improves tape handling considerably, and elimi- nates delays caused by the need to thread the tape. Flying erase heads, jog/ shuttle dials, synchro edit jacks (which control two VCRs, or a VCR and a cam- corder, for simple editing) and other convenience features have also been in- troduced. These features are more com- mon on upscale S-VHS decks, but they aren't confined to this format. The addition of electronic time-base correction circuits has also improved the S-VHS picture. Even with improve- Video ments to the tape transport, bearings Heads and impedance rollers, signal stability with most small-gauge video formats re- mains a concern. None of those “fun- Shrunken Heads: Bird's-eye view showing how Panasonic fits 13 heads on the PV-S160 camcorder's head drum. niest home videos” you saw this year on ABC went straight from the cassette to IBELEILROUGTSMTRAANT 46 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

broadcast. All had to be electronically In an industry rich in ironies, Sony has added another. It beefed up by passing the signal through a is quietly introduc—inwigth none of the hoopla that usu- time-base corrector, or TBC. Outboard ally accompanies important new components —one of the TBCs have been available for years, but company’s most eagerly awaited products, its first Super they’ve always been expensive. New dig- VHS VCR. Privately previewed to a handful of journal- ital techniques now make it possible to build in a basic TBC on many new ists at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, the SLV-R5 combines state-of-the-art features, VCRs, such as Panasonic’s PV-S4990, sleek styling and a relatively low price of $1,299. Avail- and camcorders. So-called consmer vid- able in September, it represents the final step of Sony’s eo gear is getting more professional all the time. commitment to VHS technology. Another recent example is Mit- The machine's key features include an instant-re- subishi’s U-82 S-VHS table model, sponse full-load tape transport, high-speed rewind, a real- which offers dynamic tracking video time counter, jog/shuttle knobs on both a fold-down heads. It’s only the second VHS deck to front panel and the remote control, and a flying erase offer such a feature; the first was Pan- asonic’s NV-8950, back in 1983. Dynam- head. Like previous Sony VHS decks, the R5 offers ic tracking heads are mounted on a piezoelectric wafer that moves up and Sony’s unique Edit Monitor system, which displays two down in response to the varying linear speed of the videotape and the changing digitally generated inset pictures on a single monitor, angle of the video tracks. In this way, making it possible to view the image from a source tape perfect tracking becomes possible, even as well as the image on the tape being edited. For easy with tapes made at the EP speed. The camcorder hookup, the R5 has a frontal set of audio/vid- usual horizontal noise bars during some special-effects modes are eliminated. eo inputs (including an S-connector), as well as a set of MUSCLE DECKS inputs and outputs on the rear panel. Despite slow consumer acceptance The deck includes Sony's proprietary Control S jack for direct connection to other Sony 8mm and Beta of S-VHS, the format has received an VCRs. Synchro edit control is also provided, and with a enthusiastic welcome from professionals eSpre-roll function that increases editing accuracy. Another who have the technical savvy to appre- | editing feature is an electronic tab marking system for ciate its high-resolution capabilities. rapid, bi-directional access to points on a tape. Panasonic, JVC, Sharp and Hitachi all A new comb filter and a digital Y/C separator maxi- maintain industrial video divisions, sell- |ing a variety of S-VHS hardware mize S-VHS quality. To improve image stability, the new through a separate dealer network. transport mechanism has two tape stabilizers. Another innovation is a built-in head cleaner. This is a small roll- All four companies offer specialized, er mounted behind the video cylinder, which briefly costlier S-VHS hardware that outper- touches the spinning video heads each time a tape is forms consumer gear, which is built with loaded or unloaded. some compromises in mind. For one _ The R95 also offers hi-fi sound, an MTS decoder and thing, industrial machines aren’t as at- | a 181-channel, frequency-synthesized tuner. Automatic | tractive to look at, and they’re not in- tracking eliminates the need to manually track SP, LP or tended to be. In the tradition of In Control; EP tapes (the deck plays LP tapes, but won't record industrial video gear, they’re workhorses designed to withstand the rigors of sus- Sony's SLV-R5 is the them). Other convenience features include an 8-event/l- tained daily use. month programmable timer, a three-hour time backup in first S-VHS VCR with the event of power failure, and a programmable remote Service considerations also come be- control with an LCD display, making it possible to add fore styling, so many models have easily a Control $ jack, | the codes for other brands of remotes into the Sony’s removed top plates, with plug-in circuit which lets it interface boards that can pop out for service. Some models even have access ports with 8mm and Beta over the head drum, making head clean- ing and maintenance easier. Almost all VCRs for precise control unit. pro VCRs come without tuner sections, since recording off-the-air is a rare re- editing. quirement. Anyway, it’s easy to inter- connect an external tuner/timer to fill OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 47

i the need for broadcast recording. TV stations fering many advantages over 3/4-inch, Industrial decks are optimized for | Panasonic says. The equipment and Manythe standard VHS speed, and fitted with tapes cost less, and are lighter and more industrial grade video heads. These portable. Moreover, an entire two-hour program fits on a single S-VHS cassette, have found S-VHSheads produce full-width video tracks, 58 microns wide (the VHS specifica- while 3/4-inch still requires two tapes tion), for optimal quality. Consumer ma- suitable for | chines, on the other hand, include the professional use. (and two players, where automated | economy EP speed, where even in S-VHS the results can’t equal those of within Panasonic’s industrial video divi- playback is required). the SP speed. Some so-called industrial sion, which no longer sells the 20-year- S-VHS also offers a sharper, more S-VHS decks, such as JVC’s BS-711 du- | detailed original image, while 3/4-inch plicating slave, offer the EP speed for initially delivers pictures with less hori- those who insist on it. But as dealers and zontal resolution. Multigeneration dub- bing, however, sometimes gives the nod to the older format, which uses a greater pros will tell you, for quality results, SP old 3/4-inch U-Matic format introduced / amount of tape area to record its signal. is the only way to go. | by Sony and JVC in the early ’70s. | An improved variation of 3/4-inch, | S-VHS has found a happy home | S-VHS is a better format for the '90s, of- called U-Matic SP, is also offered by Sony, but both tape and equipment cost considerably more than S-VHS gear. The upper threshold of S-VHS hori- EE zontal resolution is one that consumers rarely achieve, especially if they only re- cord programs off the air, cable or satel- lite TV (which generally provides the VidicraFt™ brings 120 Feet of high quality, best signal) for later viewing. Bandwidth wall penetrating, wireless audio/video | constraints limit broadcast TV to only | about 330 lines of resolution. S-VHS (as transmission to the home entertainment well as Hi8 and ED Beta) easily exceeds this number. industry. The Vidi-View is the highest quality Consumers have rightly asked, wireless system available, and the only “What’s the purpose of a video format | that’s better than I need?” S-VHS back- system with baseband and RF loopthrough. ers reply that not all video images origi- nate with commercial TV broadcasts. The Vidi-View has a money back guarantee Generating high resolution video images along with a Full one year warranty. IF you're with a camcorder is a growing aspect of | home video, and the better the quality in the market For a wireless audio/video of the original tape you make, the better will be the quality of dubs and edited system, look For the best — Vidi-View! masters made from them. Once again, this has been appreci- ated more by professionals than average consumers. Aspiring videographers, newshounds and wedding photographers readily appreciate the sharper and more detailed images S-VHS can deliver— images that retain far more of their | sharpness when dubbed and edited, | even if the final distribution tape is de- livered to the customer in standard | VHS. These video activists are buying SRgeBaAPE RS S-VHS, but more often the expensive | industrial models. While single-chip S-VHS cam- corders (with CCD chips offering from | 330,000 to 410,000 pixels) are available, | and provide visibly better pictures than their VHS counterparts, costlier profes- sional camcorders from Panasonic and VIDICRAFT” JVC offer two or three CCD chips to A Video Technology Company maximize image quality and push the 8770 SW Nimbus Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97005 | format to its limits. 1-800-999-5975 / In Oregon 626-1918 / Fax 503-644-9887 Panasonic’s AG-460, for example, is a full-size $3,680 camcorder that uses two CCD pickups: one for the chromi- ance signal and one for the luminance signal. Using two chips instead of one | For additional information, circle No. 21 on Reader Service Card. continued on page 108 48 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990

Announcing the VIDEO SBWUAYP sic movie taken out of TRADER, the monthly newslet- distribution? Whether you want ter that puts you in touch with to buy it or sell it, the first — the only — place to look is in the people who have what you want. pages of the TRADER. Whether you’re looking to sell And for a limited time, your your two-year-old full-sized cam- Charter Subscription (just $15 corder so you can get a new for 12 monthly issues) will also palm-sized wonder ... or buy a bring you $50 worth of advertis- missing episode of a TV series to ing in the VIDEO TRADER so , fill in a hole in your collection ... you can offer to sell what you the VIDEO TRADER can do it. have or buy what you want — absolutely FREE. Beginning in December 1990, VIDEO Magazine will publish Use the coupon on this page to order your Charter Subscrip- SELLthis first-ever marketplace for tion and reserve your $50 in free used equipment, accessories and advertising. Just send us your programs that puts you in direct name and address and your first ad along with your payment touch with other readers who check of $15 ... to get started also want to find the right stuff. saving money on what you buy, making money on what you sell Every month, you'll receive and having a great time doing it! the VIDEO TRADER loaded, SAMPLE ADS page after page, with ads from FOR SALE—Toshiba MSO9X VCR. Flying Erase Heads, Tog/Shuttle, 2 years old, ULLreaders like you for VCRs, cam- light use. Call Bill. (212) 000-0000. corders, TVs, laser discs, editing WANTED—Episodes of ‘‘American Band- equipment, movies and collector stand” from 1950s featuring Bob and Justine, Kenny and Arlene. Pay or tapes, lights, tripods...you name trade. Call Bill. (212) 000-0000. it....set up in convenient catagories The first Betamax in working SAVEcondition? A missing segment of “Leave It to Beaver”? A certain speaker or amplifier that would finish your home theater? A clas- VIDEO TRADER Ad Form Please check the section your ad is to appear. Programming 7 Offered 4 Wanted Equipment 7 For Sale 3 Wanted 71 Current Movies 7 Classic Movies 7 Current TV 7 Classic TV 1 VCRS 4 Camcorders 4 Portable VCRs 7 Sports 3 How To 1 TVs 7 11 Video Discs 4 Accessories 3 Rare/Collector’s J Other 73 Antiques/Collectibles 7 Other YES, sign me up for a Charter Subscription to Phone Number: ( $5.00 $5.00 the VIDEO TRADER for only $15.00. I'm sending $5.00 $5.00 my first ad—part of the $50.00 in free advertis- Please print your ad legibly, one word in each space. ing reserved for me. $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00 $5.25 Name (please print) $5.00 $5.00 $6.00 $6.25 Address $5.00 $5.00 $7.00 $7.25 City Zip. $5.00 $5.00 $8.00 $8.25 State $5.50 $5.75 $9.00 $9.25 $6.50 $6.75 $7.50 $7.75 $8.50 $8.75 Rates: Up to 15 words, $5.00; each additional word, 25 cents. Phone number counts as one word. If you prefer name and address, name counts as one word, address counts as one word, city/state/zip counts as one word. Phone will be used unless otherwise instructed. For longer, or additional, ads, attach sheet of paper; same rates. “1 My payment of $15.00 is enclosed (payable TOTAL WORD COUNT: to VIDEO Magazine) OCTOBER 1990 VIDEO 49

BY BRUCE EDER THOREIRLILAELRS ost video buffs probably don’t REPUBLIC think much about movie serials. PICTURES BLASTS FROM These action-packed shorts ha- THE PAST ven’t acquired the scholarly ca- Serial Heroes: chet of popular Hollywood genres like Kirk Alyn as Superman Will Superman the musicals and screwball comedies. (left), Ralph Byrd as the dapper Dick Tracy smash Atom Mine? Despite their entertainment value, seri- (top, second from left), Can Tracy close als have been enjoyed by a relatively and Robert Lowery as small audience in recent times. A vari- the caped crusader and the case? Who ¢ ety of current releases on cassette and Johnny Duncan as the is Nyoka? Find/ 4 laserdisc, however, are bringing serials boy wonder in Batman home to an audience now ready for titles and Robin (above). out as classic | like Radar Men from the Moon and Drums cliffhangers \\| of Fu Manchu. stage a video It’s been 35 years since the last mov- revival. ie serials were made. Their action, spread out in separate chapters, was de- signed to bring children back to theaters each Saturday for up to 15 weeks. Thea- ter owners paid a flat fee on a per-chap- ter basis, which was profitable for exhibitors and producers alike until tele- vision came along, bringing free weekly entertainment into the home. But in their heyday of the 1930s and ’40s, seri- als—or chapterplays, as they were known in the tra—dweere the stuff that kids’ dreams were made of: Two-fisted heroes, high-flying air aces, and adven- turers of all stripes battling masked vil- lains, jungle perils and interplanetary invaders. Serials used the non-stop ac- tion and thrills to affirm the values their audiences grew up on. The cream of the chapterplay crop on video comes from Republic Pictures, which was to serials what MGM was to musicals. The Republic titles reveal how serials occupied their own cinematic world, and had their own stars. Rod Cameron and Kay Aldridge, for exam- ple, were two performers who never got beyond “B” features. But with G-Men Vs. the Black Dragon (1942) and Man- hunt in the African Jungle (1943), Cam- eron became the Harrison Ford of his generation, while Aldridge achieved im- mortality as the daring jungle heroine of Nyoka and the Tigermen (1942). Most of the serial producers had something unique to offer. Universal, which made the Flash Gordon serials, had sets and music left over from its 1930s Frankenstein films, giving their se- rials an unmatched opulence. In addi- tion to legendary stuntman Yakima Cannut, Republic had two of Holly- wood's greatest action directors, William 50 VIDEO OCTOBER 1990