24-01-2017, 10:22 AM
Until 1963 optical was the only way. Then the BBC developed the CO6/501 analogue 625 to 405 converter. Frame rate conversion was still optical until 1968 when the BBC devised the first frame rate converter in time for the 1968 Mexico Olympics. This was the first Olympics that could be seen worldwide thanks to satellite communications. This BBC frame rate converter was analogue, using massive quartz delay lines (each about 3ms, kept at constant temperature) as the main stores. The converter occupied 7 full rack bays.
The first digital converter was the IBA's DICE from 1971. This is well described in IBA Tech Review book 8. This may be available online. I have all 24 volumes both in print and as PDFs but they are huge, 28-40MB each.
All these converters were brilliant bits of engineering.
Optical lived on for a few years into the 1970s but inevitably died. At its best it worked pretty well. There was even a colour optical converter (Bosch?), using separate channels for Y and C.
The first digital converter was the IBA's DICE from 1971. This is well described in IBA Tech Review book 8. This may be available online. I have all 24 volumes both in print and as PDFs but they are huge, 28-40MB each.
All these converters were brilliant bits of engineering.
Optical lived on for a few years into the 1970s but inevitably died. At its best it worked pretty well. There was even a colour optical converter (Bosch?), using separate channels for Y and C.
www.borinsky.co.uk Jeffrey Borinsky www.becg.tv
