Quote from: LordKAT on December 16, 2009, 02:38:30 PM
YUV?

No idea what it means. something about lithium and chrome or something like that

No -YUV was a component video system used in Betacam (which is actually a professional development of Betamax and became a widely used cassette system for professional use) The YUV system uses a luminance signal (Y) which is made up of R+G+B and two weighted chrominance difference signals, U which is B-Y, and V which R-Y. The missing G signal is reconstituted at the display by subtracting weighted versions of the Y U and V signals.

I think what Sandy alludes to is the earlier attempts at field sequential colour in which alternate video fields transmitted either R G or B. This was eventually superceeded by the NTSC system in the US and PAL in europe.

The two systems both rely on phase difference quadrature modulation, the only difference being that with PAL on alternate lines the phase encoding is inverted thus allowing for some degree of self correction of phase distortion resultant from reflection in the transmitted signal path.

There were also some early attempts at color made by Baird using a mechanical scanning technique with a three coloured Nipcow disk. However these were never perfected as the rival electronic scanning technique developed by Farnsworth became the universally used system.

The only other thing I can think of is that I think the space race need for lightweight cameras contributed to the development of the Plumbicon camera tube, which, on account of its extended spectral response rapidly became the mainstay of color television cameras. Earlier tubes such as the image Orthicon suffered in that they were too large, too heavy and too fragile.

There is of course also the development of colour recording techniques an replay compensators like timebase correctors that were used in the early AMPEX quadruplex VT machines (of which I was one of the last expert engineer/operators in the BBC)

Trouble is, I can't really connect all of that very well to the moon landings per-se... other than the fact that using one of the QUAD machines I once managed to accidentally cut one of the last surviving original recordings of the moon landings into confetti! OOOPS 

Would you care to enlighten us all Sandy?

Very good Jenny!

That'll learn me not to muck with an ex-BBC engineer!

You were very close.  A Baird type of camera was used on at least the first moon landing for reasons of weight and reliability.  So the first color tv camera used on the moon was an electo-mechanical type.  The signal had to go through a conversion to be used on commercial tv.  I suspect that was one of the reasons that the pictures seemed a bit grainy even for tv.

I too thought that the betamax was a much better system than VHS since it had so much in common with commercial Umax systems.  The picture quality was great.

With that detailed explanation of the differences between NTSC and PAL, you must have a whole lot of arcane trivia questions backed up.  Let's have one from you, Jen!

-Sandy

Ok lets stick with TV. A three part question - extra sweeties for those getting all three parts...

AMPEX are best known for making professional video and data recording aparatus. But :
1. what do the letters A M P E X stand for?
2. What is the connection to Ladies hair styling?
3. What is the "Russian connection" to all this?

Semi guessing

Alex M Pontaff(sp) EX......something

He was a russian who made first video tape of hair product commercial.

(Semester of Puter class trivia, yay. bad memory tho)

Ding!

And at least part points go to LORDKAT.

Alexander M. Poniatoff EXcellence 

Poniatoff was a Russian emigree who had come to the states with his family after the first world war. He was an electrical engineer and inventor.

His first successful product was a pair of electrically heated curling tongs used widely in ladies hair salons at the time.

This was the product which made his fortune and allowed him found the company which would eventually become AMPEX.

Lordkat would you like to ask a new question?

Otherwise I'm going to have to think of one!

Yay, I got at least a partial!!!!!


I am not in the same league with you ladies. I do appreciate you letting me take off the wall guesses tho. I think I will pass on the question asking as it would seem as child's play to you all.

I did not even have a clue on that one, Jenny.  Congratulations Kat!

My brain is full of cobwebs right now, Jen, please feel free to send us another.

-Sandy

Ok then - right back to the dawn of computing, what was a Williams Tube, how was it used and why was it vital to early computers like Eniac and Manchester Baby?

Quote from: rejennyrated on December 18, 2009, 03:51:44 PM
Ok then - right back to the dawn of computing, what was a Williams Tube, how was it used and why was it vital to early computers like Eniac and Manchester Baby?

Ok I know it was a CRT that could store binary data. Now I'm just guessing about why it was vital...was it because we could now display the data ? 

Full marks that girl 

It was indeed the very first type of core memory.

now can someone else take a turn as quizmistress or quizmaster at your preference please. I need a recharge.