Question

[travisl5678]

Can someone tell me what a kinescope is?

 

[donnyg]

If I understand correctly, a kinescope is a recording of a show made as a camera is pointed at a studio monitor. but don't hold me to that!

Donny G ;D

 

[YEKIMI]

It is a device a doctor uses to scope your Kine!

 

[wbhist]

If I understand correctly, a kinescope is a recording of a show made as a camera is pointed at a studio monitor. but don't hold me to that!

That sounds right.

In Britain, the term used for shows produced in such a manner was "telerecording."

 

[Ultimajock]

If I understand correctly, a kinescope is a recording of a show made as a camera is pointed at a studio monitor. but don't hold me to that!

...specifically, it's a film of a broadcast made by pointing the film camera at a television set screen. The process was used throughout the 1950s by all of the networks, and was used by ABC, NBC and CBS to preserve some of their news broadcasts as late as the mid-'70s, before videotape became much less cost-prohibitive as it was in the '50s and '60s...

 

[donnyg]

like I said, TV set ;D

 

[Ultimajock]

like I said, TV set ;D

...but you didn't specify it was a film...

 

[mjlarochelle]

Re: Kinescopes

Kinescopes were also used by CBC in Canada to bring television programming to Northern Canada, before there was a satellite link. They would record live programs via kinescope, and then the films would be flown to remote transmitting stations for broadcast. Such stations included CFYK in Yellowknife. Once CBC put a signal on satellite in 1972, this practice ended, and the North received live network programming.

 

[cowboybud]

Re: Kinescopes

Kinescopes were also used by CBC in Canada to bring television programming to Northern Canada, before there was a satellite link. They would record live programs via kinescope, and then the films would be flown to remote transmitting stations for broadcast. Such stations included CFYK in Yellowknife. Once CBC put a signal on satellite in 1972, this practice ended, and the North received live network programming.

There are quite a few sporting events - such as Super Bowl IV and late 60s World Series - that were preserved on kinescope by CBC, that otherwise would not exist today, as the tapes were erased by the US networks.

 

[bpatrick]

If you ever see one, and you will if you happen onto an
early Berle or Gleason show, you'll note that the quality
tends to be a bit murky, sort of like making a copy of a
copy on a printer; the quality goes down with each successive
copy. But before videotape it was the only way the West Coast
could get network shows that aired live in the East at a reasonable
hour. In fact, Desi Arnaz refused to do "I Love Lucy" live from New
York, despite CBS's insistence, because he knew that folks out West
would get what he called "that lousy kinescope." So he invested his
own money to film the show in LA (and he and Lucy could continue
to live on their ranch in Chatsworth, CA).

 

[travisl5678]

was the kinescope used to transmitt to

 

[Prais]

No. A kinescope is a method of RECORDING a program. The film is NOT frames (like a movie) it's a quite "stretched" picture.

There is a great explanation at Wikipedia.

PS The "classic 39" Honeymooners ep's used a different process called
"Electronicam" (see the closing credits); a television recording system that shot an image on film and television at the same time through a common lens. It was developed by James L. Caddigan for the DuMont Television Network in the 1950s, before electronic recording on videotape was available.

Since the film directly captured the live scene, its quality was much higher than the commonly-used kinescope films, which were shot from a TV screen.

 

[The King Bee]

DuMont Electronicam also resolved the frame rate and scan size differences between film and video (24fps w/varied scan ratio film vs 30fps, 4:3 NTSC video) electronically versus mechanically (altering film shutter speeds, special shutters, etc.), giving much better results.

One reason why Sarnoff and Paley wanted DuMont Television to fail so quickly was to gain their impressive patents on equipment as bargain-basement prices!

 

[newsmark]

"Electronicam" ... shot an image on film and television at the same time through a common lens.

Doesn't seem like that would work well for a live show that needs to play back later the same night, since the image from 2 or 3 cameras would have to be edited together.

 

[cd637299]

Re "I Love Lucy"---

Desi Arnaz was very wise in his decision to film the show....I don't think even *he* knew how long the show would continue to thrive in reruns; but it makes one wonder how long it woulda lasted in reruns if shot on kinnie....1959 maybe?

And, the residuals continue to this day....correct?

cd

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Doesn't seem like that would work well for a live show that needs to play back later the same night, since the image from 2 or 3 cameras would have to be edited together.

No, the kinescope recorder filmed the image from a special TV monitor which was
fed the program output, network master control output, or the incoming network
feed to the left coast ops center (TV City, Burbank, Prospect), depending on
where in the "food chain" the kinnie was made, so it always got the same feed as
if you were watching it live.

No editing necessary, other than perhaps a kinnie disclaimer tag at the end
(such as the "scary" NBC Kinephoto tag). The main worry was getting the
film processed in time for air three hours later.