|
Mainstream E Telecine Models |
|
Rights Notice: Material on film, tape, disc or otherwise may be subject to stated or implied Copyright or Performance Right, or the right to privacy, etc. depending on the laws of your country. Unauthorized duplication may be a violation that is civil or criminal in nature. Equipment or services offered by TCS Inc. should not be construed as inviting criminal activity. The user should ascertain if duplication might violate any rights, and obtain a written release from each affected party. Consult your attorney about any specific instance. |
|
Basic High Quality Transfer Models
Fully Self-Contained Telecine. Camera and optical system are built-in. Connects directly to your DVD, MiniDV or VHS recorder. Run through the footage once and you are finished! Operates in near real time, with flickerless speeds close to the original filming rate. Count the money (up to $180 per hour or more) while the competition is still waiting for a much less efficient two-step transfer followed by computer rendering. Or, connect to a computer if you wish through a Grass Valley Canopus ADVC55 box, or a camcorder with analog to Firewire digital pass-through.
Film Scanning. The built-in camera looks directly at the film, doing “Direct Imaging” through a highly corrected 1:1 macro lens. The running speed has been adapted to suit the video and eliminate any trace of flicker, owing to electronic shuttering of the mechanism that is phase-locked to the video scan rate. This also gives a variation of frame by frame scanning where each video field comes from a single film frame without blending, that is “3-3 pulldown.” NTSC models run at 19.98 FPS (frames per second) and the PAL version runs at 16-2/3 FPS. For the exactly correct 18 and 24 FPS speeds, please refer instead to the True Speed model.
Simplified and perfected optics with both kinds gives a superior picture, and prevents the quality loss and bulk of old style “film chain” optics found in other less advanced systems. Digital correction of image orientation means no cheap projection lens, condenser lens, field lens, mirror, little grainy screen, zoom lens or “Coke bottle bottom” uncoated plastic close-up lens to introduce geometric distortion and color fringes, collect dust, lose resolution, reflect room lights, or introduce vibration or drifting image position. Exposure correction is Average sensing automatic, by controlling the shutter speed. This keeps a consistent quality level owing to not changing the iris opening or video gain.
Camera Selection: Exposure is automatic only, except you could manually set exposure with the menu on the OSD camera, and there is only one running speed. The Y/C camera’s picture looks nicer but it is hard to assign numbers to it.
Sony-CCD “OSD” Camera. Has 768 x 494 pixel sensor (NTSC) and 753 x 582 (PAL.) DWDR (Digital Wide Dynamic Range) ensures that nearly no highlight or shadow detail need be lost from the film. OSD (On Screen Display) permits the user to make a wide range of color and contrast adjustments. Output is Composite (BNC / yellow RCA jack) video.
Sony-CCD Y/C S-Video Camera. If you need S-Video output through a 4-pin Mini-DIN jack as well as Composite, we can install the optional $270 Y/C camera instead. This has conservatively rated resolution of 480 TV lines, with 768 x 494 (NTSC) or 752 x 582 (PAL) pixel count. This is a higher grade Japanese industrial camera, although the user has no OSD keyboard so no image color or contrast manipulation ability.
Enlarged Gate. The sprocketless models feature an oversized opening in the aperture plate, so you can adjust the lens and camera to scan slightly more of the area that was exposed in the camera.
Heavy Duty Construction. Tobin Video Transfer TVT models feature a precision CNC-machined panel and welded steel case. LED (light emitting diode) light source should last virtually forever. Three motors, so no slipping clutches to wear out and no stretchy belts to fail. Modified and refurbished Bell & Howell well-proven modular mechanism is virtually all metal. Power and video cables, and a take-up reel and instructions, are included.
Fast Rewind. Motorized rewind operates without running the mechanism. Be ready to run the next reel in seconds.
The Mainstream E’s that are sprocketless have no film loops to lose, well suited to film that is in less than perfect condition. Lumpy splices or existing damage will cause the film to just stall in the gate, often working itself free, instead of being dragged through by sprockets. NTSC models run at 19.98 FPS and PAL models run at 16-2/3 FPS. These speeds are the same as on the old Elmo TRV machines. Reel capacity is 600 feet.
Regular-8 TVT-R8ME Available in NTSC or PAL, $2495 OSD camera with BNC/RCA yellow jack video output. Regular-8 locked dual-8 sprocketless automatic threading mechanism. Add $270 for optional Y/C camera. For purists, we can instead use a manual thread or automatic thread sprocketed mechanism. For the NTSC version, the 19.98 speed may look rather fast since the oldest 8mm film was shot at 16 FPS.
Super-8 TVT-S8ME Available in NTSC or PAL, $2495 OSD camera with BNC/RCA yellow jack video output, sprocketless, Dual-8 mechanism is permanently locked in the super-8 mode, with no loops to lose, and a much longer-lived mechanism than the previous super-8 sprocketed version. Add $270 for optional Y/C camera.
Dual-8* TVT-D8ME Available in NTSC or PAL, $2995 Sprocketless, OSD camera with RCA yellow jack. Add $270 for Y/C camera. For the NTSC version, the 19.98 speed may look rather fast with 8mm film since the oldest was shot at 16 FPS.
► Note on Format Change: * With the Dual-8, it does take time, care and tools to change from one format to the other, and the user should have mechanical and optical aptitude and good English reading comprehension. Not following the directions meticulously will result in an image that is the wrong size, off-center and/or out of focus. If your facility is busy at all, or if your staff is not highly skilled, you will find that it is highly preferable to have two separate machines.
Options: Please specify NTSC or PAL video output. If your line (mains) voltage is not 120 (for NTSC) or 240 (for PAL) let us know. Let us know if it is initially to be set up for regular-8 or super-8. Optional Y/C camera instead of OSD is $270. Please specify if you want preset or automatic white balance. We have to program this into the Y/C camera but you can change the OSD camera yourself.
Note: We do have to match the low-friction non-cogging Reverse/Rewind motor to the user’s line voltage, and NTSC units will be equipped with a 120 volt motor, and PAL units will have a 240 volt motor, unless otherwise requested. So these models can only be used for the specified line voltage, and not for universal 100 to 240 volt operation.
Ordering info and warranty are given here. An order worksheet is here. Instructions for the TVT-D8ME are here.
For all telecine models, we recommend that the film be repaired, cleaned and lubricated before transfer.
TVT machines are not intended for transfer from negative film.
|
|
Mainstream E
The Mainstream E (Economy) model omits everything not essential to making a high quality basic transfer, namely the Footage and Running Hours counters and the Function, Speed and Exposure knobs and Exposure auto-manual switch. A toggle switch selects Forward-Stop-Reverse running.
The regular-8 model can be built with sprockets instead of being sprocketless, with automatic or manual threading.
The Dual-8 version shown has a claw shifting lever below the mechanism, and includes tools and parts for the change-over. It has the OSD camera so omits the Y/C S-video jack. |
