Operating Instructions

Basic Operation
Turn on the power with the switch on the right rear of the TVT-8. Check that the left-hand rotary switch is in the "Peak Auto" position, the knob to the right of it is in the upper "Auto" position, and the right-hand rotary switch is in the "Normal Speed" position.
Push the "Reset" button to clear the footage counter numbers to 0000. On units with Serial 601 and below, also rotate the "Manual Advance" knob a turn or two to reset other internal circuitry. (Note: see page 8 for identification of the items on the front panel.)
Switch the unit to "Still" and note that there are no hairs or lint visible in the picture on the underscanned video monitor. (Because of the enlargement they may look like logs or trees.) If there are any, swing open the film gate and brush or blow out the hairs. Switch back to "Stop" and close the film gate.
Check that the film format is correct for the model TVT-8 machine that you have:
  • TVT-S8 machines are labeled "S8J" on the front badge and are for super-8 film. Super-8 film has small sprocket holes and comes on a reel with a 1/2" (12.7mm) diameter center hole.
  • TVT-R8 machines are labeled "R8J" on the front badge and are for regular-8 film. Regular-8 film has larger sprocket holes and comes on a reel with a 5/16" (8mm) diameter center hole.
Additional "NTSC" and "PAL" designations on the badge show the video standard for which the machine is made. NTSC is used in the USA, PAL is used in Europe.
If the film is the wrong type, change to the other model of TVT-8 machine.
Place the full reel of film on the right-hand "Supply Reel" spindle, matching up the slots in the reel hub with the spokes in the reel spindle. If the reel is correctly prepared, the perforations (sprocket holes) in the film will be towards you, with the emulsion side (the side with the picture) facing to the right, while the film is hanging down from the right-hand side of the reel. There should be about 4 feet (1.25m) of leader before the first picture. If any of this is not the case, return the film reel to the preparation department for correction.
If the leading edge of the film is mangled, trim it straight across in between perforations and make little bevels on the corners with scissors, if the film preparation department hasn't already done so. If it is bent, flatten it.Switch to "Forward". While constantly holding down the "Push" lever, feed the film into the upper channel. After the film emerges from the bottom channel, release the "Push" lever and lead the film until about 3 feet (1m) has emerged. (If you accidentally let go of the Push lever too soon, stop the machine and back out the film, to begin over.) (Avoid contact with the takeup reel and the Manual Advance knob as they will be turning rapidly.)
Switch to "Still" (you can carefully apply a braking force to the takeup reel to slow down its spin, without sticking your fingers in the spokes) and attach the film to the takeup reel, turning the reel clockwise a couple of turns, and leading it around the two round plastic guides.
Turn the Manual Advance knob counter-clockwise a few turns to ensure that the film advances intermittently through the film gate. Switch to "Forward" to preview the film. It should be right way up (people's heads and the sky at the top). The frameline (the dividing line between pictures on the film) should not be visible; if it is, adjust the "Framer" lever while running, until it is not seen.
Switch to "Reverse" and run until the picture is all back on the supply reel and there is about 1 foot (.3m) of leader film between the supply reel and the film gate, then switch to "Stop." Push the "Reset" button to zero the footage counter. Note that in Reverse the image will have jitter and ghosting; this is normal as the shutter is correctly synchronized only in Forward.
Start the video recorder. Switch the TVT-8 to "Forward" and you will be recording the film on video.
The film should be inspected, repaired and cleaned before it comes to you for transfer. In case a bad splice or multiple damaged perforations causes loss of the film loops, this will cause a chattering noise and the picture will start jumping up and down. Press the "Push" bar sharply to reset the loops. If this doesn't work, turn to "Stop" and also stop the video recorder. Turn the Ratcheting Sprockets to reset the film loops to midway between the clear plastic guide rails, both above and below the film gate. Then resume the transfer. For a high grade transfer, running the repaired film should resume from an earlier scene change in the film, doing a video "assembly edit" using a video recorder with a flying erase head. Note that it may take about a foot for the picture to become steady, with the film pulldown properly synchronized to the shutter, so back up the film to a foot before the start of the desired scene.
At the end of the film, switch to "Stop" and stop the recorder. Record the film length count for billing purposes, if your company charges by the foot or meter. Attach the end of the film straight across to the supply reel, without going through the sprockets and gate, and turn the reel a couple of turns counter-clockwise. Switch the Rewind "On" and monitor closely because the film rewinding is very fast, and when the film is fully rewound turn the Rewind switch "Off" immediately. Remove the supply reel after it stops, and you are now ready to transfer the next reel.

Installation

Connect the TVT-8 machine to a suitable video recorder. This is often a Mini-DV (digital video) or else DVD (digital video/versatile disc) recorder, or less commonly these days a VHS tape machine. There are two video output jacks on the front of the machine. Both can be used at the same time if desired:
  • The S-Video ("Separate"-video) Y/C output may give a cleaner video signal in many cases, as the luminance (brightness or Y) and chrominance (color or C) signals are sent through separate wires and will not interfere with each other, and thus not cause odd artifacts to appear in the picture. This preferred connection is with the Mini-DIN 4-pin cable.
  • The conventional video output is used in case the recorder lacks an S-Video input. The jack is a professional BNC type, so use the BNC cable to connect to commercial video equipment. Use the BNC to RCA phono type cable, to connect to consumer equipment.
Plug the TVT-8 into a source of 100 to 240 volts AC (alternating current) at 50 or 60 Hz (Hertz, or cycles per second.) For safety the third wire should be grounded (earthed.) Turning on the unit will cause the footage counter to light up, and for video black to be output.

Monitoring

A color video monitor should be used to help you best oversee the transfer operation. We recommend that the picture monitor be connected to the output of the recorder, so the tape or disc playback can be spot-checked for quality. We also suggest the use of an "Underscan Monitor" which enables the entire video signal to be seen by the operator. Such a monitor can be recognized by an Underscan-Normal switch. (In the underscan position, the active video area is bordered with black.)
This is because ordinary monitors and TV sets have varying degrees of "overscan." The video is larger than the picture tube, so the edges are cut off. The amount of underscan is not well standardized, may not be centered, may be out of adjustment, and may hide defects that could be seen on a different TV set. For example, the film may be out of frame so that the frameline is visible on some receivers but not others. Or, a piece of lint may be lodged on the edge of the aperture and working its way into the frame. To guarantee that the frameline or hairs will not be visible to anyone, no matter how their TV set may be adjusted, the transfer process should be watched with an underscan monitor so the entire video signal can be seen. There can be small artifacts on the extreme edges, such as dirt specks stuck to the aperture, which will not be a problem as the customer will not see the entire video frame on his TV set.
When demonstrating the process or results to the public, the monitor should be switched back to the Normal position to prevent misunderstandings or long explanations.
It is also possible to use a device called a Line Doubler, and a conventional SVGA computer monitor with size adjustments, to accomplish a similar underscanned result instead of buying a more expensive underscanning video monitor. This may give a slightly better picture, with less operator fatigue. However, there will not be a single button for switching between the underscan position and normal, and the left or right edge of the picture may be missing some of the area that would be visible on a true underscanned monitor.

Other Needs

Film will be received from the public in various states of disrepair, with bad splices, winding turned over on the reel, being mounted on the wrong type reel or the wrong way out, no leaders, etc. and a facility must be provided for making the footage ready for transfer. This requires at the minimum a pair of film rewinds, with adapters for regular-8 and super-8 reels, a supply of film leader and empty reels, a film splicer, and a way of cleaning excess dirt off the film. Ideally there will be a light box for looking through the film, and a light above the editing bench to reflect light off the film.
Refer to the first section of these instructions for a description of how the film should be wound on the reel. There should be 4 feet of leader on the start for proper threading of the TVT-8, and enough leader on the end to thread the film cleaning device. Torn film sprocket holes and crooked splices should be removed to prevent transfer problems.
Small rolls should be spliced together for efficient transfer. A properly made cement splice, using fresh cement, is preferred. The smoothest transit of splices occurs when you have made a beveled splice using an (unfortunately discontinued) Agfa or Bolex splicer, where the total thickness at the splice is about the same as unspliced film. (Fuji Single-8 and K-Mart Focal film was on polyester base and must be tape spliced.) When making tape splices, ensure that the sprocket holes are not covered up and the tape is on straight, on both sides of the film.
We suggest using 400 foot (122 meter) reels, and cans or 7" size white 1/4" audio tape boxes. Usually if 7 small 50' rolls of regular-8 film, or 8 small 50' rolls of super-8 film, is wound on each reel, this will enable two of the reels to fit on each 1 hour tape or disc with minimum waste and no need for time-consuming tape editing or overlaps. Mark the leader on the head (beginning) of the reel with the customer's name or job number, and the reel number, to avoid mixups. Leader with a matte finish can be written on with pencil, while shiny leader can be marked with a Sharpie or India ink. Ensure that that the cleaning step does not remove the reel identification. Storage cans should be ventilated for slight air circulation, to prevent film deterioration from "vinegar syndrome." Advise the customer to keep his film in a cool, dry, dark place to prevent fungus growth. You want the film to be in good condition so you can transfer it again when the next super generation of video equipment formats makes the present transfer obsolete.
NOTE: Super-8 mechanisms are fussy about splices, compared to regular-8 ones. If your cement splices of super-8 cause lost loops, change the direction of splicing by winding the film right to left on the bench while splicing, instead of left to right, so you are scraping the outgoing film instead of the incoming one. Having the splice accordingly lap the other way (so the sharp leading edge of the thick splice rubs against the mechanism's pressure plate instead of hitting the aperture plate) will give more reliable running.

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