2″ Video Machine Editing – photos by Brian Watkiss



Photos from Brian Watkiss, no reproduction without permission.

These photos show the 2″ Video Tape machines in the VT area of Pebble Mill.  2″ video tape was widely used in the 1970s before 1″ tape took over.

The main problem with 2″ tape was that you couldn’t spool in vision, so if you were looking for a clip from a show, you’d have to keep stopping periodically to see if you were on the right item.  Pebble Mill kept a 2″ machine right into the 1990s, for viewing and clipping archive tapes.

The photos probably date from the late 1970s.

The first photo shows VT editors Nigel Evans (who now works for Avid) and Tim Savage (now an editor and colourist).  I think it is Brian himself in the other photos.

Here are a couple of comments about the Quad machines from the Facebook page:

Pete Simpkin: I remember all the RCA TR22s had a kick dent in the modules near the floor which was the only way to stop video flashing during the run-up!

Steve Dellow: Ah – the old ‘Quad’ machines. As featured extensively in ‘White Powder Christmas’ and ‘Good King Memorex’!

VT – photos by Jim Gregory

Nigel Evans & Ivor Williams in VTB

Brain Watkiss in VT A

Dave Schoolden in PSC A

Photos by Jim Gregory, no reproduction without permission.

These photos probably date from the late 1980s, judging by the 1″ tape editing machines, and labels for U-matic and D2 formats in the PSC A photo.

They show several areas of the VT editing department at Pebble Mill.  Programmes recorded in the Pebble Mill studios would be edited in the VT editing suites, and programmes recorded on film or PSC formats, would be finished and onlined in the VT suites.