American Cinematographer - March 1984 - 83

William A. Koch

Special Report
Eastman Video

Tape & Future Imaging Technologies

remote

Unless you have just returned from a
location in Tibet or the South

mat

Pole, this probably isn't the first time

by coating

have heard that Eastman Kodak
Company has entered the video tape

more

business.

amount

you

But, in

missed our
early January announcement, Kodak is
going to sell video tape in the half-inch
case you

format under both Eastman and Kodak
labels. We also will soon be selling

three-quarter-inch cassettes and oneinch Eastman video tapes in most of the
popular professional formats and
lengths. In addition, the company has
introduced a consumer product, the
Kodavision series 2000 video system,
which is at the cutting edge of a totally
new electronics technology.
The package of Kodavision
products includes two models of a light¬
weight and compact camcorder, combin¬
ing the camera and recorder in one
convenient package. These compact
units are designed around a new 8mm
video tape format which is intended to
produce image and sound quality that
compares favorably with half-inch video

The
is

a new

William A. Koch,

key to this compact for¬
type of video tape made

pure

vice

president and
general manager of
the motion picture

metal instead of the

conventional metal oxide

on

a

and audiovisual

polyester base. This increases the
of surface which

can

markets division of

be magne¬

Eastman Kodak, has

tized, and therefore the potential infor¬

been with the

mation

company ever since
he earned his degree

packing density available for
recording images and sound. The pack¬
ing gain can be as much as 350

in

percent.

was

That is the

news

in very gen¬

terms. Obviously, it raises many
questions, particularly for readers of
American Cinematographer. What
does our entry into the video tape arena
mean to you? Should our decision to
enter the video tape marketplace be
interpreted as a retreat from our com¬
mitment to the future of motion picture
technology? Is it time to put your trusty
camera

on

the shelf and

Kodak manufactured
in the

early Sixties.

start

brushing up on your video production
techniques? Will we be just another
me-too company on a long list of video
tape suppliers, or do we have some
unique contributions to make?

cassettes.

involved in the

marketing of
magnetic tape which

eral

film

Physics. As a
engineer he

sales

For openers, don't count on
getting a big tax write-off if you plan to
contribute your film camera to a mu¬
seum. It isn't going to qualify as a relic.
Our belief in and commitment to the
future of film technology are as strong
as ever. When production values are

important, film is obviously still the me¬
no technology
making video¬
taped images look like filmed images.
And there also is no easy way to make
video tape production as flexible as film.
dium of choice. There is
on the horizon capable of

For these reasons, there is
doubt that just about all theatrical

no

film

production and projection will in¬

volve the

use

Two models of the

Kodavision
camcorder which fit
into the cradle for

storage and
playback. The cradle
can be equipped
with

a

tuner/timer

and controlled

by

remote control.

of film in the foreseeable

future.

Furthermore,

we

believe that

substantial

majority of first-run, net¬
work-quality programming for prime¬
time hours will continue to be produced
on film. Right now, some 80 percent of
prime-time, network television is proa

March 1984'

American

Cinematographer

83

a
American Cinematographer - March 1984

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