Author Topic: GSN Unfocused (Read 3192 times)

Jimmy Owen · « **on:** April 13, 2007, 10:34:23 AM »

Is there any reason why the tapes of the "classics" are so soft focus when aired on GSN. I've got 25 year old VHS tapes in EP that are sharper.

JasonA1 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 13, 2007, 11:01:12 AM »

Barring that I'm being roped in by Jimmy's "humor," isn't this just an effect of them being on kines? Videotaped "Password" looks fantastic, for instance.

And because something this cool always bears repeating, here is that deal where they take kines and make em look like videotapes. The link here is to the kinescope version, and the restoration is along the right of the page.

-Jason

MrBuddwing · « **Reply #2 on:** April 13, 2007, 12:05:45 PM »

Actually, Jimmy Owen has a point. I once saw a clip from the first broadcast of ABC's "Monday Night Football" from 1970, and it looked AWFUL. I was wondering whether a) it looked that bad to begin with, or b) the videotape had degraded with time.

But JasonA1 is right, too - I was pleasantly shocked at how good the tapes of "Password" from the early 1960s looked (not to mention the surviving tapes of the original "To Tell the Truth"). Catcher's catch can, I guess.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #3 on:** April 13, 2007, 12:11:22 PM »

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'150097\' date=\'Apr 13 2007, 10:34 AM\']
Is there any reason why the tapes of the "classics" are so soft focus when aired on GSN. I've got 25 year old VHS tapes in EP that are sharper.
[/quote]
Someone get this man a YouTube account, stat! :-)

trainman · « **Reply #4 on:** April 13, 2007, 11:33:59 PM »

[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'150102\' date=\'Apr 13 2007, 09:05 AM\']
Actually, Jimmy Owen has a point. I once saw a clip from the first broadcast of ABC's "Monday Night Football" from 1970, and it looked AWFUL. I was wondering whether a) it looked that bad to begin with, or b) the videotape had degraded with time.

But JasonA1 is right, too - I was pleasantly shocked at how good the tapes of "Password" from the early 1960s looked (not to mention the surviving tapes of the original "To Tell the Truth"). Catcher's catch can, I guess.
[/quote]

"Catch as catch can," I think you mean. (Took me a minute!)

As I see it, the difference is between ABC pulling out that "MNF" videotape relatively often, versus those Goodman-Todman tapes being locked away out of the light of day for almost 30 years.

MrBuddwing · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2007, 01:50:33 AM »

[quote name=\'trainman\' post=\'150160\' date=\'Apr 13 2007, 11:33 PM\']
"Catch as catch can," I think you mean. (Took me a minute!)
[/quote]

Not to mention, "Stupid is as stupid does." Thanks.