AAV Australia....Armstrong Audio Video in 1974

This is a montage from 1974 featuring Armstrong Audio-Video, now called AAV Australia. Located in Melbourne, Australia, AAV was the largest facility of it's kind in the country, with studios for both audio and video recording. They produced this PAL standard video on 2" quad tape, then converted it to 2" NTSC quad tape which was the source for this clip. In the video you will see a variety of 1970's vintage audio and video equipment including the Rutt-Etra Video Synthesizer which was used to create the opening sequence and other graphics, 3 different models of Ampex video recorders and an HS-100 slo-mo disc recorder as well as audio recorders, cameras, CMX computerized editing and much more.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Ampex
• Armstrong
• quad
• quadruplex
• Rutt
• AAV
• HS-100
• CMX
• Australia

[Geebax2]

AAV had 2 AVR1 machines, 3 AVR2s, 1 VR-1100, a VR-2000 plus a HS100 video disc and one RCA quad machine. All of these could be controlled by a CMX600 computer editing machine. I was one of the founders of the company going back to its predecessor, Video Tape Centre, which started in 1969 with the worlds' first mobile quad recording vehicle and outside broadcast van combined in one unit.

The company became Armstrong Audio Video in 1974, and the clip you see was created to launch the company.

[AmpexQuad]

@Geebax2 Thanks so much for adding your first-hand knowledge! It's always great to hear directly from folks that were there. I've just put up another AAV video, a promo reel that I believe was done shortly after this video. Enjoy, and please add any comments that you can.

[PlaneAndTVtechfan]

I spotted an AVR-1 and an AVR-2 in the video..Did AAV use any other Ampex Quads?

[AmpexQuad]

Yes. If you look to the right of the AVR-1, there is a rack and to the right of that is a VR-2000. I'll have another AAV promotional piece posted soon which shows it a bit more clearly.

[t00bed]

Wow !

I wonder what ever happened to the Rutt Etra machine ? Where it may have ended up.

Great clip. I have been seeing that AAV logo since I was a kid.

[44tonkel]

I've just come across this video. I am the guy in the red jumper near the end. I was the TD and vision operator of this compile. It was all shot single camera using a philips LDK5 3 tube plumbicon camera. High tech for it's day. If my memory serves me correctly, it was shot over a few days and back then it was not unusual to work a 12 to 15 hour day.

[killerclone]

Clearly editing was not their strong point

[dmine45]

Back in the days when you could actually repair electronics equipment and not throw it away!

[Geebax2]

@mojalimited In fact I don't believe anyone featured in that clip still works there, several are no longer with us. I am the guy in the leather jacket at 4 minutes and 5 seconds in, operating the AVR2.