Episodes

6 episodes in this season

The Secret Life of the Car

The Secret Life of the Internal Combustion Engine

The Secret Life of the Quartz Watch

The Secret Life of the Telephone

The Secret Life of the Radio Set

Now Playing

The Secret Life of the Video Recorder

The Secret Life of Machines

TV Series

198830m8.1

Documentary

Now playing

The Secret Life of the Video Recorder

Season 2 · Episode 6 · Feb 12, 1991

The principle of magnetic recording was invented by a Danish telephone engineer called Valdemar Poulsen in 1899. He used an electromagnet to record the tiny electric currents from a telephone to magnetise a steel wire. This recreated tiny currents in the electromagnet when it was replayed. All tape and video recorders still work this way. Episode Contents: Models: A band saw magnetic recorder. Recording a signal on scotch tape covered in rust (FeO^2) particles. A large model of a VCR type head and it's concentrative powers. Illustration of helical scanning. Machines: Great intro scene by Tim and Rex (e.g. slanting cupboards, man eating garbage disposal, rabid mailman, dogfood eating kid, and the oblivious housewife). Rubber band powered beavers. Guests: An early Paulson wire tape recorder. A really impressive German "tapedeck" (c.1930) that used razor sharp steel bands running at high speed under high tension. An airplane black box. A 1940's German tape machine the Tonstreiber (sp?). Ampex VTR's at the BBC. A range of major domestic video formats. Films: The earliest video recordings. A dramatic illustration of generational loss in VHS (re)recordings. Sad adult cartoon characters trying to program their VCR. Extro: Very odd living room scene with mechanically animated knick knacks, spinning stools, tippy stereo components etc.

More details

The Secret Life of Machines

TV Series

198830m8.1

Documentary

Now playing

The Secret Life of the Video Recorder

Season 2 · Episode 6 · Feb 12, 1991

More details