Living just enough, just enough for the city
April 25, 2016 2:24 AM Subscribe
1993, Manhattan – someone films test footage for an early HD video format called D-VHS.
SLYT, make sure to switch to 1080p60 for best quality
SLYT, make sure to switch to 1080p60 for best quality
I played this in the best quality and enjoyed it; literally, colorful (guessing the street art was a deliberate choice to highlight the format). The quality kinda tricked my mind that this was very recent or current, but then see the twin towers, or that this was filmed 23 years ago (thinks: half my lifetime) and the mind jars a bit.
Be interested to read the thoughts/feels of New Yorkers watching this.
posted by Wordshore at 2:53 AM on April 25, 2016
Be interested to read the thoughts/feels of New Yorkers watching this.
posted by Wordshore at 2:53 AM on April 25, 2016
james33 you're correct - the description in the YT video says:
In 2002 D-Theater D-VHS launched in the US - the dealers needed a demo tape of HD footage. JVC reused some HD video that had been shot as a demo for the Japanese HD market back in 1993.
You can tell it's 1993 by the adverts in Times Square - the Radio 501 CD that's advertised on a billboard came out in 1993 and Paper Moon is playing at the Marquis Theater.
Music -
Living for the City - Muzak Version (Originally Stevie Wonder)
Autumn in New York - Kimiko Itoh
For those wondering what HD video camera tech existed in 1993 - there are a few options, but it's likely that this footage was shot with a HDVS camera- perhaps a Sony SONY HDC-500 attached to a HDV-10 portable recorder which recorded on UniHi 3/4" tape.
posted by timshel at 2:54 AM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
In 2002 D-Theater D-VHS launched in the US - the dealers needed a demo tape of HD footage. JVC reused some HD video that had been shot as a demo for the Japanese HD market back in 1993.
You can tell it's 1993 by the adverts in Times Square - the Radio 501 CD that's advertised on a billboard came out in 1993 and Paper Moon is playing at the Marquis Theater.
Music -
Living for the City - Muzak Version (Originally Stevie Wonder)
Autumn in New York - Kimiko Itoh
For those wondering what HD video camera tech existed in 1993 - there are a few options, but it's likely that this footage was shot with a HDVS camera- perhaps a Sony SONY HDC-500 attached to a HDV-10 portable recorder which recorded on UniHi 3/4" tape.
posted by timshel at 2:54 AM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fascinating. This level of detail combined with analog-like softness (even though the data format is MPEG TS) is unlike anything I've seen before. Wikipedia link for D-VHS.
posted by jklaiho at 3:36 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by jklaiho at 3:36 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
No wait, Wikipedia says that D-VHS was introduced in 1998. I'm confused.
posted by jklaiho at 3:43 AM on April 25, 2016
posted by jklaiho at 3:43 AM on April 25, 2016
(Ah, transferred from 1993 HD material later, not originally shot on D-VHS. Got it.)
A friend hit the nail on the head, IMO: "This video is like the title sequence to some imaginary sitcom named for the lead character. The music is perfect and everything."
posted by jklaiho at 3:48 AM on April 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
A friend hit the nail on the head, IMO: "This video is like the title sequence to some imaginary sitcom named for the lead character. The music is perfect and everything."
posted by jklaiho at 3:48 AM on April 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
I owned a dvhs deck in 1999...it was pretty new and wasn't over a year old. It had a firewire port. It also had a real wood semi case. That sucker was heavy.
posted by shockingbluamp at 4:26 AM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by shockingbluamp at 4:26 AM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
This video was uploaded by the guy from the Techmoan channel , who has also bought a load of HD VHS gear and done an in-depth review.
I've been meaning to make a full post about him, because he's also done a load of other great videos on obsolete and obscure physical AV formats.
posted by grahamparks at 4:58 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've been meaning to make a full post about him, because he's also done a load of other great videos on obsolete and obscure physical AV formats.
posted by grahamparks at 4:58 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I love the blatant head swivel at 1:03 as the woman who is the definition of "90s hot" walks towards the camera.
posted by 256 at 5:15 AM on April 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by 256 at 5:15 AM on April 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
I love the blatant head swivel at 1:03 as the woman who is the definition of "90s hot" walks towards the camera.
That moment, with the ponytail guy, cracked me up. I loved the crowd scenes. Depending on the moment they look almost contemporary, though with boxier suits, or very dated, depending on who is in the frame.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:37 AM on April 25, 2016
That moment, with the ponytail guy, cracked me up. I loved the crowd scenes. Depending on the moment they look almost contemporary, though with boxier suits, or very dated, depending on who is in the frame.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:37 AM on April 25, 2016
I took a Communications 101 course in 1983. There was a section on imminent technologies (that is, stuff that was in development, not stuff that might happen in some far off Alvin Tofflerian notion of possibility). The three salient bits were:
1. Stereo television. A no-brainer since the FCC adopted a standard for it in 1984.
2. Stereo AM radio. The Reagan era FCC ruined that, not that it was vital or necessary anyway.
3. High resolution and digital television. The former was projected to happen within 10 years, the latter some time shortly after that. I had to memorize the dates for the quiz, but forgive me if I don't remember them now, 33 years later.
At least this demo production got in under the deadline. So I figure that textbook got 2 for 3, not bad for prognostication, even if a couple of them were gimmes.
posted by ardgedee at 5:41 AM on April 25, 2016
1. Stereo television. A no-brainer since the FCC adopted a standard for it in 1984.
2. Stereo AM radio. The Reagan era FCC ruined that, not that it was vital or necessary anyway.
3. High resolution and digital television. The former was projected to happen within 10 years, the latter some time shortly after that. I had to memorize the dates for the quiz, but forgive me if I don't remember them now, 33 years later.
At least this demo production got in under the deadline. So I figure that textbook got 2 for 3, not bad for prognostication, even if a couple of them were gimmes.
posted by ardgedee at 5:41 AM on April 25, 2016
There's nothing that says New York City to me more than those shots of a sea of heads all bobbing along. Is there another city in the US where you could show that? Are sidewalks in Chicago ever that crowded?
posted by octothorpe at 6:34 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 6:34 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Never with people who actually live here and no how to walk in a city, which makes Chicago crowded sidewalks much more annoying in my experienece.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:46 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:46 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
That panning shot along St. Marks without a single Japanese restaurant is what got me.
posted by phooky at 6:47 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by phooky at 6:47 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I loved the crowd scenes.
Actually, I was just going to come in and post . . . not exactly a trigger warning, because I'm not comfortable with that term in this context, but . . . something.
Those scenes in the first minute, shot downtown and prominently featuring the World Trade Center towers in full bustle, set off an unease in me (as someone who was very close to the event) that I haven't felt in years--despite still living downtown and having to avoid the annual 9/11 jingo-fest. I don't know if it's the quality of the images, or the bright, sunny day, or what; I usually I think I have my feelings from that day pretty well under control 15 years later, but some things absolutely bring the day back, and this footage did it. Anyway. There it is.
posted by The Bellman at 7:20 AM on April 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
Actually, I was just going to come in and post . . . not exactly a trigger warning, because I'm not comfortable with that term in this context, but . . . something.
Those scenes in the first minute, shot downtown and prominently featuring the World Trade Center towers in full bustle, set off an unease in me (as someone who was very close to the event) that I haven't felt in years--despite still living downtown and having to avoid the annual 9/11 jingo-fest. I don't know if it's the quality of the images, or the bright, sunny day, or what; I usually I think I have my feelings from that day pretty well under control 15 years later, but some things absolutely bring the day back, and this footage did it. Anyway. There it is.
posted by The Bellman at 7:20 AM on April 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
In 1993 I took the bus down from Boston to visit friends in the Village, and before meeting up, I decided to detour to St. Marks to look for LPs. I immediately gravitated towards a set of milk crates on the sidewalk in front of a record shop, and while I hunched and flipped through them, I sensed two people in my peripheral vision, one at each side of me. I turned to my left, and the guy said to me, "Hey, you can get most of those same records for cheaper at that place." He was pointing across the street. I turned to my right, and the guy on that side looked me in the eye and asked, "Will you pee on me?"
My most succinct memory pre-Giulinai NYC.
posted by bendybendy at 7:33 AM on April 25, 2016 [20 favorites]
My most succinct memory pre-Giulinai NYC.
posted by bendybendy at 7:33 AM on April 25, 2016 [20 favorites]
That panning shot along St. Marks without a single Japanese restaurant is what got me.
Yeah, but Khyber Pass is there! I didn't realize that little hole-in-the-wall had been around so long.
posted by functionequalsform at 7:54 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Yeah, but Khyber Pass is there! I didn't realize that little hole-in-the-wall had been around so long.
posted by functionequalsform at 7:54 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
High resolution and digital television. The former was projected to happen within 10 years, the latter some time shortly after that. I had to memorize the dates for the quiz, but forgive me if I don't remember them now, 33 years later.
It's probably worth a FPP to talk about the history of HDTV and the insane history of its adoption in the US. I remember reading EETimes weekly in the early 1990s and there were constant 90-degree turns in the status of the technical standards and 270-degree turns from the FCC and Congress about what the hell they really wanted to do. The Japanese were already up and running, for chrissakes!
Plus you had the broadcasters chiming in on the deal, which truly messed things up even more. It made me jealous of state-run entities like NHK and the BBC and all the others that could just lockstep with the equipment manufacturers and get this shit done.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:57 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
It's probably worth a FPP to talk about the history of HDTV and the insane history of its adoption in the US. I remember reading EETimes weekly in the early 1990s and there were constant 90-degree turns in the status of the technical standards and 270-degree turns from the FCC and Congress about what the hell they really wanted to do. The Japanese were already up and running, for chrissakes!
Plus you had the broadcasters chiming in on the deal, which truly messed things up even more. It made me jealous of state-run entities like NHK and the BBC and all the others that could just lockstep with the equipment manufacturers and get this shit done.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:57 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
What I got out of that video was the following:
1. It's almost hypnotic. NY is still the people-watching capital of the world. Nowhere can you get a more diverse sampling of humanity than that city.
2. It was cool to see old WTC, but I guess the best way I can put this is that the city has changed as far as details (hey there's a restaurant in INSERT SPOT HERE where there wasn't one before), but in the grand scheme of things, it really hasn't changed much from then to now.
posted by prepmonkey at 8:10 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
1. It's almost hypnotic. NY is still the people-watching capital of the world. Nowhere can you get a more diverse sampling of humanity than that city.
2. It was cool to see old WTC, but I guess the best way I can put this is that the city has changed as far as details (hey there's a restaurant in INSERT SPOT HERE where there wasn't one before), but in the grand scheme of things, it really hasn't changed much from then to now.
posted by prepmonkey at 8:10 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
"This video is like the title sequence to some imaginary sitcom named for the lead character. The music is perfect and everything."
It's like an alternate universe's NBC 1993 TV series of Koyanisqaatsi
posted by Guy Smiley at 8:13 AM on April 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
It's like an alternate universe's NBC 1993 TV series of Koyanisqaatsi
posted by Guy Smiley at 8:13 AM on April 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
Thanks for this; it brought back pleasant memories—1993 was a dozen years into my blessed life as a New Yorker. I used to go out drinking with that squirrel you see contemplatively working on an acorn at the three-minute mark; I only knew him as "Scruffy," and he could get pretty wild.
posted by languagehat at 8:18 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by languagehat at 8:18 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
I swear, the guy in the navy suit and striped shirt at about 15 seconds in is a young Michael Shannon. Look at the jaw. Look at the eyes!
posted by SansPoint at 9:05 AM on April 25, 2016
posted by SansPoint at 9:05 AM on April 25, 2016
Anyone have a timestamp for the St. Marks shot? I used to work next door to Khybet Pass. I think there is a noodle shop there now.
posted by griphus at 9:17 AM on April 25, 2016
posted by griphus at 9:17 AM on April 25, 2016
Those scenes in the first minute, shot downtown and prominently featuring the World Trade Center towers in full bustle, set off an unease in me (as someone who was very close to the event) that I haven't felt in years--despite still living downtown and having to avoid the annual 9/11 jingo-fest. I don't know if it's the quality of the images, or the bright, sunny day, or what; I usually I think I have my feelings from that day pretty well under control 15 years later, but some things absolutely bring the day back, and this footage did it. Anyway. There it is.
Agreed. That first shot of the WTC was an unexpected gut-punch, despite the fact that I moved out of NYC almost 12 years ago.
Still, it is a beautiful and exciting city, and it was so nice to see crowd scenes with no smart phones.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 9:18 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Agreed. That first shot of the WTC was an unexpected gut-punch, despite the fact that I moved out of NYC almost 12 years ago.
Still, it is a beautiful and exciting city, and it was so nice to see crowd scenes with no smart phones.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 9:18 AM on April 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
For optimal watching, 1080p, 0.25 speed, and having this play in another tab.
posted by Taft at 9:19 AM on April 25, 2016
posted by Taft at 9:19 AM on April 25, 2016
This was one year before I arrived on these shores. I think the Twin Towers look gorgeous.
The absence of cellphones is the most jarring in a way. You wouldn't be able to shoot those bobbing heads in the crowd anymore today.
posted by monospace at 9:58 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
The absence of cellphones is the most jarring in a way. You wouldn't be able to shoot those bobbing heads in the crowd anymore today.
posted by monospace at 9:58 AM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Some quick sleuthing on my part confirms the 1993 date based on the shot of Paper Moon advertised to play at the Marquis and this article talking about a 1993 announcement along with "a marquee [that] was displayed at the Marquis Theatre," apparently briefly as the show never actually played on Broadway.
posted by exogenous at 10:22 AM on April 25, 2016
posted by exogenous at 10:22 AM on April 25, 2016
It's probably worth a FPP to talk about the history of HDTV and the insane history of its adoption in the US.
Definitely! I had a subscription to Popular Electronics in 1991, it seemed like half the articles were about HDTV being right around the corner. Some of the proposals were pretty wacky, I remember one that involved something like sending the regular 4:3 channel, then having an extra subchannel to fill in the 16:9 content.
In hindsight, I guess it's a good thing that it stalled until digital technology became affordable, rather than getting stuck with some kind of NTSC-based kludge that would hog a ton of bandwidth. But damn, by 2000 or so, I thought mainstream HDTV was never going to happen in my lifetime!
posted by segfaultxr7 at 12:52 PM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Definitely! I had a subscription to Popular Electronics in 1991, it seemed like half the articles were about HDTV being right around the corner. Some of the proposals were pretty wacky, I remember one that involved something like sending the regular 4:3 channel, then having an extra subchannel to fill in the 16:9 content.
In hindsight, I guess it's a good thing that it stalled until digital technology became affordable, rather than getting stuck with some kind of NTSC-based kludge that would hog a ton of bandwidth. But damn, by 2000 or so, I thought mainstream HDTV was never going to happen in my lifetime!
posted by segfaultxr7 at 12:52 PM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Fascinating. This level of detail combined with analog-like softness (even though the data format is MPEG TS) is unlike anything I've seen before.
A similar effect can be had watching "new" HD content on a analog HDTV, or just a really high quality/resolution CRT tv in general(broadcast stuff, like this). I have a screen like that now, and i used to own one of the higher end earlier sony CRT HDTVs.
The combination can be... jarring when it's digital source>analog>high res analog display. This was even weirder to me because the way the highlights blow and just the frame transitions(? i can't think of a better way to describe it, i guess how older cameras handle motion blur?) really looks tape-y to me. I wonder what format it was originally shot on. W-VHS? The time frame from the description and that being a JVC product supports that theory. This has a distinctly analog quality to it, not just old-camera + digital.
posted by emptythought at 1:53 PM on April 25, 2016
A similar effect can be had watching "new" HD content on a analog HDTV, or just a really high quality/resolution CRT tv in general(broadcast stuff, like this). I have a screen like that now, and i used to own one of the higher end earlier sony CRT HDTVs.
The combination can be... jarring when it's digital source>analog>high res analog display. This was even weirder to me because the way the highlights blow and just the frame transitions(? i can't think of a better way to describe it, i guess how older cameras handle motion blur?) really looks tape-y to me. I wonder what format it was originally shot on. W-VHS? The time frame from the description and that being a JVC product supports that theory. This has a distinctly analog quality to it, not just old-camera + digital.
posted by emptythought at 1:53 PM on April 25, 2016
The first minute was so hard to watch, I had to stop. I used to spend my lunch hour walking around the WTC. The Borders bookstore that was there, I spent hours in listening to new music. I didn't work there by 2001, but it's just too painful. The sunshine, the obliviousness to the future, the feeling of something seeming so recent and being already so far behind.
posted by trbojanglesm at 2:34 PM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by trbojanglesm at 2:34 PM on April 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
anything w/ the WTC in it gets me in the guts. Just a flood of sad.....
posted by shockingbluamp at 5:24 PM on April 25, 2016
posted by shockingbluamp at 5:24 PM on April 25, 2016
Be interested to read the thoughts/feels of New Yorkers watching this.
01 it feels weird to see the 90s without candyflipping
02 i forgot cabs used to look like that, which, see previous
posted by poffin boffin at 6:38 PM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
01 it feels weird to see the 90s without candyflipping
02 i forgot cabs used to look like that, which, see previous
posted by poffin boffin at 6:38 PM on April 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
What was up with that guy wearing the red sweatshirt with the Nazi SS logo on it?
posted by You Guys Like 2 Party? at 9:27 PM on April 25, 2016
posted by You Guys Like 2 Party? at 9:27 PM on April 25, 2016
The images of the WTC towers hit me too, and I neither live in the US or have ever been to NYC (much to my regret). But overall, it's fascinating to see that period of time in such great definition. Good find.
posted by Diag at 10:13 PM on April 25, 2016
posted by Diag at 10:13 PM on April 25, 2016
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posted by james33 at 2:50 AM on April 25, 2016