[Dave Pentecost]

For the time, the artifacts were minimal. We were producing historical documentaries from primarily CBS archival film transfers. They started good and stayed acceptable through a final post with host wraps and bumpers. The later series at ABC (weekly science news show, original reporting) was composited with all bumpers, teases and studio intros in the EMC and fed by satellite to Discovery headquarters (sometimes directly to the network if we were down to the wire). As in everything those days, we just had faith we would get through, and we always did – no equipment issues or freezes in 200 shows. I don’t miss the stress now, but it was an exciting time.

[Dave Pentecost]

Very late joining this thread, and new to the forum (though I’ve lurked for years) –

I was one of the early proponents of EMC in the networks in New York. I think our team at CBS News Productions was the first to edit a whole series and output directly for air from the machines. It was a series called 20th Century with Mike Wallace, for A&E. Loved that machine. Forced to work on Avid for much of the rest of my career but EMC was the first with the best as far as I was concerned. I was still outputting direct to tape for air (and feeding the satellite live!) from the EMC at ABC News Productions ’96-’99 for Discovery News.

Now I’m designing a new community science and media center (just built a planetarium!) and ironically having the FCPX vs legacy FCP or Avid debate with our junior video teachers. I try to tell them they have to learn FCPX and teach it because we can’t go back. The 20-somethings already want to hold onto what they know. But that is a terrible thing to teach young kids coming up – they have to know that they will be learning new technology at an accelerating pace all their lives. So it’s the leap to new Mac Pros and FCPX and 4K – why can’t they see that?

Thanks for the reminder of the early days – pioneers then, pioneers now.