European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 26, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Electronic editing of video tape by Hans Fantel new York times t summer s end. Video Lens by the thousands head homeward Laden wild taped mementos of holidays and travels. But when they finally run those cassettes through the Var at Home the results Are Otton disappointing. Splendid shots of one thing or another Are interspersed with tailed footage and the scenes gathered randomly afield alien Lack dramatic progression or logical sequence. The net effect is Best described in John Donne s despairing words As All coherence  what is needed obviously is a ruthless editing Job. The trouble is that video cassettes can t be edited by simple cutting and splicing As was the Case with Iho old Home movies made on film. Nor can video tape be edited in the manner of audio tape with just a razor Blade and something to stick the ends together. The reason is that the separate Irmes of the moving sequence Are not lined up Lengthwise on the tape rather they sweep across the Width of the tape at an Angle which precludes simple mechanical joining o taped segments even if it were possible to pull the tape from the cassette what la done instead is known As electronic editing. Basically this consists of selective copying of the original tape with unwanted segments omitted and remaining scenes arranged in a suitable order. This is usually done by hooking up the camcorder the camera recorder combination that most video amateurs use these Days to the Home Var so that the playback signal irom he camcorder is applied to the input of the Home Var while the playback is watched simultaneously on a television screen connected to the Var. Virtually All camcorders have terminals of such connections and the necessary cables if not supplied with the Var Are obtainable in most video equipment shops. The connection should always be made at the line input terminals of the Var Rel her than Al the Antenna connectors for the latter Are Likely to add graininess to the copy and cause slight alterations of color. Correspondingly the input selector Swilch on the Var must be set to the line position Lor editing work. The actual Transfer of scenes irom the camcorder to the Var requires close coordination Between the two since both the playback and the recording machines must be started and slopped simultaneously at the beginning end end of each scene. This requires a certain amount of dexterity not to mention a bit of practice if glitches Are to be avoided. To simplify the operation Sony has introduced an ingenious and thoughtfully designed editing Aid the first of us kind which brings to Home video a degree of ease end sophistication in editing found formerly Only j in professional studios. The rm-e100v editing controller priced at $195 in the United Stales is a sleekly styled 14-by-7-Lnch panel less than 2 inches thick that is connected Between the playback and the recording unit during editing. The controls Are arranged in such a logical manner that it takes Little Lime to become proficient in their use and Alt questions of skill and dexterity Are obviated by the smooth transitions irom scene to scene accomplished with this device. A readout panel indicates the exact position of the beginning and the end of each scene and these data can be stored in a compute Type memory or up to eight scenes. They can then be called up quickly for review during the editing session so that pad sexy the most effective Points for cuts and transitions can be chosen As any film editor knows the emotional and dramatic effect of a scene depends almost w much on Well chosen culling Points As it does on the Content. With the edit pants stored in its memory this device enables video fans to preview the edited version of their tapes before the original cassettes in the camcorder video Industry has new weapon in War against pirates by Roger Gillott associated press he film Industry which is losing $1 brition a year to video pirates is trying to fight Back with Macro vision. An electronic spoiling system thai could soon be found in up to 60 percent of All new cassettes. Aimed primarily Al the casual offender Macro vision is considered by Industry leaders to be the Only reliable system to Dale to stymie the piracy problem which accounts Lor one of every five tapes sold. With the Purchase of several thousand dollars in electronic gear professional pirates can probably beat the Macro vision system officials say. But for the average Homeowner with an average machine it should Stop duplication said former Fri agent Richard Bloeser who Heads the los Angeles film Security office of the motion picture association of America. Typical household piracy involves the duplication of a legitimate video tape usually a rented feature length movie using two interconnected videocassette recording machines. One machine is used for playing the legitimate tape and the other for simultaneously recording it on a Blank tape which is then kept for unlimited Home viewing. Three year old Macro vision inc. Of to Ranee cefll., already has signed contracts to sell  to a number of top Kje cassette companies. Within the next three months it expects to have a lock on More than to percent of the Industry according Lochiel operating officer Gary Gwizdala. It s the Best system we know of. That s Why we re using it says Phil Pilaggi senior vice president of Mca Home video which employs the anti piracy system on about 75 percent of its cassettes at a Cost of a few cents a copy. Bud o Shay. Senior vice president of the �0lh Century Fox portion of lbs Fox Home video the biggest in the Industry acknowledges thai Macro vision most Likely will not thwart the hard Core pirate. Probably anyone who wants to build a Mack Box can defeat any system he said. However that s not deterring lbs Fox from its plans to use Macro vision system on a its videocassettes. Besides Mca and lbs Fox other Home video leaders who have turned to Macro vision Are mom and Disney and agreements Are near with thong Ems. Warner bros., Ria Columbia Velron and Karl Lorimar Gwizdala said. Those companies account Lor the bulk of the Industry which last year delivered 53 million videocassettes to retailers and his year expect the number to increase to Between 65 million and to million Latt year the Home video Industry had estimated revenues of $4 billion and another $1 billion in business was Tost to household and commercial pirates officials estimate. By comparison the Box office take at movie Heaters in1s85was$3.9bipoa the Home video Industry is growing by leaps and Bounds and the potential to piracy is drawing right along with it. In 1985, there were 25 million videocassette recorders in american Homes compared to a scant 1 million just five years ago. Bloeser estimates thai 10 percent to 20 percent of those Var owners have made illicit copies at least occasionally. Through implanted electronic pulses the Macro vision system forces a recording Var to significantly degrade the picture Quality causing distortion when it la played Back on a to screen. Macro vision s system has had a number of forerunners but All were quickly overridden by changes in technology one system disrupted vertical synchronization causing a copied program to Scrop continuously on the to screen. But it was Short lived the japanese immediately rewired their machines to Clerou event  Bloeser says the motion picture Asso Daton of America is constantly expanding efforts to thwart pirates Lla film Security budget has swollen to $15 million a year three times larger than ii was in 1981. In addition to its sizable Domestic operations it has agents in 20 foreign countries. Conw Ratai Vid of a the pirates who account for an estimated so percent or More of the counterfeiting Range irom operators of mom and pop video stores to sizable Syndicate. A lot of ii tile video stores Wip buy one or two copies. Of a cassette than Flo into their Back room and run off a dozen  Bloeser says. They feel they have to do. It to compete with the big  although not aimed at the commercial pirate the Macro ski system May discourage Tome of the Majer time Opar Alofs he said. Page 14 the stars and stripes