Aftermarket BP-U battery % remaining

[Paul Anderegg]

Powers off or goes dead, like if you removed the battery while recording? I don't know either way, but I have had power offs and never remember anything being lost, but cant recall if I was rolling when it happened.

Paul

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Bill Ward

ahhh....those were the days when Betacam strode the Earth as a colossus....

+1 on that! They were a big leap forward over the 1969 BVP330 and U-Matic portapak that really heralded 'video' as better than the earlier stagger-n-gun type of thing. Anyone remember the "refrigerator?" The erstwhile RCA TK76? Back in the time when it helped to be an ex quarterback to be a cameraman :))

Check out this rig!

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

[Noa Put]

What's that on his back, a fridge? I want one!

[Paul Anderegg]

ROFL, that is seriously similar to the TVU Pack 8200 live transmitter I am forced to wear at work! I have back problems because of it..........the convenience of built in live streaming cannot be stressed enough as a major leap forward in broadcast technology! One day "always connected" live streaming will be as common as "always on GPS" in a smartphone, what we do with it will be up to us and our creativity. :)

Paul

[Mike Watson]

Originally Posted by Shaun Roemich

You would have/must have hated the days of BP-1 "chocolate bar" batteries than BRAND NEW ran a Betacam for MAYBE 45 minutes if you were lucky.

Best part about NP-1's was that the brand new ones lasted 35 minutes, but the one-year old ones lasted 6 minutes, and they looked basically identical. I'd go up to the 12th floor of city hall for a presser with one battery in the camera and one in my back pocket... flip the camera on to find the one in the camera was almost dead... slip the fresh one in and find out it was basically dead as well. Then get ready for a 12-flight sprint mid-press conference.

Also, fond memories of meticulous battery management... NEVER charging a half-used battery, but leaving the camera on until it was 100% dead to avoid the dreaded battery memory.

Or coming back from vacation to find that some stringer used your gear and left all your batteries half-dead. Now your batteries that did last 35 minutes now last 25 minutes. And tracking that guy down to strangle him.

Edit:

FYI, Shaun... I think BP-1 is a combination of memories of the NP-1 and the BP-90. Same era!

[Paul Anderegg]

I used to run the dual NP1 piggyback setup, until going AB ProPac in 1993. I don't know why the BP90's didn't catch on in SD, only KFMB used them.

Paul

[Mike Watson]

KFMB was still using BP 90s when I got there in 2002...several more years, in fact. Moved to Anton Bauer in 05 or so.