Chapter2 Page 2
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) was to be held in the Javits Convention Center in New York. We were too dumb and desperate to let the 3 million square foot building and the prestige of the SMPTE stop us from forging ahead; We were going to be at the convention and let the visual world see the system in operation. Somehow.
Don and Charlie were able to get some animation production work for the rented Oxberry camera as a result of George and Charlie’s prior contacts made at Storer Studios.
Enough spare components had been collected so far to build another complete system’s electronics. While not busy otherwise, all four were trying to figure out how to make a reasonable presence at the convention.
Finally, a plan emerged: Rudolph Dettmer, the instrument maker who had built the old Storer Studios titling stand, was contacted to build a small x/y table that could be motorized. The x/y table was attached to a small Sears-Roebuck metal tool stand, motors were attached and with the components on hand…Voila! There was a way to demonstrate some of what the system was capable of doing that was small enough to transport. BUT, still there was no computer to run it.
Happily, the folks at Hewlett Packard were kind enough to make a loaner computer available to take to the convention.
To serve as identification for the ‘booth’ at the convention, they found an old rear-illuminated sign and imposed on an artist friend, David Brewer, to paint a Cinetron Computer Systems sign on its face. Later, Dave was to produce the familiar Cinetron logo adopted by the company.
Once again Charlie’s wife’s station wagon was pressed into service to transport Charlie, George and the computer, system, x/y table, tool stand, hastily printed business cards and luggage to New York.