Looking for information on the Quantel Cypher character generator—most famously used on NBC's coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Does anybody know if there's any decommissioned surviving units?
ASKED BY · Jonathan · SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA · 27 OCT 2026 · ▶ 00:57:26
Finding equipment from 1988 is extremely challenging; technology has evolved so rapidly that even 10-15 year old equipment is considered ancient, and specialized dealers for vintage broadcast equipment are becoming increasingly rare.
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57:24Next question. Here's one from the QR code. Jonathan in Sydney, Australia asks, looking for information on the Quantel cipher character generator. most famously used on NBC's coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Does anybody know if there's any decommissioned surviving units? Oh, that one's a tough. There are a couple of companies who specialize in high-end reconditioned or high-end old equipment, but 88 is going back a long way.
57:53Chris, have you heard of any used high-end broadcast equipment dealers that are still out there? And I was nine in 1988, so I don't have any idea what this device is. I'm just, in general, seeing less in the market. I mean, technology has changed so far and so fast that something that's now 10 or 15 years old is considered pretty ancient generically out there.
58:19I don't see much still in operation that goes that far back, and certainly not to 1988. Last question. Here we are finishing off with another QR code question from Juan in Bogota, Colombia. Do you have first and 10 yards to gain lines overlaid in the wide camera? I feel this feature was a way of reaching for small productions, but AI is changing everything.
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