At TL5-8, many technologies emerge for recording and playing back audio and video content – whether for education, entertainment, or propaganda. These aren’t the only media, of course. See Information Technology (pp. 17-22) for print media and computers, and Communications (pp. 35-40) for broadcasting equipment.
At TL5-7, audio storage means hardcopy – records, tapes, etc. An 8’x10’ shelf filled with standard 12” LPs would hold about 5,500 albums. That’s two tons of vinyl.
At TL8, audio storage and retrieval make staggering gains. The shelf mentioned above, for instance, would hold 28,000 albums on compact disc. That same 2.5 TB of music could be stored in a hard drive smaller than a shoebox.
Like all of these sections, the list below is representative, not encyclopedic – it’s merely a small sampling of what’s possible. Prices assume basic, consumer-grade equipment. High-fidelity and professional equipment should be of good or better quality (p. B345).
Proper headphones are basic equipment for Connoisseur (Music). Electronics Operation (Media) also requires a microphone. Treat the lighter versions included with communications gear as improvised: -2 to -5 (quality) to skill and to Hearing rolls made for fine details. These devices are powered by the attached hardware.
Headphones (TL6). At TL7-8, these deliver very high-quality sound. $50, 1 lb. LC4.
Microphone (TL6). At TL8, halve price and divide weight by three. $100, 3 lbs. LC4.
Thomas Edison founded the Edison Phonograph Company in 1887 to market the first practical audio recording device. The phonograph is a tabletop apparatus about the size of breadbox. The user speaks into the “listening horn,” which transports the sound through a metal tube to a writing apparatus, the “scribe.” The scribe travels along a track, etching groves in a spinning cylinder of wax-coated cardboard. When the scribe reaches the end of the track, the cylinder is full and the device stops. Continued recording requires replacing the cylinder with a fresh one. Some models are powered by a hand crank, others by electricity. $2,000, 30 lbs., external power. LC4.
A cylinder-shaving machine allows one to reuse the wax-covered cylinders by shaving them smooth, thereby erasing the recording. This has the same weight and cost as the phonograph itself.
The “gramophone” is essentially Edison’s phonograph using a disc instead of a cylinder. Early models have a hand-cranked clockwork mechanism to spin the turntable and a brass horn for playback; records are made of wax at first, and then vinyl. Later models use electricity and have far better sound quality. Play time is initially very short, but increases dramatically as records grow in size and the groove becomes smaller (microgroove records in the 1950s) – a single 12” LP (“long play”) record plays for 20-30 minutes per side. At TL8, music labels often produce a small run of old-fashioned vinyl records in homage to the long legs of the LP.
Gramophone (TL6). Records and plays records. Sound quality is terribly poor and scratchy. $500, 40 lbs., external power. LC4.
Pocket Phonograph (TL6). Looks like an oversized pocket watch (4” across) but unfolds to become a hand-cranked record player. The Mikiphone brand was popular, marketed as “A Jazz Band in Your Pocket.” Holdout -2. $250, 4 lbs. LC4.
Portable Phonograph (TL6). A hand-cranked record player in a small briefcase – the perfect picnic Victrola. $100, 10 lbs. LC4.
Record Player (TL7). Plays records but doesn’t record. $50, 10 lbs., external power. LC4.
Wire recorders were developed near the end of the 19th century. Early models were similar in appearance to the phonograph, but recorded magnetically to steel wire wrapped around a cylinder. Later models used reels of steel wire or tape, and resembled reel-to-reel tape recorders. By the 1930s, wire recorders could be found in most executive office settings, laboratories, and warships (where they were used to record radio messages for later decryption). A typical recorder is box-shaped, with two reels on top: $1,500, 15 lbs., external power. LC4.
The first practical magnetic tape recorders – called “open tape” or “reel-to-reel” recorders – were built by AEG in Germany in 1935. By the early 1950s, magnetic tape recorders were the standard audio recording technology. In the 1960s, small reel-to-reel recorders were used as “body wires” for espionage and police work… and each episode of the Mission Impossible TV series began with a miniaturized recorder offering Jim Phelps a new adventure!
Magnetic Tape Recorder (TL6). $8,500, 100 lbs., external power. LC4.
Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder (TL7). $150, 10 lbs., external power. LC4.
Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder, Miniature (TL7). Mini-reel lasts 1 hour. Holdout -1. $500, 1 lb., 2xXS/5 hrs. LC3.
Tape recorders that used compact tape cassettes entered the market in 1964, offering unparalleled portability and ease of use. The technology’s TL8 incarnation was Sony’s Walkman – a small, personal, stereo cassette player, first sold in 1979.
Cassette Recorder (TL7). A portable player/recorder, about as large as a mid-sized book. $150, 3 lbs., 5xS/8 hrs. LC4.
Handheld Cassette Recorder (TL8). A pocket-sized player/recorder with an AM/FM tuner. $10, 0.5 lb., XS/36 hrs. LC4.
Compact disc (CD) players went on sale in 1982. Sony beat CD development partner Phillips to the punch, selling their product one month earlier than Phillips. Portable players followed in 1985.
Compact Disc Player (TL8). A CD-player console, with AM/FM tuner, etc. $900, 15 lbs., external power. LC4.
Portable Compact Disc Player (TL8). A “walkman” style CD player. Later models have FM tuner, “anti-skip,” etc. $25, 0.5 lb., 2¥XS/75 hrs. LC4.
Digital media players are tiny audio-playback devices, typified by Apple’s iPod. The first were the size of a pack of cigarettes, but recent models are the size of a pack of gum – and prices have likewise shrunk, from expensive to affordable. All play audio content converted to (or, increasingly, recorded in) compressed digital formats: MPEG, MP3, etc. With gigabytes of storage, they can hold hundreds to thousands of songs. The rechargeable batteries last for at least 12 hours. Higher-quality versions (p. B345) support more formats, store more songs, and/or include such features as audio recording, wireless connectivity, and video playback. $100, 0.25 lb. LC4.
Secrets stored this way could be the MacGuffin that drives an adventure.
12” LP (TL6). Plays 20-30 minutes per side. $15, 0.5 lb. LC4.
5.5” Record (TL6). One of the first popular collectable records, these “Little Wonders” played about 90 seconds of music per side. $1.50, 0.25 lb. LC4.
Wax Cylinder (TL6). Holds about 10 minutes of scratchy, poor-quality audio. Holdout -2. $5, 0.25 lb. LC4.
Wire Reel (TL6). Holds about an hour of poor-quality audio. Holdout -1. $15, 0.5 lb. LC4.
Audio Cassette Tape (TL7). A plastic cassette holding 30-60 minutes of music (660 KB of data) per side. Holdout 0. $1, 7 weigh 1 lb. LC4.
Reel-to-Reel Tape (TL7). The most common reel at TL7 is a 1,200’ length of 1/4” tape on a 7” reel, which holds about an hour of standard audio or 15 minutes of professional-quality recording. $3, 1 lb. LC4.
Compact Disk (TL8). A single CD holds 74-90 minutes of audio (650-800 MB of data). Holdout 0. $0.50, 15 weigh 1 lb. LC4.
At TL5, the photographer surpasses the portrait artist as society’s recorder of visual images. While an artist charges upward of $100 for the week-long process of painting a portrait in oils, a photograph soon drops from $100 to $5, and seldom takes longer than an hour.
At TL6, photography is no longer so complicated that it requires a professional. Toward the end of TL6, most high schools offer photography classes, while mail-order catalogs hawk cheap developing equipment, film, and cameras. By the dawn of TL7, even the most remote backwater usually has inexpensive cameras and film for sale. At TL8, video storage – like audio storage (p. 42) – benefits greatly from digitization; pictures stored on computer or CD can be printed at home at the touch of a button.
Use the Photography skill (p. B213) to take good pictures, develop film, or use TL8 image-editing software. Roll at -3 for moving pictures.
The camera obscura is simply a box with a lens fitted to a drawer in the front. A mirror at the back of the box reflects the image upward, where the artist can trace it on paper. To focus, the operator slides the drawer in and out. While not a camera in the modern sense, this device was one of the first means of capturing an exact copy of an image. Itinerant artists often used it to produce drawings of homes and architecture for a small fee. Meriwether Lewis berated himself for not taking one along during the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804-1806. Use Artist (Drawing) skill to make an accurate or attractive copy. $50, 10 lbs. LC4.
Cameras of the 1840s relied on one of several chemical processes to prepare a plate of glass (“daguerreotype” or “ambrotype”) or metal (“ferrotype” or “tintype”) to receive an image. The wet-plate collodion process was the most widespread by the early 1850s. It remained the mainstay of photography until the turn of the century.
In the wet-plate process, the chemical-treated plate serves as the negative for printmaking – much like modern film. The photographer prepares the plate in a darkroom or a tent, working by the light of a lantern with a red glass or silk cover. He immerses the plate in a chemical bath to render it light-sensitive, removes it, puts it into a lightproof carrier, and attaches this to the back of the camera. To take a photograph, he removes the carrier’s front panel and the lens cap, exposing the plate to light for 15 seconds or more before replacing the cap. (This exposure time explains why period photographs often depict people sitting or leaning – and why action shots are impossible.) He then takes the sealed carrier back to the darkroom and makes prints on special photosensitive paper.
Developing Equipment (TL5). Enough chemicals and containers for developing a few hundred wet-plate images and accompanying prints. Many of the chemicals are flammable or poisonous! $300, 25 lbs. LC4.
Glass Plates (TL5). A common 5”¥8” glass plate. $5, 0.5 lb. LC4.
Wet-Plate Camera (TL5). A camera and tripod. $1,000, 50 lbs. LC4.
In 1888, George Eastman introduced the first consumer-friendly camera with the slogan “You press the button, we do the rest.” His Kodak camera created the amateur photographer. The later Brownie (1900) was light and simple enough for a child to use; Ansel Adams’ first camera was a Brownie, given to him at age 14.
A box camera uses photographic film. Once the film is used up, the whole camera is sent off to the lab. After 4-6 weeks, it’s returned with the prints and ready to shoot again. Professionals with access to a darkroom (p. 43) can develop the film and reload the camera themselves. Holds 6-12 exposures. $20, 0.5 lb. LC4.
The Bell & Howell Filmo was the archetypical movie camera of TL6. During WWII, U.S. Army combat cameramen carried it – and machines like it – from Bougainville to Berlin.
To use the camera, the operator loads a film cassette with a reel of film inside and then winds the clockwork mechanism (takes 15 seconds). The camera is then ready for about 30 seconds of filming before it must be rewound. Electric motors or a hand-turned crank can also power the camera, if it’s mounted on a tripod (see below). Halve cost and weight at TL7-8. $2,500, 6 lbs., external power. LC4.
The first 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras – such as the Leica and Kine Exacta – became available during the 1930s. Nikon and Canon quickly followed with their own versions. Variations on the theme are still popular today.
The main advantage of the SLR is that the viewfinder is the camera lens. This cuts down on getting fingers in the way of the lens, leaving the subject’s head out of the frame, etc. Expensive, higher-quality systems (p. B345) provide a bonus to Photography skill. $400, 3 lbs. LC4.
A subminiature camera such as the Minox is as likely to be used for vacation photos as for clandestine purposes. Its reputation as a professional “spy camera” is a consequence of its size – about 2” long by 1” wide – and the fact that its tiny lens can focus at sufficiently close range to photograph documents. It takes from 12 to 50 exposures per roll of film. At TL8, digital versions record to a digital storage device (p. 22) instead. Holdout +2. $500, 0.1 lb. LC4.
These are just a few of the many accessories available to TL6-8 photographers.
Camera Bag (TL6). Holds camera, lenses, film, cleaning gear, etc. $25, 1 lb. LC4.
Darkroom (TL6). All the equipment needed to develop film. Higher-quality equipment can develop unusual film (UV, IR, etc.), produce professional-quality prints and enlargements, and so on. $500, 25 lbs. LC4.
Telephoto Lens (TL6). 30¥ magnification. $500, 8.5 lbs. LC4.
Tripod (TL6). Stands 4’ tall, but collapses to 12”. Divide weight by 3 at TL8. $75, 9 lbs. LC4.
Underwater Housing (TL7). An airtight plastic shell (DR 2) for a camera, allowing full access to all controls. $200, 1 lb. LC4.
Wireless Pan-Tilt-Zoom (TL8). A motorized aiming system that’s mounted on a tripod and operated by remote control. $1,000, 3 lbs., 3¥S/10 hrs. LC4.
The Expo Watch Camera was introduced in 1905 – one of many miniature cameras offered around the turn of the century. Its pocket-watch size makes it difficult to operate: -3 to skill. It uses a miniature roll of film that holds 25 exposures ($2.50, neg.). Holdout +2. $25, neg. LC4.
The early 1980s brought the VHS (Video Home System) movie camera that stored images on magnetic tape. The compact VHS (VHS-C) camera followed shortly afterward, at 1/4 weight! By the early 1990s, most camcorders had LCD displays rather than viewfinders.
Common features on VHS cameras include an on-camera microphone and a removable spotlight. More expensive models use active night vision and accept specialized lenses (telephoto, wide-angle, etc.) like those used by SLR cameras (see above). $1,500, 8 lbs., M/2 hrs. LC4.
The first digital camcorders appear in the mid-1990s. A given model might store video on a digital storage device, DVD, or mini-DV cassette tape.
Micro-Camcorder (TL8): A digital camera about the size of a deck of playing cards. It records to a digital storage device – about one hour of video on a 256 MB card. The rechargeable battery lasts for 1 hour. Holdout +1. $200, 0.25 lb. LC4.
Mini-DV Camera (TL8). A compact digital movie camera with built-in features that give Night Vision 3 and Telescopic Vision 2. It has a small LCD screen and can take digital stills. The rechargeable battery lasts for 1 hour. $500, 1 lb. LC4.
Professional Mini-DV Camera (TL8). A larger and heavier professional camera with an array of filters and lenses (including wide-angle and telephoto), a shotgun microphone, and other accessories. It gives +2 (quality) to Photography skill. The rechargeable battery lasts for 90 minutes. $10,000, 8 lbs. LC4.
A digital camera stores color images on a removable digital storage device (p. 22) instead of on film, the exact number depending on image quality and the size of the storage device. It can transfer images directly to computer without any quality loss from scanning. Cheap digital cameras are often quite small (Holdout 0). $75, 0.5 lb., 2¥XS/10 hrs. LC4.
A DVR is simply a computer equipped with a $50 adapter and running special Complexity 2 software; see Computers (pp. 19-22) for hardware and software prices. It can record TV broadcasts or camera input. Each hour of recording requires 1 GB of storage. Such setups are rapidly supplanting VHS at high-security facilities. A DVR connected to a computer network allows remote access to security-camera footage – live or recorded.
Photographers, detectives, and spies should bring along a good supply of these items. Without them, a camera is at best an expensive monocular!
Film (TL6). Regular or high-speed film for a 35mm SLR or similar. 24-36 exposures/roll. Holdout +1. $2, neg. LC4.
Infrared Film (TL6). Lets normal cameras take pictures in Infravision (p. B60). “Color” versions appear at TL7. 24- 36 exposures/roll. $30, neg. LC4.
Movie Camera Film (TL6). A 100’ reel of film. Lasts 4-6 minutes. Holdout -3. $30, 0.5 lb. LC4.
Ultraviolet Film (TL6). Lets normal cameras take pictures in Ultravision (p. B94). “Color” versions are available at TL7. 24-36 exposures/roll. $100, neg. LC4.
Digital Versatile Disc (TL8). A DVD holds from 120 minutes (4.7 GB) to 240 minutes (8.5 GB), depending on format. Holdout 0. $2, neg. LC4.
Mini-DV Cassette (TL8). A tape cassette that stores about 80 minutes of digital video. Holdout -1. $6, 0.25 lb. LC4. VHS Cassette (TL8). Holds 800’ of tape. Records for 2-3 hours. Holdout 0. $2, 0.5 lb. LC4.
Radio receivers intended for ordinary consumers appeared in the early 1920s. By 1929, radio broadcasts were reaching 10 million Americans. The 1930s were the Radio Age, with listeners faithfully tuning into shows like Amos ‘n’ Andy, The Shadow, and Little Orphan Annie.
The radio wasn’t just a home appliance. Motorola sold its first automobile radio receiver in 1930. Many police departments installed such hardware in “radio cars” that could listen to dispatch but not respond (“Calling all cars!”), as did big-city taxi companies.
World War II rocketed radio to dizzying heights… only to see it crash in the 1950s, eclipsed by the television boom. The top three U.S. radio stations sold over $130 million in advertising spots in 1945, but managed only $64 million in 1955. Today, satellite radio gives broadcasters global reach and brings consumers the widest variety of content in radio’s history.
At TL6 and early TL7, a radio is vital for spies keeping up with current events, vigilantes monitoring police traffic, resistance fighters waiting for coded orders, and other adventurers. A radio might even pick up messages from aliens, the spirit world, the past, or the future!
Cabinet Radio (TL6). A typical radio of the 1920s, in a huge cabinet the size of kitchen stove. It comes on with a hum and frequently drops the station, requiring constant fiddling. $1,500, 150 lbs., external power. LC4.
Transistor Radio (TL7). An AM/FM radio the size of a cigarette pack. $15, 0.5 lb., S/10 hrs. LC4.
Boom Box (TL8). An AM/FM radio with cassette, CD player, etc. Loud enough to rock the block! $100, 15 lbs., 6¥S/5 hrs. LC4.
Satellite Radio Receiver (TL8). A pocket-sized satellite radio receiver. Service costs $10 a month. $50, 0.5 lb., XS/5 hrs. LC4.
Television broadcasts were experimental throughout the 1920s. Television sets were being sold commercially by 1938, but the phenomenon didn’t take off until the early 1950s. Less than 200,000 TV sets were produced in the U.S. in 1947. By 1953, that number had leapt to 7 million. In a historical game, it would be fair to regard television as a late-TL6 technology that doesn’t enjoy commercial success until TL7.
Television sets can be an important source of news during a campaign, taking over from radio in TL7. A TV might also be the voice of supernatural things from beyond, as in the film Poltergeist.
Early TV Set (TL6). A tiny monochrome display a few inches across, in a massive mahogany cabinet. $4,000, 150 lbs, external power. LC4.
TV Set (TL7). A 15” black-and-white display. A color TV has ¥10 cost! $500, 150 lbs., external power. LC4.
Portable TV (TL8). A 7” flat-panel color TV and DVD player with speakers, antenna, and power adapter. The rechargeable battery lasts 4 hours. $100, 2 lbs. LC4.
TV Set (TL8). A 42” flat-panel, high-definition color TV. $1,500, 100 lbs., external power. LC4.
TV Watch (TL8). The first wrist-mounted TV was sold by Seiko in 1982; it had a tiny 1.5” screen connected by a cable to a separate “shirt pocket receiver” (0.5 lb., 2¥XS/5 hrs.) and headphones. Newer versions dispense with the separate receiver and are truly self-contained wrist-top TV sets. Headphones plug into the watch, which runs for a little over an hour on its rechargeable battery. $200, neg. LC4.
Adventurers might use these devices to replay news stories, mission-rehearsal tapes, or crimes caught on camera.
TV Recorder (TL7). The first home television recorder was marketed in 1965. It recorded to open-reel video tape. By today’s standards, picture quality was poor. $3,500, 35 lbs., external power. LC4.
VHS Recorder (TL7). The videocassette recorder (VCR) appears in the mid-1970s. Records on VHS tape. $5,000, 10 lbs., external power. LC4.
DVD Player (TL8). A standard model with remote control. $80, 10 lbs., external power. LC4.
DVD Recorder (TL8). This can record directly from TV to DVD – or from a VCR tape to DVD, or vice versa. $200, 10 lbs., external power. LC4.
VHS Recorder (TL8). A modern VCR with remote control. $50, 5 lbs., external power. LC4.