Video Equipment Reviews

Alpermann+Velte TE501 Editor
Ace Edit, Australia
c/o Better Reception
Columbia, KY 42728 ($859)

The Alpermann+Velte TE501 video editor is a stand-alone edit controller of German manufacture. Ace Edit of Bondi Junction, Australia distributes the unit, which is available in the U.S. from Better Reception of Columbia, Kentucky. How's that for making the rounds?

The TE501 has the features and price tag that place it in the mid- to upper-level consumer, and low-level prosumer markets. Alpermann+Velte seems to have focused on ease of use as one of the unit's selling points. Unfortunately, this all too often means a sacrifice in its overall ability to perform professional-quality edits.

A minimum of controls break up the TE501's very smooth dark gray plastic case. Only seven buttons and a single jog/shuttle knob control everything. A single display screen indicates all editing procedures, source tape locations and setup routines. These controls are easy to use once you understand their function.

The video in and out connections are on the back of the unit. These allow the TE501 to read VITC time code. Before the editor can use VITC time code or control track pulses to locate edit points on the source deck, you must route the source video through the in and out connectors. When using RCTC time code, the video should bypass the unit altogether.

Like a number of other cuts-only editing configurations in its price range, this editor uses hard wiring to control your source machine and an infrared emitter for controlling the record machine.

Connections for VCR control cables share space on the rear panel. For source deck control, you may use Cable-U (Control-M) for five-pin Panasonic decks or camcorders, Cable-R (for Control-L) 8mm and Hi8 decks or camcorders, and Cable-T for other VHS/S-VHS decks and camcorders.

On the record side, only IR signal control is available. You place the small IR transmitting tower that comes with the TE501 against the IR receiver of your VCR. Since the unit only controls the pause/unpause feature of the source deck, almost any IR controlled deck will work. For solid, clean edits, though, be sure your source deck has a flying erase head.

Once you've connected the source and record machines, you use the TE501's internal programming menus to set up the unit to best control your decks. At the push of a button, the TE501 automatically interacts with your source machine until the unit learns to control it.

On the record side, you can pick out one of four different preset IR codes built into the TE501 to control your record deck, or you can teach it IR codes directly using your deck's remote control unit. Once the TE501 learns all necessary controls and you've put it through its built-in tests, you're ready to edit.

Editing is the simplest part of all. You simply choose in and out points from desired scenes on your source tapes, push a few buttons and you're done. Keep in mind that the first time you use the TE501 you'll probably have to adjust or trim the in/out points for your record deck. This is because IR control is inherently sloppy. The TE501 menu offers trimmers which allow for adjusting your in and out points as much as 100 frames to compensate for common IR control slippage.

Frankly, I have never understood why manufacturers will go as far as designing the source side of cuts-only edit controllers with full use of time code, then stop halfway. What's the point in having source sides using VITC or RCTC time code, and a record side devoted to sloppy old IR control? True, the trimmers can make your edits quite close, but would you want to replace the control of your source decks with IR control? Of course not. Manufacturers should design the record side with equal sophistication for maximum control, or at least offer this as an option.

Once you've got it all tweaked in, it's time to edit. There are two ways to do this. You can choose to go one edit at a time, or you can build up a list of as many as 99 edits and then automatically perform all of them at the push of a button. Unlike some more expensive units, you cannot print out this list, but the TE501 will keep your list in memory, even after you turn off the power. The unit automatically maintains and adds to this list even as you do single edits. You can change the order, add new edits or delete specific edits at any time. Unfortunately, the TE501 won't let you store multiple lists; you must delete each list before starting a new production.

While the TE501 is extremely easy to use, it does have some drawbacks.

Ace Edit admits that the part of the manual that tells you how to set up your edits is less than clear, and it took some calls to them before I could achieve any fairly accurate editing. Even so, the most accurate result I could obtain was about +/-5 frames, even using RCTC time code on the source deck. I attribute this primarily to the infrared control of the record unit, which I found myself constantly trimming to maintain accuracy.

Another problem is the jog shuttle knob (for the source side only), which works too well. This two-position shuttle offers nice single-frame reviewing when in its Fine setting, but once switched to Normal, the slightest over- twisting can cause your source deck to blast ahead or backwards at full speed, running miles from where you want it to be.

There is no provision for transport movement of your record deck. You perform all record deck control by hand, with the exception of record/pause control during edits.

Also, there's no provision for any kind of inserts. But if your record deck has an insert feature and your manual dexterity is good, you can do inserts during what the TE501 thinks is a normal edit by placing the deck in the insert/pause mode before you begin.

The unit has no General Purpose Interface (GPI) connections. These connections trigger external video sources like titlers or special effects generators (SEGs). Should you choose to use these devices with the TE501, you'll have to operate them manually. A GPI connection would be an ideal addition to all future units.

I might have liked the TE501 better were it not for the limited accuracy and missing GPI. I certainly liked its sleek looks and easy controls. But I have to admit that better control is available at better prices. While this unit might be a useful tool for editing simple home movies, those with more serious video interests might want to look elsewhere.