Advent Videobeam - Videokarma.org TV - Video

***Eric H*** · #1 03-22-2003, 02:38 PM

Any interest in the Advent Projectors?

I saw a Videobeam 1000A in a second hand store this morning, just wondering if they had any collector status yet?

Eric

Rob · #2 03-22-2003, 03:01 PM

Eric,

I owned two of those. They were very advanced at the time. The CRT was a clever innovation by Henry Kloss that placed the CRT electron optics and Schmidt optics in the same vacuum envelope. It made for a very expensive CRT. I wouldn't mind having one for my tube collection. This projector was one of the few then to have a comb filter in the color decoder. These sets used miriad plug in modules and the problems with intermittent contacts are common. Almost all the fragile surfaced curved screens were damaged through attempts at cleaning. You could not physically touch them or you'd ruin the fine grain raised aluminum surface. There was also a set of plastic disc corrector plate lenses available that you could place on the front of the 'guns' to project onto a flat surface screen.

I wouldn't consider one of these to have any real monetary collectible value IMO.

Rob

captainmoody · #3 03-22-2003, 08:17 PM

I wouldn't say that Rob, About a year ago I sold one of my Advent videobeam projectors to a collector in California for 250.00! Sold the screen to another collector in Chicago for 100.00. There is a following for these units. The ones I have seem to be quite reliable too. All have good crt's, Only one needed some caps changed to be useable again after long storage.

#4 03-22-2003, 09:38 PM

Had a Kloss about three years ago that I finally sold in the Vintage Radio & Phonograph auction. It worked great but lacking the concave screen, I really didn't have a proper surface to display the image on. Tried making my own, experimenting with cuving thin plywood without much success. These are neat but not having the screen's a real sore spot! (Secretly, I wish I hadn't sold it!)
Michael

***Eric H*** · #5 03-22-2003, 10:50 PM

The price on this one was $180! no screen that i could see.
Looked pretty clean, black cabinet.

Odd thing was I had just watched the movie "Autofocus" the movie about Bob (Hogan) Crane, and there was a Videobeam featured in that.

Actually that movie shows a lot of vintage Video gear and TV's.

Rob · #6 03-23-2003, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by captainmoody
I wouldn't say that Rob, About a year ago I sold one of my Advent videobeam projectors to a collector in California for 250.00! Sold the screen to another collector in Chicago for 100.00. There is a following for these units. The ones I have seem to be quite reliable too. All have good crt's, Only one needed some caps changed to be useable again after long storage.

Cap'n,

I guess it is a matter of what you are used to. As I said, I owned two of those and have owned and technically maintained and operated many others far more powerful and valuable because I worked in the pro events-projection market off and on for years. I even owned and restored the all-vacuum-tube, 3-light valve EP-6 color Eidophor that was bought new for the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, and I even did the 1993 CBC Gemini Awards show in Toronto with it. After all my hard work and expense restoring it I saw that machine scrapped because I just could no longer afford the heated dry storage it needed. With two power supply cabinets and road parts case it took up as much room as a full size Elvis Presley car, and weighed almost as much. This was before ebay and the internet so now I am kinda sorry I couldn't keep it until now, it was a true museum piece and was just s/n 00011, but you can't keep everything and if you were to see my place now you'd see proof that I still try!

I wouldn't give you $25 CDN for a working Videobeam 1000A today. I cannot spare the storage space for something I'd never have any interest in looking at. I'm wanting to sell the remaining Eidphors that I still do have. I could use the room.

That is just my particular unique situation. If a Advent 1000A or anything else for that matter floats your boat, estimate the $ value to your own thrill level.

Rob

captainmoody · #7 03-23-2003, 07:03 AM

Wow! Its nice to know you are so well versed in this field! I too have experience in Projectors, However, Most of it it has only been with high definition stuff of late, The company that I have, (The Massco Group) resells and services them along with servers and other associated electronics. As far as price, I don't dictate that! Ebay and collectors have. I certainly wouldn't collect any equipment as large as a car either, That would be foolish! I have a large warehouse and would never waste the space on anything other than stock for resale. (got to pay the bills!) My collectable stuff is kept at home. The smaller advent and similar projectors though can be stored easily and brought out for use as needed.

vintagecollect · #8 02-08-2006, 04:06 PM

Interesting tv

andy · #9 02-08-2006, 11:18 PM

I actually had a 1000A recently. It's not a very good projector. It was made by Electrohome and uses standard projection CRTs and optics. It's hard to work on and failed several times in the short time I had it. I tuned it up the best I could, but it still had a poor picture.

kx250rider · #10 02-09-2006, 12:57 AM

If anybody needs copies of the manual, I have it. I have had many Advents, including a few VB-1000's. There's still a nice one in the storage room at KTLA last I heard. I wasn't ever able to get any money for them, but they're neat. I know of 2 or 3 others sitting around.

Did anyone see the Sony version? Circa 1972... Very rare, but I did see one.

Charles

#11 02-12-2006, 11:36 AM

I am in possession of a Kloss VideoBeam 2000 circa July 1985. I am interested in selling this item. Please email me if anyone is interested.
Thanks, Jennie

Celt · #12 02-12-2006, 11:59 AM

Jennie, welcome to AK. But please use our classified section for ads.

Nakdoc · #13 02-12-2006, 07:18 PM

Advents.... I saw a working 710 a year ago and it was wretched. The 1000A used Schmitt optics tubes, so they put out enough light to be seen on a 7 foot screen, but today's projectors run circles around old Advents. A mint 7 foot 1000a screen would be worth something, as it had the most neutral texture, much better than the brown bordered washables. Even the Novabeams don't compare. In the old days lenses and crt blooming limited what the picture looked like, so the chassis have poor video frequency response. Today, guns and lenses are much better. Any HD set puts these to shame.

KentTeffeteller · #14 02-22-2006, 08:01 PM

Hi,

I just saw an old 1978 model Advent Videobeam at UTC! Was used for presentations to students. Still is in excellent working condition. Nice picture and still has the proper screen. A hulk! Well made and makes nice pictures! A bear to work on in some ways!

adunphy · #15 08-23-2006, 08:13 AM

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how I could get rid of my Advnet VideoBeam 1000A SN# 02031 circa 1974. My dad owned this since then and it was our "daily driver" for 25+ years growing up. It has been sitting idle the past 5 years after being fixed by a guy in Cambridge MA. I am trying to figure out how to get rid of this thing and would really like to be able to put it to some use instead of dumping it in a landfill since its in perfect working condition including the 7' concave foil covered screen.

Does anyone know if there is an outlet for these or have any suggestions on a good place to advertise this thing to the right audience?

Any help would be appreciated.

-Aaron