The TBC is used to correct your signal.

• The DPS290 (located above the recorder deck) is the TBC for the 3/4" and the Hi8 format decks.

• The Sirius option has its own TBC embedded in the software. You set its options by using the sliders and menus in the software (see Using the Sirius option ).

• Each Betacam deck has its own Time Base Corrector (TBC) in the deck. To find it, pull the deck out by the little plastic handles located on the sides of the deck. The knobs and switches are used to set the options.
  The TBC knobs are (in order from left to right):
  • Video - controls the whites and blacks (the top of the image)
  • Setup - controls the bottom amplitude of the image. Values should be prefferably between 7 and 7.5
  • Hue -
  • Chroma -
  • Sync - used to align the left (or right) side of the picture. (see point 6. in Dubbing)

ATTENTION:
you do not use the knobs on the waveform or the vectorscope monitors to correct your signal. This is what the TBC is for.

The WAVEFORM and VECTORSCOPE monitors

The waveform and a vectorscope monitors are used to see what your signal looks like.
There is a waveform and a vector scope monitor connected to the Sony Betacam system. Both monitors sit on top of the video editing desk.

When checking your video on the waveform monitor, make sure that:

• The whitest parts of your video signal do not exceed 100 IRE. Especially when you have white text, it should not exceed 80 IRE to prevent it from "leaking" on the dubs.
  
• The video black should not go below 7.5 IRE.

The vectorscope monitor looks at the phasing of the color.

is located on the top of all decks, next to the waveform amd vectorscope monitors. It displays the TRUE, engineeringly correct image.