Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM
WHAMMY!, Los Angeles
Ever been enchanted by the dancing squiggles of a slightly distorted VHS tape? Or entranced by the color palette of a cathode-ray tube television? Want to know some of the science and electrical engineering behind humanity's greatest technological achievement save perhaps landing on the moon? If so, "Introduction to Composite Video Signal Architecture" is for you! In this talk, I will cover: - the electro-mechanics of cathode-ray tube monitors - sync pulses and their timings - the correspondence between luminance and voltage - color and the art of phase modulation - the difference between various analog video standards (PAL vs. NTSC) and formats (composite, component, S-video, VGA, etc.) - why analog video still matters as an artistic medium (editorializing alert) Note that while general concepts of analog video will be discussed at length, the focus of this talk will be specifically *composite* video, for reasons of ubiquity and aesthetic interest. The presentation will be followed up by a question-and-answer session in which we can talk about everything you ever wanted to know about analog video signals but were afraid to ask. ## SATURDAY, 9/262:30PM - 4:00PM ## $25 general admission. *Presented by* *[T.A.P.E.](https://tapeanalog.org/)* *- a Los Angeles based 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to facilitating support for analog media through free digitizing, education, hands-on training, equipment rentals and volunteer opportunities. Teach, archive, preserve, exhibit.* **Sean Russell Hallowell** (@isorhythmics) is a composer and video artist based in Occidental, CA whose art synthesizes experimental techniques developed from hand-built circuitry with a cosmic perspective on music as a conduit for physical and metaphysical energy. Inspired by the affordances of outmoded media technologies, he explores the phenomenology of time in relation to the "arts of number" enumerated by the Medieval quadrivium - music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. *****Whammy!*** *is located at* **1***2***00 N Alvarado St***, near the intersection of Sunset & Alvarado and in between Tierra Mia Coffee and Manly & Sons Barbershop. Street parking only, please* ***do not park*** ***in the library parking lot****, as your vehicle will get locked in when the library closes. The corner of Sunset & Alvarado is served by 3 major bus lines*, the** 2, the ***4****, and the* ***93.*** T.A.P.E. Patreon Members can purchase tickets for a discounted price. **Please check your email for the Promo Code!** Consider becoming a member of T.A.P.E.’s Patreon for just $5 a month to access exclusive first tickets for workshops, discounts on screenings, rentals, and events, and much more! See more workshops at [https://givebutter.com/tape-collective](https://givebutter.com/tape-collective)