Vipin Bhatia - Session 01

AR-020-11-1

(00:00:00 – 00:08:00) Bhatia recounts arriving in Delhi in 1984 and entering the broadcast engineering ecosystem during its formative years. After an initial period of training and short stints, he became the first engineer associated with the private-sector setup at NML (New Video Limited), which operated alongside emerging studios and production groups. He describes working with early color cameras and VTR systems at a time when formal textbooks or structured curricula for broadcast technology did not exist, forcing engineers to rely heavily on manuals, observation, and hands-on experimentation. (00:08:01 – 00:16:00) He emphasizes that much of what engineers needed to know—servo locking, drum behavior, tracking, phasing, and signal stability—was not taught in universities, including postgraduate programs. Even specialized TV engineering courses offered limited practical insight. Bhatia frames this period as one driven by deep curiosity: understanding how images were formed, how tape was recorded on rotating heads, and how early single-tube color cameras functioned during the transition to color television in India. (00:16:01 – 00:24:00) Bhatia stresses the importance of understanding the “design intent” behind Sony broadcast systems. He explains that proper servicing required grasping how engineers designed servo locks, reference locks, sync locking, and black burst distribution—not merely swapping parts. He argues that without understanding why a system was designed a certain way, troubleshooting becomes mechanical and ineffective. (00:24:01 – 00:32:00) He discusses providing technical consultation for NDTV’s early programs, particularly World This Week, and earlier formats such as Focus associated with Saeed Naqvi. Bhatia clarifies that NDTV initially operated through program blocks rather than as a full-time channel. He describes the technical demands of chroma keying at the time, noting that high-quality chroma setups were capable of extremely fine keying—“even smoke,” as it was often claimed—though all work remained within standard-definition workflows. (00:32:01 – 00:40:00) Rapidly Changing Formats and Non-Monotony of Work Bhatia reflects on the constant evolution of formats—low-band, high-band, Beta, SDI, later digital systems—and how this prevented the work from becoming monotonous. He notes that engineers were continually forced to relearn systems as technologies shifted, often without formal retraining, making adaptability a core professional skill. (00:40:01 – 00:48:00) He critiques the growing tendency of manufacturers to promote board-level replacement rather than component-level repair. Bhatia expresses frustration that circuit diagrams were often withheld, effectively preventing deeper repair work and reducing engineers to part-swappers. He contrasts this with earlier practices where faulty capacitors, sensors, or resistors could be identified and fixed directly. (00:48:01 – 00:56:00) Bhatia articulates a core belief: a good engineer never gives up on a machine. He describes how persistence, rather than official documentation or external support, often led to solutions—especially when others had declared systems “dead” or beyond repair. (00:56:01 – 01:04:00) He shares personal anecdotes illustrating the intensity of broadcast engineering in the 1980s–90s, including working 15-hour shifts for consecutive days during critical installations. He notes that professional responsibility frequently overrode personal life, at one point nearly conflicting with his own wedding. (01:04:01 – 01:12:00) Bhatia criticizes what he describes as a “placement-driven” mindset among younger engineers, where speed and job security outweigh curiosity. He contrasts this with earlier generations who would spend days investigating minor faults such as stuck pins, dirty sensors, or mechanical timing issues rather than replacing entire units. (01:12:01 – 01:20:00) He discusses his role in mentoring junior engineers, many of whom later rose to senior positions in Sony and other broadcast organizations. Bhatia acknowledges being perceived as strict or intimidating but frames this as necessary to maintain technical rigor and professional standards. (01:20:01 – 01:28:00) Bhatia recounts a prolonged failure involving a Beta/DigiBeta machine that remained unresolved for months despite manufacturer intervention. While official advice suggested replacing the entire mechanical assembly (at over 50% of the machine’s cost), he ultimately identified the issue as a dirty or malfunctioning sensor in the tape-threading mechanism. Cleaning the sensor resolved the problem within minutes, underscoring his argument about overlooking simple causes while chasing complex ones. (01:28:01 – 01:34:57) The interview concludes with Bhatia reflecting on his academic background in Applied Physics and how it later helped him understand color theory, signal standards (NTSC/RGB), and system behavior. He emphasizes that true understanding came not from single readings, but from repeated engagement with technical manuals, live machines, and failure analysis over decades. (01:34:57 – 01:35:12) Conclusion

09 June 2025

Oral histories of technical personnel in Broadcast and Community Video

Vipin Bhatia