Ray Dolby, whose own breakthroughs in sound technology have since made his name a household word, had this to say of Ginsburg. "Charlie Ginsburg was a people person. I think that was his secret of success in leading the Ampex VTR development team. I met Charlie in the spring of 1952 and was immediately drawn to him. With a ready grin, always a new story and a chuckle, he was irresistible… .

"An aspect of Charlie's interest in and preoccupation with people was that throughout the several years I worked with him, from 1952 to 1957, he tended to see engineering in political terms and struggle. Life was always a competition between the good guys and the bad guys. Like a mother hen, he was always ready to defend his team against the unbelievers and the detractors. Throughout the project, Charlie was brilliant in persuading or cajoling management to provide his team with the wherewithal to do the work. He fought our political battles, and got us the space, the time, and the money. For these things, and for the personal interest he took in all his people, Charlie accumulated a team that was fanatically loyal to him….

"… by [the] sheer force of personality and caring, Charlie earned the affection of everyone who worked for him.

"I will miss Charlie Ginsburg. He was the best boss I ever had."

Ginsburg is survived by his wife, Edna; his five daughters, Jane Ginsburg of San Francisco, Marge Slyter of Sacramento, Nancy Ginsburg Los Altos, Peggy Ginsburg of San Jose, and Patty Lindbeck of Anchorage, Alaska; a sister, Marjorie Morris of Burlingame; and four grandchildren.