Grex Video Conference

Item 5: Video tape stamdards

        This is the item to discuss video tape standards such as VHS,
VHS-S, Beta, 8mm, Hi-8, etc.  Which standards are best for home use,
which are best for broadcast, video resolution, etc.

For broadcast D1 or D2 is the best, I've heard.  But good luck affording
a D1 or D2 deck on an amateur budget :)  Other than that Hi-8 is the best
quality that I've run across, and affordable (barely).

I use VHS, Beta, 8mm and videodisc and long for a budget that will allow
digital or even Hi-8.  I've seen VHS-C but what is VHS-S?

VHS-S is enhanced high resolution VHS, how much much more high res I don't
know I would have to ask my video techie friend in Chicago.

S-VHS, AKA Super-VHS is a high resolution version of VHS.  You can play
regular tapes in an S deck.  I am pretty sure there is a S-VHS-C as well for
smaller camcorders.

If you have a high end 27" TV or most any larger TV, you may have an S-Video
jack.  Instead of a single composite NTSC video connection, there are several
pins including separate ones for R-G-B.  I think the magnetic material on the
S-VHS tapes is more dense than regular VHS.  I do not think it hurts to use
S tapes in a regular deck.  Hi-8 uses the same S connector.

"Hurts"? I don't know about that. And an SVHS tape is undoubtedly going 
to be a better tape than the five-bucks-a-dozen "Canasonic" special that 
you can pick up at the Wal-Mart. But don't go thinking that you'll get 
the same quality as you would from an actual SVHS deck.

And now JVC has come out with SVHS-E, which lets you record near-SVHS 
quality on standard VHS tape. But don't expect that you'll be able to 
play it back on someone's standard VHS deck. From what I hear, you may or 
may not be able to play it back on some SVHS decks, either.

There are a whole bunch of digital formats now, every D from D1 to D9, 
except for D4. Apparently "4" has negative connotations in Japan. 

The only "D" formats that I've heard of in regular use are D1, D2, and 
D9, which is also known as Digital S. That's JVC's baby, and it records 
on cassettes which use the same shell as VHS.

As far as the other major digital formats go, well, here we're mostly 
using miniDV. We have a DVcam deck on order, but have yet to take 
delivery of it. It seems like the divisions of the U which deal directly 
with students have settled on DVCpro (Panasonic)--those that don't use 
DVcam (Sony). Everything I've heard says that there's little quality 
difference between the two, except that they have limited compatibility 
with each other.

Until recently, if you wanted Firewire (IEEE 1394) you went with Sony. 
Finally Panasonic has added the spec to their machines. I don't know if 
everyone else's head start is going to hurt them in that area.

And finally, if that weren't confusing enough (and I'm barely scraping 
the surface here) Sony has also introduced Digital 8. That can produce 
near-DV quality, on a Hi8 size tape. And I'm pretty sure that most 
Digital 8 cameras can play back Hi8 material, too.

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