lionel@tle.DEC (Steve Lionel) (01/19/86)
Dave Scott asked about a new "cassette sized video" format which a friend told him would "take over the market". His friend is undoubtedly referring to 8mm video. 8mm cassettes are about the size of audio cassettes, but are not the same. The 8mm format has been agreed to by just about everyone in the video industry - no more format wars. You can't take an 8mm cassette and play it in your Beta or VHS, but you can certainly copy to Beta or VHS. Currently, the best use of 8mm video is in camcorders, but future developments may show promise for home use. 8mm picture quality is about that of the better VHS machines, or a typical Beta. It should improve somewhat with a new tape type that will show up within a year. Audio is recorded as many as three ways - traditional linear low-fi, AFM (ala Beta Hi-Fi, but mono) and PCM stereo. The PCM is, unfortunately, only 8 bits wide so it doesn't measure up to CD. I have used the Sony 8mm camcorder and like it a lot. 8mm won't displace Beta and VHS in the next 5 years, but it might be a significant part of the market in that time. Personally, I am delighted that Sony has, once again, showed that it is a technology leader - the Sony 8mm units are significantly better than any of the others on the market. Steve