lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (10/23/83)
Here are my (Lauren's) comments regarding the video questions recently submitted by dan@rna.UUCP. His original questions are included, and my replies are fully indented. --------- - What is the balance point between tape quality and recording speed ? A high grade Maxell might cost $9-10. Is it as good at EP speed as a cheapo tape at SP ? The primary differences between grades of tape relate to physical quality/dropout rate. Cheaper tapes tend to lose oxide much more quickly, resulting in bad images and clogged tape heads. Also, dropout rate is often much higher on cheap tapes, which of course will be more noticeable at lower speeds since each dropout will be included within more recorded video fields. I only use SONY tapes when I can get them, period. While I strongly prefer BETA on technical grounds, I believe that SONY now makes VHS tapes as well, so everyone can join in. - How much difference is there between SP, LP and EP ? Assume the material is MTV-type stereo music videos. In my opinion, lower speeds are useful for recording football games and not much else -- or perhaps for time shifting when you don't really care what the quality will be. Certainly, the very slow speeds should not be used for archival. I do most archival at 3 3/4 ips on U-MATIC or BETA II speed. Please note that as you slow the tape down, the AUDIO quality will *dramatically* decrease, just like running a very slow conventional audio tape recorder. SONY has a new audio recording technique that combines the audio with the video on some of their newer machines which should in theory avoid this problem, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. - What are the choices and differences in tape brands (e.g. Scotch vs Fuji vs TDK vs Maxell, etc.) ? As I mentioned above, I try stick with SONY. At one time or another, I've had bad luck with virtually all other brands. - If you already had a VCR with tuner and you needed a new color TV, why not just buy a color monitor (e.g. the kind used for home computers, NTSC) ? One factor is that you would no longer be able to watch one channel while recording another since you wouldn't have a second tuner. However, some people do go this route, though a *good* monitor can cost big bucks. - My cable company will provide an FM tap for receiving MTV in stereo for MTV and HBO for $4/mo. I found out that just hooking up the cable to my FM receiver provides the same signal. Why can't I just get a 75ohm tap myself ? You can, but note that you are violating the law since you are technically "stealing service". That is, customers are not supposed to make modifications to the cable hookups provided by the cable co, and the stereo hookup is a tariffed service. - What steps can one do to get rid of herring bone ? All sorts of problems can cause herringbone -- the interference could be creeping in at any one of many points, or could even be a result of "cable-ready" problems. (One such typical problem is that the interchannel filters in these sets often aren't really sharp enough to allow for adjacent channels, so you get herringbone interference from the adjacents.) - What is the current state of descramblers ? How hard is it to build one ? Varies with the complexity of the scrambling system, and totally illegal. Many cable companies are now actively prosecuting (on a large scale) the illegal decoder owners. Unlike some years ago when the legal situation was murky, there are now clear state and federal laws making the use of such devices illegal. I hope this information is of some help. --Lauren-- End of reply.