heliotis@rochester.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) (08/10/83)
On Video Tape Recorders
OK, this is my blurb based on experience with my own $1000 Zenith portable
VR9800 (plus VC1800 camera for another $K), and three models
I've rented to edit my home movies: some low-priced Zenith and Toshiba
consoles, and a higher priced ("4 heads") Sanyo console. Keep in mind
that these are beta machines, but from what I've seen of VHS, a lot of
what I have to say goes for them, too. (Technically, most experts seem
to say Beta format is *slightly* superior to VHS, but I have not been able
to see the difference. The main reason I like it is because the tapes
are more compact, and who needs 6 or 8 hours per tape, unless you record
a lot while you are away?)
I decided to post this to the net so that any possible opponents may rebut
my statements.
~~~
First, all the machines I've used record and playback programs just fine,
and any reasonably reputable tape brand will do. There are two main
problems I have had with my rentals that spurred me to write this:
(1) Inadequate "special effects" controls on the cheaper consoles, and
(2) apparent incompatibility between tapes recorded on different machines
(makes copying a pain).
~~~
(1)
Most people, I think, are overly impressed with the plethora of special
effects that the more expensive machines have. A typical example is
the ability to touch and release a button, and get snow-free slow
motion that you can just sit back and watch. If I were analyzing golf
swings or running style, I might be more interested in this stuff. For
me, the fact that I have to hold down a button, and get a picture that
has a band of snow in it sometimes, is completely adequate for what I
need to do: find the exact frame where I want to start recording new
material (make sure the VCR can switch from PLAY to RECORD in PAUSE, if
you want to do this).
What I get mad at is having to hit a button a second time to stop the
tape from moving in the fast cue/review modes. If I just have a little
distance to travel, and I want to see the picture, I'd like to just hold it
down for a second to get it there. But what *really* makes me mad is that
cue and review on all the machines I've rented does not work at the higher
(beta-II) speed! The screen looks worse than a scrambled movie channel!
The instruction manual for one even had the audacity to say "If you intend
to use the fast-scan functions, don't record at the higher speed."!
In addition, I have found it useful to have the crude slow motion my
machine has, for the reason I gave above. By the way, noise-free
slow motion seems to be the only reason to get a 4-head machine. The
4-head Sanyo I borrowed still had the messed up cue/review problem.
Oh, and when you compare, be wary of salesmen who tell you how many
heads their machines have. Some count the audio head, and some don't.
The portable VCR I own has none of the problems I've described above,
which leads me to...
(2)
For copying purposes, it appears that no two brands of VCRs are going
to play one another's tapes perfectly, although you can come close if
you adjust the tracking on the playback machine (that's the tilt of the
video head, I believe). But I think my expereiences are due to something
a bit more than incompatability. I am starting to realize that the price
of my portable is not twice that of the typical console just because of
portability. It appears to be a better quality machine, although I am
not sure why. The only thing I know is that mine has all direct-drives --
no belts (ask any turntable buff about this). It runs much quieter than
the others, and seems to have more electronic "smarts" and less mechanical
parts. It could be that all this is mandatory for a good portable machine,
but the fact remains that the technical quality does appear to be
higher.
That is not to say that there aren't console models that are just as
good however; I am only saying you won't find one for $400, or even $600.
Perhaps you should take these comments with a grain of salt, though, since
the Zenith and Toshiba consoles were heavily used rental machines. The
Sanyo, however, was brand new (so I was told) and privately owned, but I
still had the same problems, although not as severely.
~~~
Portable vs. Console
I've just given you one argument in favor of portable above. Here are some
other more obvious ones.
If you ever decide to go portable, you needn't buy a new VCR. The
portables look just fine sitting in your living room (and don't take
up as much space!). RCA even has a portable where the tape recorder
itself plugs into a slot in the tuner/timer (that's the part you
always leave at home), and looks very much like a console. (There will
soon be an alternative however. Both Beta and VHS will soon have cameras
that can take a cassette inside themselves and record-only, typically
at just one speed. Sony, as ususal, will be first with a Beta model.
But, these are inexpensive cameras, see camera discussion below.)
So you say you don't need a portable if you are only going to use
a camera indoors? Besides the obvious problem of cable length, you
should know that cameras have their own special connectors. Even if
your console has line-in and -out for audo and video, and pause (most do),
the problem is not as simple as getting an adapter cable, because cameras
need a power source, and most VCRs are not set up to supply this.
Therefore you need to spend probably at least $100 getting a special
power supply/cable adapter. The only recorder I've seen with a camera
jack is the higher priced Sony (once again!) Beta Hi-Fi.
~~~
A Brief Note on Cameras
I don't want to go into detail on this here, but let me just mention
a few things:
Make sure the one you buy is comfortable on your shoulder. Balance
of weight is more important than weight. This is one area where my
Zenith VC1800 is bad.
Camera lights are obnoxious. Get one that is tops under low light
conditions. I have a comparison list from Video magazine, if anyone
wants it.
Consider the pain of manually focusing a moving subject. It's not
like your SLR.
~~~
Choosing Audio Features
I recommend you don't spend the money on Dolby 2-audio-track stereo.
Don't foget that the tape usually runs well under an inch/second.
Sony has come out with Beta Hi-Fi, a method of encoding into new carrier
frequencies, two audio channels, mixed right in with the video signal
(the old mono audio track is still available for other stuff). If you
can find a Sony dealer, ask him to give you a demo. The sound is
incredible! It blows the doors off of any other consumer audio technology
besides digital, and even that, it matches spec-for-spec except for
noise level (understandable).
Anyway, VHS is coming out with a similar product soon, but, just as with
the regular video, don't expect it to be quite as good, because the VHS
video head is smaller (but spins at about the same rate), so the effective
tape speed is less. The difference may be negligible, however.
The Sony Beta Hi-Fi seems to add several hundred dollars onto the price of
the machine, though.
By the way, the normal mono audio track is just fine for voice, and even
music, if you are not a perfectionist, espececially if you pipe the line
output to an audio amplifier. (The Sanyo I borrowed had lousy sound, though)
~~~
Feel free to comment on this stuff in net.video, but please
send vicious remarks through the mail only! It's just my
opinion.......
Jim Heliotis
heliotis@Rochester.ARPA
{seismo,allegra}!rochester!{heliotis,ritcv!jeh}