Re: Best HDV Tape?



"PTravel" <ptravel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Spex" <No.spam@xxxxxx> wrote in message
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"David Ruether" <druether@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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["DR"]
What HDV tape do you use, and what problems (if any)
have you had (I tried Sony Mini-DV EX, but the drop-out
rate was too high - two in 24 minutes of recorded time).
I lean toward Sony or Fuji HDV tape, but I'm open for
other suggestions.
Thanks.
--DR

["PTravel"]
I've used Sony HDV under relatively adverse conditions (travelling through
China in cold weather and at high altitudes). It worked fine. However,
I've also experimented with Sony Excellence, albeit under very controlled
conditions. I had no trouble whatsoever.

Given that the data rate for HDV is exactly the same as DV-25, I can't
imagine that there would be any difference in performance.

I'm happy you responded, since I was tempted to email you directly
(though I just ordered 10 Sony HDV tapes...). I think the problem is
not so much with the data rate, but with what happens when a dropout
occurs. When watching Mini-DV VERY carefully (especially with
motion, and rapidly-changing predominant frame colors), I would spot
a minor dropout maybe every 4th or 5th EX tape (the error correction
scheme for the frame-by-frame compression of Mini-DV is very
forgiving of all but major problems). With the MPEG2 HDV scheme,
the loss due to a dropout can be evident in a frame frozen over a
rather lengthy 1/2 second or so, VERY hard to miss! Let us know
how your experience goes with the Sony EX tape in your HV20
(though it would now be hard for me to go back to it, having seen
so many dropouts with it...).
Thanks.

["Spex" - from a rec.video.production response to my post there]
I have shot many many hours of HDV on my XH-A1 and have yet to have a
single drop out. I always use new tapes but from Panasonic, JVC and Sony
depending what is in stock or on offer at the time of purchase.

I try to get Sony Excellence but that was out of habit from my pd150 days.
The tape mixing problems of old no longer apply to modern tape stocks.

I am super careful of where I change tapes to prevent particulate and
moisture ingress. I'm not saying this will prevent all drop outs but it
certainly reduces them to a minimum.

The Sony EX tape was used which I preferred in my Mini-DV days,
but I had 2 dropouts in 24 minutes on it, with permanent locations
on the tape - though the first in location appeared after a couple of
viewings, the second immediately with the first viewing. The tape was
from a freshly opened package - and I'm always super-careful when
inserting/removing tape, using a clean location and air-blasting first
the camcorder exterior, then the cassette, and then the camcorder
interior. Maybe that is my problem - in Hi-8 days, I figured it was
better to let "sleeping dust lie" and didn't blow off the cassette and
camera. Anyway, unless I hear strong indications otherwise, I will
get Sony HDV tape (I read nasty things about aged Panasonic
tape), and in the old days Pan. made a (high) grade that was definitely
not compatible with other tapes - and I think Pan. used to make
tape for other manufacturers, as did Sony, so best (for me) is to
stick with one known, I think, maybe, though it costs more..........;-(
Thanks.
--DR


.

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