In Box

Video Speaks Louder Than Photos and Words
Parking in New York, as in most major cities, is quite expensive--especially if your car gets towed. When the Dept. of Transportation towed my legally parked car recently, I tried to proclaim my innocence before a judge. She rejected my still photos of the "evidence" because they did not reveal the street address and parking regulations sign. I returned an hour later and swore to tell the truth for me and my Sharp Viewcam. The judge got a kick out of seeing the evidence on my camcorder's 4" LCD monitor. Because the video showed that I had definitely parked my car in a legal zone, she granted me a refund of the towing fee. Thanks to my video camera, I saved $215 and justice did prevail.

Pascal Dinoia
New York, New York

Dropping Out of Sony Tape
Videomaker is an invaluable source of information for novice, semi-pro and professional video production people alike, but you have not given one very important subject the attention it deserves; namely, the quality of blank videotape stock. The plain truth is: Sony makes the best video equipment and the worst videotape.

I recently mastered a 30-second commercial on Sony VXST-120VE S-VHS stock. I always record 10 minutes or so of color bars on blank tape and play it back to check for drop-outs before proceeding with the production. On this particular occasion, I had to search through 37 minutes of tape to find a one-minute section that was totally free of dropouts, and even then, a dropout developed during the course of production.

Because of the unmatched quality of Sony video equipment, I had always assumed their tape to be of equal or superior quality and faithfully used it for years. Before switching to DV (Sony DCR-VX1000) I had the same problems with Sony Hi8 tape. Even the DLC line of E6-MEAD metal evaporated tape had enough dropouts to make me tear my hair out.

Since switching to TDK XP ST-120XPSP S-VHS tape stock, I have not seen even one dropout in dozens of productions.

I sincerely hope you print this letter and save countless other video enthusiasts years of avoidable headaches.

John Young
LaPlace, Louisiana

In Search of Homemade 3D
Thank you for a wonderful magazine. I am 17 years old and am very interested in video productions. I'm the director of my school's closed circuit TV system and plan to be a cinematographer in the future. Recently I've been experimenting with 3D on my computer, namely the anaglyph and polarization effects. However, I can't find any material about adapting 3D technology to video use. It would really make my videos go to a higher level of creativity and entertainment, both for personal productions and for school use.

Thanks again for a great magazine. You've taught me how to add more channels of audio, select a video mixer, and how to join in the digital revolution.

Marcin Wawrzyczek
Chicago, Illinois

Thanks for the kind words, Marcin. The device you need is an encoder; with an encoder, you can output your 3D animations or stills to videotape. Check the March '98 issue for a complete list of desktop video encoders. Keep up the good work.

--The Editors

Let 'em Fry
I had to send you my comments regarding the Quick Focus item (December 1997) on random product returns. It's a 7-billion-dollar headache the manufacturers deserve. I custom-built my computer to work around particular hardware and I'm tired of buying new hardware and software packages that don't work. The effort to get started with PC video took the fun out of the pursuit.

I don't accept the "Oops, sorry we didn't tell you about incompatibility" excuse anymore, especially from the Gates Empire. If the manufacturers listed problems on the outside of the box, then the consumer wouldn't buy their products and that would solve part of the $7 billion return problem. Maybe the sales people can sit down with the customer service people and have a business lunch. Maybe some consumers should go as well.

Sooner or later consumer expectations for computers are going to resemble that for automobiles, VCRs, camcorders and wristwatches. They are complicated but they should work. The year 2000 computer debacle will be a great teacher. Let 'em fry. I've got money to spend, but not to burn.

James R. Fegan
Internet