MINIDV TAPES DVC VS DVC HD....? « Videomaker Community Forums

igotthat
Member

Just wondering if there really is a difference between the sony minidv tapes. the regular dvc tape(blue) and the dvc HD(red) tapes? I just got a canon hv40,havent really tried it out yet but curious if its really worth paying the extra for the HD tapes, thanks

Posted 7 months ago #
EarlC
Moderator

For general purpose videotaping I see no logical reason for spending more to get the overall higher quality tapes — yes, there's a significant difference in the two, the higher-cost HD tapes are more robust and designed to deal with the extra demands of HD shooting.

However, unless I'm doing some serious production work for an ongoing project or a project that I will be going back to often for pick up shots, repurposing, additional ingestion or other developments I'll use the blue Premium MiniDV tapes. Been using them a long, long time and they hold up very well to even multiple use assignments, recording over as much as three times for new general commercial projects in SD and HD.

the HD tapes are, however, better and people serious about the quality and archival longevity of their resources would be wise to spend the extra money.

Posted 7 months ago #
Bill Dillon
Member

Should DV tapes be degaussed after recording and before a new usage?

I'm talking about home movies, etc. Nothing professional. If so, where

can I buy an expensive degausser?

Posted 7 months ago #
igotthat
Member

Earl, thanks for the info. At some point everything i film does go onto dvd and ends up being packaged for retail sale, also lots of it is used for youtube clips as well to promote my business.

Posted 7 months ago #
EarlC
Moderator

Bill, no serious need to degauss or magnetically erase used tapes IMHO. Back in the day this might have been a more effective approach to repurposing reused tape stock. I'm not so sure that blanking/blacking or repacking are all that necessary.

As much out of habit as anything I do use my fast forward & rewind device to "repack" my new MiniDV tape stock before first use just to shake out loose particles and cleanly rewind tape that sometimes shifts a bit during storage and shipping.

People wanting to acquire and learn how to properly use a degausser can check out MarkerTek and perhaps even B&H Photo Video.

Posted 7 months ago #
grinner
Member

You'll find no quality difference in mini DV tapes and HDV tapes. If you start reusing them, it's a good idea to restripe them first as your last stop/start points on that tape can be the cause of drop outs.

http://grinnerhester.com

Posted 7 months ago #
Bill Dillon
Member

What do you mean by "restripe" them Grinner?

Posted 7 months ago #
EarlC
Moderator

Blank, Black, restripe are all references to recording the used tapes front-to-back with black in order to establish a contiguous time code on the tape. Sometimes, not always, when reusing a tape from the beginning, particularly one that wasn't recorded all the way or straight through, when the tape reaches the junction where the original recording stopped and fresh, virgin tape starts, the camera's recording system could get stressed out trying to figure numbers, causing dropouts in your recording. Another thing is when a tape was recording and the camera was shut off, or power loss mid-tape during an emergency battery change, etc. All these little moments in life cause gaps in code, creating the potential for messing recording quality. Something like that, anyway ;-)

Posted 7 months ago #
Bill Dillon
Member

Thank you. I've been rerecording front to back with the lens cover on. Please bear with me if I ask stupid questions.

Posted 7 months ago #
EarlC
Moderator

BILL, there are NO stupid questions. Stupidity usually only occurs when a person FAILS to ask for information. A cliche, I know, but still very much true. So, ask away. BTW Grinner would be the one to answer "stupid questions" if there were any ;-) sorry, couldn't resist poking ya Grinner.

Posted 7 months ago #
grinner
Member

touche', Earl. ;)

When you think of stupid, think of me.

Posted 7 months ago #
EarlC
Moderator

Grinner is simply CRAZY! Not stupid. :-)

Posted 7 months ago #
composite1
Moderator

"Grinner is simply CRAZY! Not stupid. :-)"

More like, 'off-kilter'.

Bill,

Best Mini-DV tape I've used so far; Panasonic Professional AY-DVM63/33PQ. Used it in Sony, Canon and JVC cameras for the last 9 years without a hitch.

H.Wolfgang Porter, Composite Media Producer
Dreaded Enterprises Unlimited, Inc.
http://www.dreadedenterprises.com

Posted 7 months ago #