Popular Consumer Video Tapes
About Hi8 tape
Back in '80s, Hi8 was introduced to compete with S-VHS system with 400 lines
of horizontal resolution. |
U-Matic aka 3/4 Tape |
1970s It was among the first video formats to contain the videotape inside a cassette, as opposed to the various open-reel formats of the time |
Two size: Standard U-matic U-Matic (20 minutes) |
|||||||
BETACAM aka 1/2 Tape |
1980s - present Betacam and BetacomSP |
BetaCam (1982) | Analog | Two sizes: Large ( up to 90 minutes ) Small (up to 30 minutes) Color coded |
Betacam SP HDCAM |
||||
BetaCam SP (1986) | |||||||||
Digital BetaCam (1994) | SD Digital |
DCT | |||||||
Betacam SX(1996) | Mpeg2 | ||||||||
MPG IMX (2000) | Mpeg2 | ||||||||
HD Cam (1997) | HD Digital |
DCT | |||||||
HD Cam SR (2003) | Mpeg4 | ||||||||
Disc | 2003 - present | XD CAM | Mpeg2 | Professional Disc | |||||
XD CAM EX | SxS memory card | ||||||||
DVCPRO | Panasonic | DVCPRO (25) | SD Digital | Three sizes kClCwk |
|||||
DVCPRO 50 | |||||||||
DVCPRO HD, | HD Digital | ||||||||
DVCPRO HD EX | |||||||||
DVCAM aka 1/4 Tape |
DV tape | DV tapes comparison |
Two sizes: Standard Mini DV |
Betacam SP(L size) / VHS / BetaMax / Hi8mm / miniDV | |
VHS / U-matic | |
DVCPro family: DVCPro-L / DVCPro-M / Mini DV tape |
Mini
DV
|
DVCAM
|
DVCPRO
|
|||
Camcorder maker
|
many companies
|
Sony / Canon
|
Panasonic
|
||
Standard tape |
N/A
|
"DV CAM" |
"DVCPro" |
||
Mini tape |
|
||||
track pitch | 10 microns(SP) 6.7 microns (LP) |
15 microns | 18 microns | ||
track width | 10 microns (SP) 6.7 microns (LP) |
15 microns (10 microns on some early gear) | 18 microns | ||
tape speed | 18.81 mm/sec | 28.215 mm/sec | 33.82 mm/sec | ||
recording time | miniDV: 60/90 min (SP/LP) 80/120 min (SP/LP) Standard: 184 min |
miniDV: 40 min standard: 184 min |
M: 63 min L: 184 min |
||
compression |
5:1 DVC-format DCT, intra-frame; 25 Mbps video
data rate
|
||||
resolution / sampling |
720 x 480, 4:1:1 (NTSC)
720 x 576, 4:2:0 (PAL) |
720 x 480, 4:1:1 (NTSC) 720 x 576, 4:1:1 (PAL) |
|||
audio recording | 2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; 4 ch @ 32 kHz, 12 bits; |
2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; locked, plus one analog audio cue track; plays back 32 kHz, 12 bits and presumably 44.1 kHz, 16 bits. | |||
play back on | DV, DVCAM, & DVCPRO* | DVCPRO VTRs; DSR-2000 DVCAM VTR** |
* | DVCAM will play back on most Sony DV camcorder. DV in SP mode plays on all DV players. There is no standard format for DV LP mode among manufactures. |
** | DVCPRO will not play on DV or DVCAM players. |
JVC camcorders are DV Cam format (not DVCPro group),
however, their unique HD format 720p can only play back on JVC camcorder. |
All Region (Region Free) DVD does not mean it plays everywhere in the world. | |
There are two levels of restrictions on DVD video. First, the DVD format must match TV system that the DVD is played.
Second, among PAL or NTSC countries, there isa next level restriction
called Region code.
|
|
What does Region Free or All Region DVD video? | |
"Region Free" aka "All Regions"
DVD means that the DVD will play any counties as far as TV
system is the same. PAL Region Free DVD = it will play any PAL countries. NTSC Region Free DVD = it will play any NTSC countries. These is no such a DVD that will play all over the world, because
DVD video must be in either PAL or NTSC. Examples on PAL / NTSC problems
|
|
How about SECAM? | |
Unlike Video tapes, there is no SECAM DVDs, there is no SECAM DVD
Players.
|
|
Does Blu-ray Disc have PAL/NTSC issue? | |
No. But Hollywood forced Region code restrictions again here. |
|
Does HD TV have PAL / NTSC issue? | |
Yes.
|
World TV system
World DVD regional codes
Does it apply to...
|
PAL/NTSC
|
Region code restriction ?
|
Video Tape? |
Yes
|
No
|
DVD disc on DVD player? |
Yes
|
Yes
|
DVD disc on PC/Mac computer? |
No
|
somewhat Yes (*1)
|
Digital Movie Files (MOV, MP4..) |
somewhat Yes
|
No
|
(*1) Most internal DVD drive has region code restriction built in, but many external DVD drives have no region codes. |
Video Tape has PAL/NTSC issue, but has no Region code problem.
|
||
DVD video has two issues, one is TV system (=PAL/NTSC) and other is Hollywood (=Region code) | ||
There is no such DVD that will play on TV in all over the world,
not because of regional restriction but because of the difference
of TV systems.
|
||
Viewing on computers has nothing to do
with PAL/NTSC TV system issues, but Region code issue might or might
not occur, depends on the DVD device and/or driver setting.(note *1). You can watch NTSC DVD in a country of PAL TV system, or you can enjoy PAL DVD on your PC/Mac in the US.
|
||
Digital Video file, such as MOV(Quick Time), MP4, WMV or DV can
be watched on PC and Mac in anywhere in the world.
|
||
How to watch European, Asian or African movies in the US? |
||
PAL and SECAM Video Tapes (VHS, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, DV or mini DV tapes) | ||
Convert
PAL tape to NTSC DVD or other Digital
Movie formats such as Quick time, WMV or MP4.
|
||
PAL DVD (= DVD in PAL format) | ||
Convert PAL DVD to NTSC DVD |