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Re: Best tape for svhs.

200.255.83.10

Posted by carlmart on July 25, 2001 at 19:05:16

In Reply to: Best tape for svhs. posted by Akouo on July 24, 2001 at 00:23:39:

Well, I also do agree that there's a great difference when recording S-VHS and VHS in NTSC, and the results you can get.

First of all it's the recording speed, which is different for PAL and for NTSC. If you want to take full advantage of your tapes you have to record at SLP speed, or 6 hours per 120 minutes tape. In S-VHS/NTSC you can get fantastic quality at that capacity (6 hours) compared with what you get at SP speed (2 hours capacity).

In PAL you can only get 4 hours vs 2 hours, which probably shortens the quality gap between both speeds. That's why there are longer (and thinner) tapes offered in the PAL world. As PAL has more lines, they can get away with that too, particularly considering PAL recorders run slower than NTSC ones, if I am not wrong.

As I said I only record at SLP speed, and I have been recording S-VHS for some time now, using a top notch Panasonic machine. My preferred S-VHS tape, chosen for its low price, is the JVC SV: it's a fantastic tape! You can't pick the original from the recorded program with it, even at SLP.

Panasonic machines demand you to trick them with the S-VHS hole, which I do with a solder pen. But not all tapes work well, quality wise, if you want to record SLP. The one I use is the TDK Hi-Fi, and probably the TDK HD-X Pro would do it too. Other tapes, and I tried a lot, only work rather well at SP. But even the "Hi-Fi with the hole" doesn't compare with a legitimate S-VHS for quality programs.

In my opinion I am a defender of S-VHS over digital tapes and recorders, particularly because the analog world is difficult to trick for no-recording barriers as digital is. I intend to keep recording S-VHS for as long as I can get the tapes. Maybe copying all my stuff onto DVD, when prices go down. But that may take some time yet.

Carlos

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