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VHS |
VHS
tape is the format you most likely are familiar with. It
is common throughout the world, though sometimes
recorded with a different type of electronic signal that
won't play
 on your VCR.
S-VHS (not shown) is a format that came out in
the late '80s that uses newer technologies to record a
higher quality image on a tape that looks just like your
VHS. Of course, since it uses a different recording
technology than standard VHS, these tapes will not play
on your standard VCR.. S-VHS VCR's however, play
standard VHS tapes. |
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VHS-C |
 VHS-C
is really just a smaller cassette for the VHS format. It
records the same electronic signal as VHS, but allows
for use in small camcorders. It has the benefit of
compatibility with your full-size VHS VCR by simply
inserting the tape into an inexpensive adaptor. |
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8mm / Hi8 |
 8mm
/ Hi8 is another step up from VHS and incorporates newer
recording technologies and new developments in magnetic
tape to create higher quality in a smaller cassette
while handling the same recording time as VHS.
Digital 8 is a more recent addition to the 8mm
family. This digital format uses the same tape as Hi8,
but will not play back in Hi8 tape machines. |
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MiniDV |
MiniDV
- The very first digital format available to consumers!
Unlike previous formats that record an analog signal
(acts very much like an electronic wave), digital
recording instead puts numeric information onto the
tape. The greatest
 benefit is that noise and dropouts
inherent in the magnetic tape can be ignored, resulting
in broadcast-quality recordings. You can't tell the
difference between a live camera image and one that is
recorded! Pretty cool. The downside is the short
recording time. (60 minutes in "SP" mode and 90 minutes
in "LP" mode. “LP” mode, however, is not recommended.)
This is one of the formats we use for production. |
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DVCAM |
 DVCAM
is MiniDV's big brother. It's a compatible format with
an intended use for professional video production. Same
quality as MiniDV but uses slightly different recording
techniques to achieve a more reliable and stable video
image - plus it comes in lengths up to 3 hours!
This is the format that we use to master (archive) all
of our production work. |
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BetaMax |
 BetaMax
- Don't laugh, people still use this! Interestingly
enough, BetaMax had far superior quality than VHS, but
was simply the loser in the consumer video format wars
of the early 80's. Its higher cost was probably its
downfall. |
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BetaCam /
BetaSP |
BetaCam
/ BetaSP is the professional version of BetaMax and was
considered by many as t he best analog format of all for Broadcast TV. BetaSP is still in widespread use and to
many is the “industry standard” for TV production. It
comes in two sizes - The smaller camera cassette with a
running time of 30 minutes and the larger LP cassette
for use in the studio. (90 minutes)
Digital Beta (not shown or supported) is the
digital version using the same cassette shell as for BetaSP. |
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3/4" U-Matic |
 3/4"
U-Matic was created for TV news in its transition from
shooting film to shooting video. It subsequently became
the standard format for news for many years. This format
has been slowly replaced by BetaSP over the years but
can still be found in smaller market TV stations as well
as at many Public/Community TV channels. |
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DVD-R |
 DVD-R
is the newest and probably the most misunderstood of the
digital formats. DVD is expected to replace VHS over the
next several years and consumers are finding DVD
recording more available and cost effective for their
own use.
Click here for more information on our DVD services. |
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8mm /
Super 8 film |
8mm
/ Super 8 film is, of course, what was available
 before
video tape - in fact even before television! For some
there seems to be some confusion between 8mm film and
8mm video tape, understandably, since they share a
similar name. Film is easy to spot however, since it
comes on reels while videotape is loaded into cassettes.
Click here for more information on our film-to-video
transfer services. |
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The
difference between 8mm and Super 8 film. |
 It
only takes a quick glance at the sprocket holes of a
piece of film to differenciate between the two types. Be
careful only to touch the edges of the film so as not to
get fingerprints or dust on the film surface. 16mm film
has the same difference, except the width is twice that
of 8mm. |
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Why so
many formats? |
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That's a
very good question. The answer is simple. There are many
more uses for video than creating rental movies and
recording shows from broadcast TV. Many of the formats
below were created for professional uses in
broadcasting. The VHS tape you use at home was created
to be "just good enough" for consumer use, but nowhere
near the quality and resolution required by
professionals. So over the years many different tape and
disc formats have evolved to cover these needs. Of
course, competition and new technologies create a new
stream of formats every year. In fact there now are well
over 100 - many still in use now. Whew! That's a lot of
technology to keep track off. |
