🚀 go-pugleaf

David Woods (da...@wdwoods.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <3304c171...@news.sover.net>, Paul Patry
: <URL:mailto:gra...@sover.net> wrote:
: > 
: > On Tue, 11 Feb 1997 21:58:56 GMT, Russ Jones
: > <tjj...@unixmail.ks.boeing.com> wrote:
: > 
: > >On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, John Savard wrote:
: > >
: > >> Iain Wilkie Logan <iain...@enterprise.net> wrote:

: > >> VHS was poorer than Betamax in some respects, but better in others
: > >> that were more valued by more consumers.
: > >> 
: > >Beta died when Sony refused to license Betamax technology to producers of x-
: > >rated tapes. 
: > >
: > 
: > Wrongo. You obviously have no knowledge of the video business.
: > [snip]
: > See if you can find a Television Station that is standardized on VHS.
: > Like the Mac, Beta is the tool of the professionals.
: > That is the state today. Windows NT may be able to change that. We
: > shall see. 

: I doubt your knowledge of the TV industry. NO TV stations have
: standardised on VHS or Betamax. Now Betacam is popular but there is
: NOTHING in common, bar the shape of the cassette, between Betamax and
: Betacam.

I was going to bring this up, but never had the typing time to do it. 
I'm the media guy at a University, but my training (through 1992) is all
in broadcast TV.

1" Type C is still used, both the traditional 1" video, and for digital
formats.  2" quad is basically dead, though I have been in a station
recently that still had a player.

For field work, Betacam is the de-facto standard.  The tape is exactly the
same as tape used for Betamax or ED-Beta, but the recording format is
completely different...the most obvious difference is that what us
consumers call an "L-750" on which we can record for either three hours or
four-and-a-half hours, a Betacam user can stick that into the recorder and
record for *thirty minutes*.

3/4" U-Matic is still around, but most stations have switched from that to
Betacam.  Digital Betacam is also out, and some broadcast operations use
Panasonic's M-II format.

You occasionally see Hi-8 used for access video, or by TV producers who
need an essentially-disposable camera set.

DVCAM and DVCPro are the new digital formats which use teeny tiny tapes
that run for a couple of hours, and the bleeding-edge stations and
production houses are starting to adopt equipment.  Apparently, CNN bought
a bunch of DVCPro camcorders, and immediately sent them back to the
manufacturer and asked that the manufacturer add a metal plate so that CNN
would have someplace to attach a logo decal.  These things are *dinky!*

A couple of years ago, Fox announced that they would standardize on S-VHS
and M-II for Fox News operations, but I don't know if they kept with that,
particularly since Fox bought a bunch of CBS stations that were mostly all
set up for Betacam.

But this has precious little to do with palmtops, so I'll shut up now...

]Dave Althoff, ][.
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