[MacDV] Re: Digital Video Quality

[R B Williams]

Interesting question -

With analog tapes the tape degrades at some unknown rate AND copying to new stock
creates some loss. So it has always been a guess as to when a fresh copy would be
advisable.

Now we have mini-dv. Tape stock is always improving, but will still degrade magnetically
and physically over time. But the digital recorded signal can play "as original" even if
the magnetic impulses become weaker - up to the point where they dissappear. It truly is
all or nothing.

Theoretically then, if you digitally dub a dv tape before it degrades to the point of
unreadability, you have created a new original to start the aging process all over
again.

Of course, at some point the cost of tape will fall below the per minute cost of saving
to a hard drive (or flashcard, or memory stik) at which point we may dispense with the
magnetic video idea completely.

Anyone for isolinear chips? (Trek reference, coming soon to a galaxy near you!)

R.B.

matblack at mac.com wrote:

> that helps... so basically, multiple copies, multiple formats... and
> some sort of archival quality box for the tapes? Is it worth duping the
> tapes at some point or is that over the top?
> m
>
> On Thursday, June 24, 2004, at 10:26  AM, R B Williams wrote:
>
> > The slower 1x burned discs have a better chance of long term survival,
> > imho. I have
> > masters 11 years old now that read as new.
> >
> > That being said, I still save a disc image of the DVD on harddrive
> > plus the final
> > project tape and original tapes, of course. Humidity and heat are the
> > real dangers as
> > they always have been for tape.
> >
> > R.B.
>
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