Digital videotape gives you high-quality recordings.

Digital Videotape Recorders

Analog videotape has just about disappeared from the professional production scene. Digital video recording is generally of much better quality and is transparent. That means that copies are identical to the original. As long as the recording machine can tell the difference between one number and another, it will record a clean full-strength number on the tape. The first illustration on the right shows a recorder that will accept and play back only component digital signals. The same approach could also be used for composite digital video. The most commonly used digital recorders can accept and play back either analog or digital signals such as the second illustration on the right shows.

DV Video

One of the newest and fastest growing digital video formats is DV. DV includes a wide range of options ranging from low-cost MiniDV, which uses cassettes smaller than audio cassettes and is available in the consumer market, to full-sized DV, which uses much larger cassettes and is designed for the professional market. Full-sized DV tape decks will play back MiniDV of the same manufacturer. DV provides high-quality recording at a modest price. It will also accept an analog input and provide an analog output. For these reasons it is found in a wide array of local stations and production companies.

The major problem with DV is the lack of uniform compatibility between manufacturers. Tapes recorded on one manufacturer's machine may not play back on machines made by another company. Therefore, when choosing DV it is important to make sure all of the machines you buy are compatible with each other.

Videotape recorders have served us well for 50 years, but their days are numbered. Even the relatively new and popular DV format is being replaced by disc-based systems (to be discussed a little later) that use the DV CODEC. Compared to other systems coming on line now, videotape is unreliable, time consuming, and requires a lot of maintenance. It is highly likely that by the time the next edition of this book comes out videotape recording, analog or digital, will be a thing of the past.

1.  Component digital only videotape recorder.

2.  Digital VTR capable of recording or playing back analog or composite digital video.