VIRB

Alright . . . I confess. I did a video project and used cheap old TDK from Costco. It was REALLY cheap. $2.00 a tape cheap . . . AND I REGRET IT!

Here's what I discovered. DROPOUTS STINK.

So I've been a long time skeptic of the "advanced" tape formats and the supposed differences between the $15.00 tape and the $2.00 Costco special. I shoot in Sony's HDV format which supposedly is more resistant to dropouts. The problem is that if you do have a dropout (a single missing frame) you end up losing over 15 frames. In my case most of the dropouts I had caused up to 3 seconds of missing footage in some cases. Luckily Final Cut Pro 6 just created a new file where the break in time code happended. But now I've got a ton of work to do to sync the footage from 3 cameras at a 2.5 hr live event. . . with lots of breaks in time. Seriously.
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All this lead me on a chase to learn more about tape formulation and the ACTUAL differences in quality between "DIGITAL MASTER" and cheap old consumer level tape. What I found was nuthin. There is no information from the tape manufacture that doesn't come off as biased towards buying up. Of course the manufactures and sellers want you to buy 200 of the $15 minidv tapes. but I really couldn't find any official information on the REAL not theoretical differences between the tapes. So here are some questions that I've come up with from the psuedo truths that I've heard both from other videographers and from the tape sellers. If anyone has answers . . . I'd love to hear it!

1.) They say not to mix tape formats in your camera. REALLY, why! I read in a few places that the chemicals different companies use react to eachother and can potentially cause damage. But I can't find listings ANYWHERE of what "lubricants" or chemicals different manufacturers use in their tapes. You'd think they'd put warning labels on the packaging that says "use only our brand or else you'll surely die." But there isn't anything of that.

2.) The cutting of tape. Here's another one that I've heaerd. That video tape is laid out in large sheets and cut from the outside in. The outer edges are more prone to inconsistancys than the inside portions and thus are used in lesser expensive tape stock. Seems logical, I guess. Never seen a tape factory before though.

3.) Tape blanking. I had a friend say that they usually "blank" their tapes, meaning that they fast forward and rewind each blank tape once. This supposedly makes sure that there is nothing gumming up the tape whether the spools or the gears. Never heard of that before.

I guess if all of these are true, it makes sense to stick with a single brand. All I know is that out of all 18 tapes, way too many had significant dropouts of nearly 3 seconds each. That'll add a few hours in post to get everything synced up. So if anyone needs some minidv tapes. . . let me know . . . I'll give them to you!

~Kjell-o