Digital Tape Formats
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Sony's D1 format was the first major professional digital video
format, introduced in 1986.
D1 stored uncompressed digitized component video, encoded at YUV
4:2:2 using the CCIR 601 raster format, along with PCM audio tracks
as well as time code on a 19mm (3/4") cassette tape. Uncompressed
component video uses enormous bandwidth, and a simpler D2 system
soon followed. The maximum record time on a D1 tape is 94 minutes.
D1 was notoriously expensive and the equipment required very large
infrastructure changes in facilities which upgraded to this format.
Early D1 operations were plagued with difficulties, though the
format quickly stabilized and was renowned for its superlative image
quality.
D1 is still in some usage as of 2003, and many of the technologies
introduced with this format are still common to more recent digital
videotape formats.
Panasonic's D5 format has similar specifications, but was introduced
much later. |
D2 (video format)D2 is a professional digital video tape format created by Ampex and
other manufacturers through a standards group of the Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and introduced at
the 1988 NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention as a
lower-cost alternative to the D1 format. Like D1, D2 video is
uncompressed; however, it saves bandwidth and other costs by
sampling a fully-encoded NTSC or PAL composite video signal, and
storing it directly to magnetic tape, rather than sampling component
video. This is known as digital composite.
Ampex conceived of D2 as a more practical solution for TV
Broadcasters since it could be inserted into existing broadcast
chains and studio facilities without extensive redesign or
modifications. This was because, among other things, in addition to
its lower purchase and operating costs this D2 composite digital
tape transport accepted standard RS-170A analog inputs and outputs.
Four audio channels are available for editing as well as an analog
cue channel. D2 was the first digital tape format to offer "read
before write" (an Ampex term) also known as "preread" on Sony
recorders. Read before write allowed simultaneous playback and
recording on the same VTR. For example a title could be super
imposed over existing video already on the same video tape by
playing the tape through a production switcher, adding the title,
and recording the new composite image back onto the same location of
the tape. This eliminated the need for an additional recorder and
saved considerable time in linear editing. If the digital inputs and
outputs are used with a digital composite switcher multigenerational
performance is excellent. Hundreds of layers of video is possible
without image quality loss. Ampex D2 tape transports are extremely
fast. High speed search at +/-60 times play speed with a
recognizable color picture meant that you can search through three
hours of videotape in just three minutes.
D2 used 19mm (¾) metal particle tape loaded into three different
sized cassettes. PCM-encoded audio and time code are also recorded
on the tape. Although the D2 tapes are similar in appearance to the
D1 format, they are not interchangeable.
D2 had a relatively brief heyday. As of 2003, only a handful of
broadcasters use the D2 format, and even then only to access
materials recorded when the format was more popular.
Panasonic's competing composite digital format is known as D3.Beta camBeta cam is a family of half-inch professional videotape formats
developed by Sony from 1982 onwards.
All use the same shape cassettes, meaning vaults and other storage
facilities do not have to be changed when upgrading to a new format.
The cassettes come in two sizes: S and L. Beta cam cameras can only
load S tapes, while VTRs can play both S and L tapes. The cassette
shell and case for each Beta cam cassette is colored differently
depending on the format, allowing for easy visual identification.
There is also a mechanical key that allows a video tape recorder to
tell which format has been inserted.High Definition Video (HDVHigh Definition Video (HDV) is a video format designed to record
compressed HDTV video on standard DV media (DV or MiniDV cassette
tape).
ProHD is JVC's extension of the HDV video format, and adds provision
for 24p (24 frames per second, progressive scan.)D-VHSD-VHS is a digital video format developed by JVC, in collaboration
with Hitachi, Matsushita and Philips. It uses the same physical
cassette format and recording mechanism as VHS, and is capable of
recording and displaying both standard definition and high
definition content. The content data format is in MPEG 2. The format
was introduced in 2004.
HD content is stored at 28.2 Mbit/s, while SD content can be stored
at bit rates from 14.2 Mbit/s down to 2.0 Mbit/s. The most capacious
D-VHS cassette can store 3.5 hours of HD content and between 7 and
49 hours of SD content, equivalent to 44 gigabytes of video data.
This cassette contains 420 meters (1,378 feet) of tape, equivalent
to a 3.5 hour NTSC or 4.9 hour PAL VHS cassette.
Digital Video (DV) is a video format launched in 1996, and, in its
smaller tape form factor MiniDV, has since become one of the
standards for consumer and semiprofessional video production. The DV
specification (originally known as the Blue Book, current official
name IEC 61834) defines both the codec and the tape format. Features
include intraframe compression for uncomplicated editing, a standard
interface for transfer to non-linear editing systems (FireWire also
known as IEEE 1394), and good video quality, especially compared to
earlier consumer analog formats such as 8 mm, Hi-8 and VHS-C. DV now
enables filmmakers to produce movies inexpensively, associated with
no-budget cinema.
There have been some variants on the DV standard, most notably the
more professional DVCAM and DVCPRO standards by Sony and Panasonic,
respectively. Also, there is a recent high-definition version called
HDV, which is rather different on a technical level since it only
uses the DV and MiniDV tape form factor, but MPEG-2 for compression
(and, as a result, records higher resolution but more highly
compressed video).
Digital Video (DV) is a video format launched in 1996, and, in its
smaller tape form factor MiniDV, has since become one of the
standards for consumer and semiprofessional video production. The DV
specification (originally known as the Blue Book, current official
name IEC 61834) defines both the codec and the tape format. Features
include intraframe compression for uncomplicated editing, a standard
interface for transfer to non-linear editing systems (FireWire also
known as IEEE 1394), and good video quality, especially compared to
earlier consumer analog formats such as 8 mm, Hi-8 and VHS-C. DV now
enables filmmakers to produce movies inexpensively, associated with
no-budget cinema.
There have been some variants on the DV standard, most notably the
more professional DVCAM and DVCPRO standards by Sony and Panasonic,
respectively. Also, there is a recent high-definition version called
HDV, which is rather different on a technical level since it only
uses the DV and MiniDV tape form factor, but MPEG-2 for compression
(and, as a result, records higher resolution but more highly
compressed video).
MicroMV was a videotape format introduced in 2001 by Sony. A
cassette is physically smaller than a Digital8 or DV cassette. In
fact, MicroMV is the smallest videotape format — 70% smaller than
MiniDV or about the size of two quarters across. Each cassette can
hold up to 60 minutes of video.
The MicroMV format does not use the highly popular DV format.
Instead, it uses 12 Mbit/s MPEG-2 compression, like that used for
DVDs and HDV. Footage recorded on MicroMV format cannot be directly
edited with computer DV editing software. Sony supplies its own
video editing software (for Windows PCs only).
MicroMV has not been a successful format. Currently, Sony is the
only electronics manufacturer to sell MicroMV cameras. As of January
2006, Sony does not offer any new MicroMV camcorder models. The use
of MPEG-2 produces effective lock-in to Sony's editing software,
though ironically, third-party freeware has appeared that is capable
of handling video capture from the camcorder and the data stream can
be edited by anything capable of handling MPEG-2.
On Linux you may use GrabMV to capture micromv clips. The transport
stream MPEG-2 clips can then be viewed by most popular video
players, such as Totem (both Xine and gstreamer backends) or
MPlayer. Recent development of the sequence editor in Blender allows
to work with MPEG-2 TS transparently thanks to FFMPEG.
'Digital-8 (or D8)' is a consumer digital videotape format developed
by Sony in the late 1990s.
The Digital8 format is the combination of the venerable Hi8 tape
transport with the DV codec. Digital8 equipment uses the same
videocassette-media as analog Hi8 equipment, but differs in that the
audio/video signal is encoded digitally (using the industry-standard
DV codec.) Since Digital8 uses the DV codec, it has identical audio
and video specifications.
To facilitate digital-recording on existing 8mm videocassettes, the
tape-media is moved linearly past the recording-heads at higher
speed, while the video head-drum spins 2.5x faster. For both NTSC
and PAL Digital8 equipment, a standard-length cassette will store 60
minutes (at Standard Play.) Current Digital8 equipment can also
record in Long Play (LP) mode, which increases recording-time from
60minutes to 90minutes. A few vendors sell long-duration tapes, with
an SP recording-time of 90 minutes (or 125 minutes in LP.)
Digital8 (SP) recordings can be made on standard-grade Video8
cassettes, but this practice is discouraged. Hi8 metal-particle
cassettes are the recommended type for Digital8 recording.
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