CompuServe Messages

Roberto: 3/4" will continue to be a used format for industrial/corporate work for the foreseeable future BUT it is being phased out of production. The major manufacturers have already discontinued the 3/4" format. 3/4" SP was an attempt to revamp the format but it was short-lived. BetaSP has become the mid-range defacto standard for animation recording, but S-VHS is holding its own. The 7750 lists for around 6K, about half the price of the low-end BetaSP option. For most applications, the S-VHS is quite sufficient, but if you plan on doing work for broadcast clients (and that includes "cheap" car commercials and the like) you will probably be well-advised to bite the bullet and purchase the BetaSP. If corporate, however, is your main goal, go with the S-VHS. I just don't see where 3/4" is a viable option except for motion testing and the like, given the cost/benefit options available with the other formats. All these arguements will become academic in a matter of a few years, anyway, when direct RGB-analog recording to laserdisc or even directly to computer drives becomes more nearly perfected and the price begins to come down. It is, however, a safe bet that you can recoup the cost of your tape deck over the next 2-3 years before that occurs. I feel sorry, though, for the animators who have to make this choice a couple of years from now. It will be a tough one. Good Luck, and let us know how things turn out. Ken Loss-Cutler