CompuServe Messages

At NAB dig-S was said to be shipping 12/95. BTW, there was an interesting essay regarding these formats in this months AVvideo magazien by Cecil Smith. I disagree with a lot of what he projects because I think he doesn't really understand software nerds and what motivates them and companies made up of software nerds. Of course, it depends on JVC and Panasonic being a little more on top of that than is Mr. Smith (who, btw, is the author of "Mastering Television Technology – A Cure for the Common Video" which is a must have book for all DTV producers). I think Panasonic's DVCPro will utlimately fail because it is really just another attempt to do a Sony – create a new format that becomes a defacto standard and locks everyone into a single maufacturer or licensed minions (a la Betacam). Witness D-II and M-II. Part of the bad idea is that DVCPro is incpompatible with DVC for the consumer, so the S-VHS/VHS type relation is unavailble. JVC's approach is to provide a bridge (via KY-19/KY-27 and equipment that plays/records both formats) from analog to digital formats. So, while waiting for you customer base to step up to digital, yhou can do all your work in (and enjoy all the benefits of) digital up until the creation of the final master, fo example. However, for JVC to really make that happen, they MUST get software developers on board to integrate direct use of the digital S-vhs in NLE systems like RazorPro/Targa/Perception etc. IOTW, they have to treat digital S-VHS as a public data format for third parties to perform document processing on. So far, IMix is the only company in the video world that I'v seen indications conciously recognizes digital video as just another document/data type. Panasonic is apparently keepin their system closed. If you want it you mus use their 6 mm tape, their editing computer,software and drives. The other difference is that they are at a 5:1 compression as opposed to digital S whic is 3 to 3.5:1. DVCPro is also 4:1:1 as opposed to digital S which is 4:2:2, so it will probably have lower color fidelity and be harder to expand to meet the demand of HDTV. S0oI think DVCPro is going to be the digital equivalent of M-II: looks nice, but compatibility with the market place will be a problem. Digital S-VHS, OTOH, has a distinct migratory path from current S-VHS/VHS to digital, to HDTV. So if JVC courts the rights-holders of quicktime, AVI, FLC and NLE producers, I think they could have the defacto pro-industrial format of the next 20 years. Again, just my guess based on a minimum of investigation of the two formats. wmc – via Autopilot!