CompuServe Messages

Ron, VITC is laid down in the video signal during the blanking pulse. It works with Video Machine even with decks (such as the 1970) which do not have time code built in. The Pan AG455 camera and several of the professional cameras are able to write VITC. VITC cannot be added to a tape. LTC is a series of audio pulses which are written on one of the linear audio tracks. LTC can be post striped on camera footage and the output of my non-time code camera can have time code added. Some VTRs (Sony UVW1800) have a special time code channel which does not consume one of the audio channels. LTC is more robust than VITC. VITC is written at a much higher data rate, and less of the tape is used for the timing information. My replacement decks will have LTC and will be frame accurate. They will probably be manufactured by Panasonic. Possible models are AG7650/7750 and AG-DS840/850. The AG-1970 is not frame accurate, yielding +/- 1 frame with Video Machine. I intend to keep one of my three 1970s for duplication. I have only one frame accurate deck with LTC at this point, a Sanyo GVR-S955. It has no TBC and does not have some of the other features that the professional machines have.