#SVHS for local ads?
5 messages in this thread
I have started to produce some commercials for local businesses, and
have a question. Is S-VHS an acceptable format for this? I shoot my
footage on a Sony VX-3 camcorder, and then dump the footage to an
NLE. After editing, the finished product is sent to an SLVR-1000
VCR. The posts I've seen indicate that S-VHS shoud have enough
quality for this, but when I call around to the advertising
companies, they want 1" or tell me that they'll have to dub it and
quality will be terrible. I really don't have the funds right now for
an industrial VCR, so any input would really be appreciated. When I
play the master, it looks as good as many locally produced spots on
my cable system.
Kevin,
IMHO S-VHS done well is entirely broadcastable. However most broadcasters do
require 3/4-1"-Beta now-a-days. You could pick up your machine and take it to
a post house that has beta, or rent a beta deck for a day.
Or get a good hi-speed modem… :-;
-John
The problem is not with using S-VHS, but with the S-VHS player that
you are using. The Sony SLVR-1000 is really just a consumer deck
(which is how it is sold in Japan). The s/n is terrible. If you
dumped your Hi8 tape directly from the NLE to a high quality
industrial S-VHS, the results would be greatly improved.
One of my favorite stories about this is of a member of our local
Hi-8 Users Group. He had a program idea that he thought he could
sell to a commercial TV station for an after prime time time slot.
His pilot was all shot and edited in Hi-8, so he carries with him his
Hi-8 master. He gets a very good reception from most of the people
he sees. They all congratulate him on his work and give him great
encouragement, but in the end he always hears "It's great work, but
the wrong format for_US_to use."
After hearing this line for a few months it finally clicks. He has
the wrong format. So, what does he do, he DUBS his Hi-8 master to a
Beta SP format, goes back to the same stations and gets his show on
the air.
Jeff,
Thanks for the reply!
Kevin