#Record Deck?
6 messages in this thread
What would be the best (or most cost-effective) record deck to use for local
commericals? I know BetaCam is the best, but that's way out of my price range
– even the new "low-cost" UVW's. My cammy is a Sony VX-3; from there the
footage is dumped to an Applied Magic Digital Broadcaster non-linear editor,
and the finished output is sent to a S-VHS deck. Most people are telling me I
should get a 3/4" deck; that way, the cable company or affiliates won't have to
make a dub. I remember reading somewhere about buying these decks used – does
anyone have any information? I'd really appreciate the help.
Kevin Ragsdale
You can pick up an old Sony VO-2869A 3/4" U-Matic for $350 to $500. They
are real work horses. The 5850's can be had used for $2,000 to $3,000. The
9850SPs can usually be found for $4,000 to $5,000 used. Just pick up any
video specific rag and check the classifieds.
Jim R. Ollick
Using AP from Bergenfield, NJ
IMHO, 3/4" is obsolete. The general consensus I've experienced is that
S-VHS offers roughly the same quality and costs far less. What's more,
many stations that had 3/4" are converting to Betacam-SP (more $$$) or
S-VHS (less $); new affiliates (like FOX stations) are S-VHS based for
editing and Hi8 for field camera work.
I'll repeat the advice I've heard before: If you must have a 3/4"
machine, don't buy new.
-Chris
We've found a great reason for 3/4" tape machines; so great, we bought a
new VO-9800 with the SMPTE time code card. Our clients shoot on Betacam,
and in order to save the tape from too many passes, we window-burn them to
3/4 for use on an offline Avid system. This business has more than paid
for the machine in six months.
-Steve
"Our clients shoot on Betacam, and in order to save the tape from too many
passes, we window-burn them to 3/4 for use on an offline Avid system."
Yet you still edit with Betacam. I do the same thing, with Hi8 and S-VHS
(I use the S-VHS window dub to made the edit decisions)… Must you have
paid for a 3/4" machine?
-Chris
Some of the reasons for choosing the 3/4 was:
1. It was competitively priced to S-VHS & Hi-8.
2. It has a jog/shuttle dial with a viewable FF & still image.
3. It has known ruggedness & durability.
4. It has pro inputs/outputs (XLR & BNC).
5. It has real time-code.
6. It has an RS-422 9-pin.
7. A lot of people out there still using 3/4" making this deck
rentable.
And, of course we still online with Betacam! It depends on the production,
if we need a lot of effects/DVE etc., or the best quality, we use a
traditional bay, or we may opt for a Avid online session if the production
is more straight forward.
Either way, we will have saved lots of passes on the original source
footage.
-Steve