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Difference between VCR varieties

  • Thread starter KellyClarksonTV
  • Start date
K

KellyClarksonTV

Jan 1, 1970
0
Could someone please explain or help direct me to an explaination of what the
difference between, say, a 2-head and a 4-head VCR, a Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi VCR, so
forth ... also, are any VCR's out there able to record quadraphonic or dolby
5.1/7.1, even though a good majority of TV shows recordable are Stereo or
Monoaural ...

thanks.
 
K

Karl Uppiano

Jan 1, 1970
0
KellyClarksonTV said:
Could someone please explain or help direct me to an explaination of what
the
difference between, say, a 2-head and a 4-head VCR, a Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi VCR,
so
forth ... also, are any VCR's out there able to record quadraphonic or
dolby
5.1/7.1, even though a good majority of TV shows recordable are Stereo or
Monoaural ...

thanks.

VCRs use rotating heads for the video signal. The heads are mounted on a
rotating drum. 2 heads are sufficient for normal speed video, but for still
and slo-mo, you need 4 heads. It has to do with being synchronized with the
tape speed, video scan rate and the frame rate. The heads need to be at the
right place at the right time, or else you get flicker and static. Two heads
don't meet that requirement, but 4 heads, evenly spaced around the drum, do.
Some units have video erase heads mounted on the rotating drum also, for
video editing applications.

There are two stationary heads for audio and frame sync tracks along the
edge of the tape, as well as a stationary erase head. Because of the
relatively low tape speed, the sound on the "original standard" linear
tracks isn't the greatest, especially when you split the audio track in half
for two-channel stereo. Therefore, a means to record high-fidelity stereo
audio on the video tracks was developed, using the high-speed rotating
heads. The audio and the video are recorded in such a way that they don't
interfere with each other very much -- but VHS Hi-Fi still sounds inferior
to the audio on CDs and DVDs. With the addition of Hi-Fi audio, the VHS
format is stretched just about as far as the technology will take it. To the
best of my knowledge, the VHS Hi-Fi format is two-channel stereo only. A lot
of less expensive Hi-Fi units actually can't record in Hi-Fi, they can only
record on the "Lo-Fi" linear tracks.
 
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