Back Up Next 

 

Real-Time Clock

DV Tape formats compared to other Tape Formats

DV formats are recognised to be equal to or slightly better than Betacam SP and MII in terms of picture quality. DV also holds up better over repeated play cycles, where BetaSP shows noticeable dropouts. The DV formats are a just below Digital-S and DVCPRO50, which are themselves a (largely imperceptible) just below Digital Betacam, D-1, and D-5. The DV formats are significantly better than 3/4" U-matic, Hi8, and SVHS.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is just barely video and 10 is as good as it gets, you could arrogantly rate assorted formats as follows:
 

D-5 (10-bit uncompressed digital) 10
D-1 (8-bit uncompressed digital) 9.9
Digital Betacam, Ampex DCT 9.7
D-9 (Digital-S), DVCPRO50 9.6
DV, DVCAM, D-7 (DVCPRO), Digital8 9
MII, Betacam SP 8.9
1" Type C 8.7
3/4" SP 6.5
3/4", Hi8, SVHS 5
Video 8, Betamax 4
VHS 3
EIAJ Type 1, Fisher-Price Pixelvision 1

 

The SMPTE/EBU Task Force for Harmonized Standards for the Exchange of Program Material as Bitstreams Final Report: Analyses and Results was published in July 1998 and released at IBC '98. This seminal 200+ page report provides a roadmap for digital video development, implementation, interchange, and usage. If you're involved in the selection, specification, design, or implementation of digital video systems, you owe it to yourself, your company, and your customers to read this report. If you're just curious about the future of digital video, you will also benefit from perusing its pages. The report is reprinted in the September 1998 issue of the SMPTE Journal, and may be downloaded as a PDF file from the SMPTE and EBU websites.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) strongly recommends that future networked television production should focus on compression families based on DV and MPEG-2 4:2:2P@ML which have been identified as being appropriate for television production operations.

 The DV formats tabulated:
Format specifications and current equipment capabilities
(not guaranteed to be all-inclusive or up-to-date; check with manufacturers for exact details)

 

DV

DVCAM

DVCPRO

Digital8

Suppliers

consortium of 60 manufacturers including Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon, Sharp.

Sony, Ikegami

Panasonic; also Philips, Ikegami, Hitachi.

Sony

Intended market segment(s)

consumer (although JVC makes a dockable DV VTR, DV camcorder, and DV VTR for the pro/industrial market)

professional / industrial

professional / industrial / ENG / EFP / broadcast

consumer (Video8 & Hi8 replacement)

Who's actually buying

consumer / professional / industrial / ENG / EFP

professional / industrial / ENG / EFP / broadcast

professional / industrial / ENG / EFP / broadcast

consumers

Tape type

ME (Metal Evaporate)

ME (Metal Evaporate)

MP (Metal Particle)

ME, MP (uses Video8, Hi8 tapes)

 

DV

DVCAM

DVCPRO

Digital8

Track pitch

10 microns (SP) 
6.7 microns (LP)

15 microns

18 microns

16.34 microns

Track width

10 microns (SP) 
6.7 microns (LP)

15 microns (10 microns on some early gear)

18 microns

16.34 microns

Tape speed (SP mode)

18.81 mm/sec

28.215 mm/sec

33.82 mm/sec

28.7 mm/sec 

Tape usage
(SP mode)

120 mm2/sec

180 mm2/sec

215 mm2/sec

230 mm2/sec

Drum diameter

21.7 mm

21.7 mm

21.7 mm

40 mm

Cassettes & max. loads

miniDV: 80/120 min (SP/LP) 
std: 3.0/4.6 hrs (SP/LP) 
(4.6/6.9 hrs possible using DVCAM 184 min tape)

miniDV: 40 min. 

std: 184 min.

small: 63 min. (note: small is larger than miniDV cassette) 
std: 123 min./184 min.**

Video8, Hi8 standard NTSC 120 minute tape: 60 min; standard PAL 90 min tape: 60 min.

Max. camera load

80/120 min. (SP/LP)

184 minutes

63 minutes (AJ-D400/700/810); 
123 min. (AJ-D200/210); 
184 min. (AJ-D215)**

60 min.

Compression

5:1 DVC-format DCT, intra-frame; 25 Mbps video data rate

5:1 DVC-format DCT, intra-frame; 25 Mbps video data rate

5:1 DVC-format DCT, intra-frame; 25 Mbps video data rate

5:1 DVC-format DCT, intra-frame; 25 Mbps video data rate

 

DV

DVCAM

DVCPRO

Digital8

Resolution & sampling

720x480, 4:1:1 (NTSC) 
720x576, 4:2:0 (PAL)

720x480, 4:1:1 (NTSC) 
720x576, 4:2:0 (PAL)

720x480, 4:1:1 (NTSC) 
720x576, 4:1:1 (PAL)

720x480, 4:1:1 (NTSC) 
720x576, 4:2:0 (PAL)

Audio recording

2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; 
4 ch @ 32 kHz, 12 bits; 
will accept 2 ch @ 44.1 kHz, 16 bits via 1394 I/O; unlocked (but can record locked audio via 1394); JVC Pro DV gear records locked @ 32 & 48 kHz

2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; 
4 ch @ 32 kHz, 12 bits; 
will accept 2 ch @ 44.1 kHz, 16 bits via 1394 I/O; locked (but some VTRs can be made to record unlocked via 1394)

2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; locked, plus one analog audio cue track; plays back 32 kHz, 12 bits and presumably 44.1 kHz, 16 bits.

2 ch @ 48 kHz, 16 bits; 
4 ch @ 32 kHz, 12 bits; 
will accept 2 ch @ 44.1 kHz, 16 bits via 1394 I/O; unlocked (but can record locked audio via 1394)

These tapes can play back in...

DV, DVCAM, & DVCPRO VTRs

DV*, DVCAM, & DVCPRO* VTRs

DVCPRO VTRs; DSR-2000 DVCAM VTR

Digital8 camcorders

These VTRs can play back...

DV & DVCAM* tapes

DV & DVCAM tapes (DVCPRO in the DSR-1xxx/2000)

DV, DVCAM*, & DVCPRO tapes

Video8, Hi8, Digital8 tapes

IEEE-1394 I/O 
(a.k.a. "FireWire" or "i.LINK")

Sony & Canon camcorders and VTRs; some Panasonic camcorders & AJ-DV2000 VTR; JVC Pro DV gear; newer JVC camcorders (some are output only) 

All but early DSR-300 camcorders (option on some VTRs, standard on others)

AJ-D210/215 camcorders and AJ-D230 VTR with optional adapters; AJ-D250 VTR.

yes

 

DV

DVCAM

DVCPRO

Digital8

SMPTE 259M SDI (serial digital interface)

playback only in DSR-1xxx series, DSR-2000

DSR-60/80/85, DSR-1500/1600/1800, DSR-2000 VTRs with adapter

AJ-D850/780/750; 650/640; & 450/440 VTRs with adapter

no

4X digital I/O (SDTI)

no

DSR-85 VTR, ES-3 NLE;
DSR-1xxx series, DSR-2000

AG-D780 VTR; NewsByte NLE with onboard VTR

no

Analogue component I/O

JVC BR-DV600, playback only in DSR-1xxx series, DSR-2000

DSR-40 and higher-numbered VTRs

AJ-D850/780/750; 650/640; & 450/440 VTRs

no

Y/C & composite I/O

yes (DRV-100 & many camcorders: output only)

yes (DRV-1000: output only)

yes (no Y/C on AJ-D850, 750 or 780)

yes

    *Inter-format interchange:

 

 


(c) Real-Time Vision 2005