sony premium vs. excellence tapes at DVinfo.net

Michael Bendixen · July 8th, 2004, 02:19 PM

I had some posts on this already but I was wondering if there is a significant different in the Sony Premium and Excellence tapes to warrant the price difference? What is it exactly that makes the excellence tapes better? Is it lower drop out rate, resolution, re-usability etc? Can't seem to get a clear ansewer on this.

Thanks for you help,

Michael

Jacques Mersereau · July 9th, 2004, 11:40 AM

Excellence tapes have a 2dB(?) better signal to noise ratio than Premiums.
This is supposed to help with dropouts and other error correction issues.

I use both, but I go with EX when the gig is real and not on my dime.

Michael Bendixen · July 9th, 2004, 12:24 PM

what are the other error correction issues?

Thanks for the advice though,

Michael

Jacques Mersereau · July 9th, 2004, 01:25 PM

Because the digital signal is all 0s and 1s being transferred
at incredible speed off of a tiny record footprint,
there are always errors happening in the bit stream TMK.
Error correction tries to figure the errors out, make them good and
output a readable signal.

On expensive "pro" tape decks there are more levels of error correction
than on camcorders and cheap decks. I was told by an expert repairman
that DVCPro AJ-D640 has three levels of error correction and therefore
will sometimes playback tapes that most other decks cannot.

There is A LOT of voodoo and trouble shooting going on
under the hood of which we are blissfully unaware.
Data loss or "replacement" is one reason why DV is NOT lossless.
0s and 1s are being swapped all the
time, but it is not noticeable until it IS noticeable.

That's the idea behind a tape that has a higher signal to noise ratio.
More signal (good stuff) to noise (errors).

July 8th, 2004, 02:19 PM	#1
Michael Bendixen Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 109	sony premium vs. excellence tapes I had some posts on this already but I was wondering if there is a significant different in the Sony Premium and Excellence tapes to warrant the price difference? What is it exactly that makes the excellence tapes better? Is it lower drop out rate, resolution, re-usability etc? Can't seem to get a clear ansewer on this. Thanks for you help, Michael

July 9th, 2004, 11:40 AM	#2
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Excellence tapes have a 2dB(?) better signal to noise ratio than Premiums. This is supposed to help with dropouts and other error correction issues. I use both, but I go with EX when the gig is real and not on my dime. __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager

July 9th, 2004, 01:25 PM	#4
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Because the digital signal is all 0s and 1s being transferred at incredible speed off of a tiny record footprint, there are always errors happening in the bit stream TMK. Error correction tries to figure the errors out, make them good and output a readable signal. On expensive "pro" tape decks there are more levels of error correction than on camcorders and cheap decks. I was told by an expert repairman that DVCPro AJ-D640 has three levels of error correction and therefore will sometimes playback tapes that most other decks cannot. There is A LOT of voodoo and trouble shooting going on under the hood of which we are blissfully unaware. Data loss or "replacement" is one reason why DV is NOT lossless. 0s and 1s are being swapped all the time, but it is not noticeable until it IS noticeable. That's the idea behind a tape that has a higher signal to noise ratio. More signal (good stuff) to noise (errors). __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager

July 9th, 2004, 12:24 PM	#3
Michael Bendixen Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Corvallis, OR Posts: 109	what are the other error correction issues? Thanks for the advice though, Michael