Duplication Masters at DVinfo.net

Mike Cavanaugh · February 10th, 2005, 08:28 AM

I'm looking to produce a master for a 2 hour production for multiple dupes onto VHS. Since MiniDV does not come in a 120 flavor, I see my choices as:

a) Master to a 80 min DV recorded at LP.

b) Master to 2-60 min. DVs, then record a Dub Master to a T120 SVHS. Use the SVHS for the VHS dubs.

I don't have capibility to master to DVC Pro or DVCAM.

Any other ideas?

Rob Lohman · February 11th, 2005, 03:48 AM

If you computer can hold two hours of DV you also should be able
to edit it there, and then output (through your DV camera) to
VHS tape directly, bypassing all of your problems.

Mike Cavanaugh · February 11th, 2005, 07:42 AM

Thanks for the reply, Rob. I guess I didn't state the problem clearly.

I need to make a 2 hour long mastertape to be used in making multiple VHS duplicates for distribution. Since Mini DVs don't come in 2 hour versions, I was wondering about the potential quality loss by mastering to SVHS. Then using the SVHS as the master tape for the 40 or 50 VHS dupes I'll need.

Anyone with thoughts? Other ways of doing it?

Bryan McCullough · February 12th, 2005, 08:43 PM

Who's running the dubs?

If you're taking it to a duplication house, I'd call them and see what the options are. They might be able to take an external HD with the footage on it.

Otherwise I'd make a DVD and use that as the master before I'd do an SVHS one.

You don't know anyone that's got a DSR-11 deck to borrow or rent?

Mike Cavanaugh · February 13th, 2005, 10:43 AM

Thanks Bryan,

I thought with the DVD compression, it would be lower quality, but I may be wrong.

Don't know anyone with a DSR-11 up here... You need local contacts or are you doing something in Texas?

Rhett Allen · February 13th, 2005, 12:54 PM

I know that Sony makes both a 120min and a 180min DV tape, both of which are obviously over 2 hours. Why don't you use one of those? You could either rent a small deck or have a local shop run it off for you. You could probably even (as stated earlier) take the project to the duplication house (on a hard drive) and have them dump it to DV for you.
I'd call the duplication house and see how they can help you. They're usually very flexible.

Bryan McCullough · February 13th, 2005, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Cavanaugh
Thanks Bryan,

I thought with the DVD compression, it would be lower quality, but I may be wrong.

Don't know anyone with a DSR-11 up here... You need local contacts or are you doing something in Texas?

I'd much rather master from a DVD than SVHS, just crank your bitrate up in the DVD and get the best possible image. Much better than SVHS.

Alessandro Machi · February 14th, 2005, 12:53 PM

S-VHS is unpredictable but if you actually used the high end S-VHS decks (the ones that originally sold for 5-7 thousand dollars), you might find that you can improve the overall picture quality if you had grainiess issues on your digital master.

However, if you have high contrast digital video wide shots sometimes the S-VHS decks interprets them as drop-outs.

The best low-cost solution nowadays maybe the DVD standalone recorders. Firewire into the harddrive, set your bit-rate and then run the signal off of the harddrive.

Alessandro Machi · February 19th, 2005, 08:45 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Bryan McCullough : I'd much rather master from a DVD than SVHS, just crank your bitrate up in the DVD and get the best possible image. Much better than SVHS. -->>>

How can you crank up the bit rate on a two hour DVD master? Did you mean crank down"?

--------------------

I'm not a hundred percent sold on using an NLE hard drive as a duplication master, however, if you use a standalone DVD recorder hard drive, you might have a higher chance of error free copies.

Output your NLE master to DV tape via firewire, then reinput the master to your DVD standalone recorder harddrive via firewire onto the harddrive at a high quality setting, around 7.8 bits.

The beauty of this is one doesn't have to use their primary computer as both an editing and duplication station. I currently have over a dozen masters housed on a DVD stand alone recorder harddrive and I can burn DVD's whenever necessary without affecting any other editing job.

February 10th, 2005, 08:28 AM	#1
Mike Cavanaugh Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albany NY Posts: 311	Duplication Masters I'm looking to produce a master for a 2 hour production for multiple dupes onto VHS. Since MiniDV does not come in a 120 flavor, I see my choices as: a) Master to a 80 min DV recorded at LP. b) Master to 2-60 min. DVs, then record a Dub Master to a T120 SVHS. Use the SVHS for the VHS dubs. I don't have capibility to master to DVC Pro or DVCAM. Any other ideas?

February 11th, 2005, 03:48 AM	#2
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	If you computer can hold two hours of DV you also should be able to edit it there, and then output (through your DV camera) to VHS tape directly, bypassing all of your problems. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 14th, 2005, 12:53 PM	#8
Alessandro Machi Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca USA Posts: 553	S-VHS is unpredictable but if you actually used the high end S-VHS decks (the ones that originally sold for 5-7 thousand dollars), you might find that you can improve the overall picture quality if you had grainiess issues on your digital master. However, if you have high contrast digital video wide shots sometimes the S-VHS decks interprets them as drop-outs. The best low-cost solution nowadays maybe the DVD standalone recorders. Firewire into the harddrive, set your bit-rate and then run the signal off of the harddrive. __________________ https://alexlogic.blogspot.com/ Los Angeles Emmy Winner (yes, used a video edit controller and loved doing so.)

February 19th, 2005, 08:45 PM	#9
Alessandro Machi Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca USA Posts: 553	<<<-- Originally posted by Bryan McCullough : I'd much rather master from a DVD than SVHS, just crank your bitrate up in the DVD and get the best possible image. Much better than SVHS. -->>> How can you crank up the bit rate on a two hour DVD master? Did you mean crank down"? -------------------- I'm not a hundred percent sold on using an NLE hard drive as a duplication master, however, if you use a standalone DVD recorder hard drive, you might have a higher chance of error free copies. Output your NLE master to DV tape via firewire, then reinput the master to your DVD standalone recorder harddrive via firewire onto the harddrive at a high quality setting, around 7.8 bits. The beauty of this is one doesn't have to use their primary computer as both an editing and duplication station. I currently have over a dozen masters housed on a DVD stand alone recorder harddrive and I can burn DVD's whenever necessary without affecting any other editing job. __________________ https://alexlogic.blogspot.com/ Los Angeles Emmy Winner (yes, used a video edit controller and loved doing so.)

February 11th, 2005, 07:42 AM	#3
Mike Cavanaugh Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albany NY Posts: 311	Thanks for the reply, Rob. I guess I didn't state the problem clearly. I need to make a 2 hour long mastertape to be used in making multiple VHS duplicates for distribution. Since Mini DVs don't come in 2 hour versions, I was wondering about the potential quality loss by mastering to SVHS. Then using the SVHS as the master tape for the 40 or 50 VHS dupes I'll need. Anyone with thoughts? Other ways of doing it?

February 12th, 2005, 08:43 PM	#4
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	Who's running the dubs? If you're taking it to a duplication house, I'd call them and see what the options are. They might be able to take an external HD with the footage on it. Otherwise I'd make a DVD and use that as the master before I'd do an SVHS one. You don't know anyone that's got a DSR-11 deck to borrow or rent?

February 13th, 2005, 10:43 AM	#5
Mike Cavanaugh Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Albany NY Posts: 311	Thanks Bryan, I thought with the DVD compression, it would be lower quality, but I may be wrong. Don't know anyone with a DSR-11 up here... You need local contacts or are you doing something in Texas?

February 13th, 2005, 12:54 PM	#6
Rhett Allen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 607	I know that Sony makes both a 120min and a 180min DV tape, both of which are obviously over 2 hours. Why don't you use one of those? You could either rent a small deck or have a local shop run it off for you. You could probably even (as stated earlier) take the project to the duplication house (on a hard drive) and have them dump it to DV for you. I'd call the duplication house and see how they can help you. They're usually very flexible.