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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!tektronix!orca!andrew
From: andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner)
Newsgroups: net.audio,net.video
Subject: Re: why *NOT* VHS-HiFi?
Message-ID: <1200@orca.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 14:50:31 EST
Article-I.D.: orca.1200
Posted: Tue Dec  4 14:50:31 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:52:32 EST
References: <267@aesat.UUCP> <327@tymix.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 29
Xref: watmath net.audio:3646 net.video:785

[]

	"1. VHS Hi-Fi is NOT compatible with VHS Stereo.  This means
	that you won't be able to do anything with your friends' tapes
	or rental tapes other than look at the boxes."

When VHS Hi-Fi was first announced, the pundits claimed that this would
be true.  Turns out it's not; there are units on the market which
handle both VHS Hi-Fi and existing VHS stereo.  It's just a matter of
planting a stereo head instead of a mono head for the conventional
soundtrack, which has to be placed anyway.  No technical problems, just
the marketing trade-off; the stereo head costs a little more.

	"2. VHS blank tapes are more expensive than Beta tapes.
	Therefore, you'd be spending more money for the same outcome."

But VHS blank tapes are longer than Beta tapes.  You have to buy six
five-hour Beta tapes to equate with five six-hour VHS tapes.

	"3. There have been problems with producing (duplicating) VHS
	Hi Fi tapes; this is why you will find so few of them in your
	video stores."

Nonsense.  The reason you find so few VHS Hi-Fi tapes is that VHS Hi-Fi
hasn't been out as long as Beta Hi-Fi.  But they're ramping up as fast
as did Beta when introduced.

  -- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew)       [UUCP]
                       (orca!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay)  [ARPA]