Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Tek) 9/26/83; site orca.UUCP 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]