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From: stv@qantel.UUCP (Steve Vance@ex2499)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: counters in VCRs
Message-ID: <480@qantel.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 18:19:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: qantel.480
Posted: Wed Jul 10 18:19:52 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 00:40:30 EDT
References: <495@tekigm.UUCP>
Reply-To: stv@qantel.UUCP (Steve Vance@ex2499)
Distribution: net
Organization: MDS Qantel, Hayward, CA
Lines: 38

>I thought that putting a cueing mark on the tape was a fairly common feature
>on the better VCRs. (Maybe I was just hopeing?) My JVC VHS unit has this
>feature also and I find it so much more friendly that I almost never use
>the tape counter.
>
>I do admit that a "time remaining" counter would be very nice (other than
>the 10 and 5 minute warnings my deck also has). I would like to know of
>other VCRs (particularly VHS) that have this cueing feature and if there
>is a standard for it. 

From the June 1985 "Video Review", page 10:

Q: With my JVC HR-D725, I use the auto-index feature nearly all the
time.  My question is, if I buy another VHS Hi-Fi VCR, will the index
signals on my tapes recorded on JVC read back on the new machine?  Or 
does the auto-index signal vary between different makes and models?

A: For those who haven't encountered this feature before, some deluxe
VCRs automatically place a special inaudible beep at the beginning of
each recording--but only recordings made without initiating the pause
mode.  Later, the VCR can wind to these cue tones and stop automatically, 
allowing you to find the start of several shows recorded on a single
tape, which is extremely handy for timer-delayed programming.  To answer
your question, we gathered four different VHS Hi-Fi machines--an Hitachi
VT-89A, a JVC HR-D725, a Panasonic PV-1730 and an RCA VKT-700--and were
pleased to find that, believe it or not, all four were completely
compatible in terms of indexing and cueing.  Curiously, some, such as
the RCA, automatically drop into the fast scan mode for about ten
seconds when the indexed scene is reached; others, such as the Hitachi,
scan for nearly 30 seconds, which we think is a bit excessive.  We'd
just as soon have the VCRs wind to the index signal, stop and go into
play for a few seconds instead.
-- 

Steve Vance
{dual,hplabs,intelca,nsc,proper}!qantel!stv
dual!qantel!stv@berkeley
Qantel Corporation, Hayward, CA