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From: zhahai@gaia.UUCP (Zhahai Stewart)
Newsgroups: rec.video,comp.sys.amiga,comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Videotape single frame recording
Message-ID: <225@gaia.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Dec-86 23:37:37 EST
Article-I.D.: gaia.225
Posted: Mon Dec 22 23:37:37 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Dec-86 21:40:19 EST
References: <5331@ukma.ms.uky.csnet> <1140@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Reply-To: zhahai@gaia.UUCP (Zhahai Stewart)
Organization: Gaia Corp, Boulder, CO
Lines: 47
Xref: mnetor rec.video:199 comp.sys.amiga:1014 comp.graphics:101

In article <1140@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> mikeb@cbmvax.UUCP (Mike Brenner SW) writes:
>In article <5331@ukma.ms.uky.csnet> sean@ukma.ms.uky.csnet (Sean Casey) writes:
>>
>>Single frame video tape recording...does it exist?  I'd like to try some
>>animation on a Commodore Amiga by generating frames and recording them
>>one at a time to videotape.  They will take too long to generate in real
>>time (ray tracing).  Almost every VCR manufacturer makes a unit that will
>>play back frame by frame, but how about recording frame by frame?  Perhaps
>>a camcorder would have this feature.
>>Sean
>
>While there are several professional models that provide this capability,
>their price tags are high. Sony has a new SuperBeta "home" unit that has
>this capability. I don't know the model# but it lists for around $1300.
>Plus, it has audio capability as well allowing about 30hrs of audio from
>what I hear.
>Mike

I would be interested in any further information on this.  It seems that 
at minimum, a flying erase head would be needed (most consumer video uses
a full width erase head ahead of the flying (spinning) read/write heads; a
flying erase head spins with the other heads, just a bit ahead, and can
erase a track just before it is scanned).  I was not aware that Sony made a
home SuperBeta unit with this capability; some 8mm video units, including
from Sony, have this feature (flying erase), though the quality of
the recordings are not as good as Superbeta or even VHS HQ.  There is
also a VHS unit with jog/shuttle search (see Sony SLHF 750 & 900) and a
flying erase head, unfortunately not sold in the US (consumer unit, but sold
only in Japan).  I think it is by Panasonic, not sure.  I am sharing these
few meager results of my own research - what I do not know yet is whether
any of the flying erase head units can single-frame in record mode - it
does not seem to be in the manuals, nor do salespeople even know what I
mean.  If it is possible, it probably requires some digital control, like
an editing controller.  I would love to know more, for the same purposes
as the other posters.

By the way, the Sony EVR-800, which is a home 8mm video deck, has a sound
only mode (no video) which allows 6 digital soundtracks (each stereo).  If
used in slow speed (4 hrs/cassette) this would allow 24 hours of sound on one
cassette (rewinding every 4 hours).  (In video mode, you get one stereo
digital soundtrack).  Is this the "30 hr " format mentioned above, or
does Sony have something new in Beta?


-- 
Zhahai Stewart
{hao | nbires}!gaia!zhahai