MiniDV tape with IC

[Rob100]

Can someone explain what this is all about? I've seen them advertised, but never an explanation what the IC does?

Thanks,

Rob.

[Gear]

First of all it's EXPENSIVE, almost double the price than normal tapes...
It's also advertised as CM, with 4K or 16K capacity, and of course you camcorder must support it... most do.
Features: the camera writes time syncronization info on the tape memory. This gives you the benefit that you can let the camera find the exact end of a scene you recorded, play back the last 5 seconds before the end, so you can start recording just where you stopped. This function is usually called End Search.
Other uses: You can assign titles for the entire tape, for individual scenes, etc.
The last one (I think): you can take stills more easily - only one frame per picture taken. And of course date/time records...

You can also check you camcorder's manual
for more specific info on your model.

Hope this answers your question.