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I know we've been over the advantages and disadvantages of tape based vs. non-linear types of storage. I know there are quite a few tape people in this forum I'm just curious as to the tally sheet for each format. I think that tape and other storage formats will coexist for quite a while as different people have different workflows that are suited to different equipment.
I like not having tape for the following reasons:
No tape transport to break
No tape dropouts
No recurring tape costs unless you need to back-up on tape or optical media
Longer battery life with tape transport motor
In-camera non-linear editing, not useful except for deleting video you know you won't be using to open up more storage space
With solid state storate you don't need the camera to transfer the files
Non-linear storage formats can use VBR recording while tape based cannot since the tape must always move at the same speed, therefor only CBR recording possible. When the camera is on a tripod and you are shooting a speaker or something like that it seems as though VBR would be great to save space while preserving video quality.
Benefits of tape based recording:
Back-up - If you've got the original tapes you always have a back up. Well for as long as the tapes last, which seems to be quite a while if they are cared for properly.
Tape is a proven technology. It works when you need it to work.
Cost:
This is a tough one. If you always need a back-up then it's tough to beat $10/hour for miniDV. But if you simply want to download and make a DVD then I think solid state would be cheaper since the recording device is reusable and the DVD costs less than a buck.
And looking at media. A 4GB card is only about $60 now. For the new Canon camera 4 of them would provide nearly an hour of recording. And that's a one time cost.
I like not having tape for the following reasons:
No tape transport to break
No tape dropouts
No recurring tape costs unless you need to back-up on tape or optical media
Longer battery life with tape transport motor
In-camera non-linear editing, not useful except for deleting video you know you won't be using to open up more storage space
With solid state storate you don't need the camera to transfer the files
Non-linear storage formats can use VBR recording while tape based cannot since the tape must always move at the same speed, therefor only CBR recording possible. When the camera is on a tripod and you are shooting a speaker or something like that it seems as though VBR would be great to save space while preserving video quality.
Benefits of tape based recording:
Back-up - If you've got the original tapes you always have a back up. Well for as long as the tapes last, which seems to be quite a while if they are cared for properly.
Tape is a proven technology. It works when you need it to work.
Cost:
This is a tough one. If you always need a back-up then it's tough to beat $10/hour for miniDV. But if you simply want to download and make a DVD then I think solid state would be cheaper since the recording device is reusable and the DVD costs less than a buck.
And looking at media. A 4GB card is only about $60 now. For the new Canon camera 4 of them would provide nearly an hour of recording. And that's a one time cost.
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