Video List of Categories
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What is Mini DV
Most digital camcorders record video and audio on a Mini DV tape. The cassettes measure 2.6 x 1.9 x 0.5 inches (L x W x H), while the tape itself is only .25 inches thick. A Mini DV tape that is 65 meters long can hold an incredible 11GB of data, or 80 minutes of digital video. The small size of Mini DV tapes has helped camcorder manufacturers reduce the size of their video cameras significantly. Some consumer cameras that use Mini DV tapes are smaller than the size of your hand. Because Mini DV tapes store data digitally, the footage can be exported directly to a computer using a Firewire (IEEE 1394) cable.
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What is DVCPRO
DVCPRO is Panasonic's entry into the DV format arena. DVCPRO has an even wider track pitch than DVCAM (18 microns) and uses a metal-particle tape (as opposed to MiniDV's and DVCAM's metal-evaporated tape) for even better durability. DVCPRO was aimed mainly at the TVs news market, were it has gained some acceptance. Among digital editors it is less used, and its adoption was hampered by an initial short-sighted decision to not include Firewire on DVCPRO equipment, although nowadays DVCPRO equipment has Firewire.
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What is DVcam
DVCAM is developed and supported by Sony. DVCAM uses the same DV25 codec as MiniDV, so it has identical picture quality, yet it has a faster tape speed and a wider track pitch. This means that the data is recorded over a larger area, which reduces dropouts (dropouts are defects in the picture caused by the physical loss of the particles used on the tape to record). This makes DVCAM a much sturdier and dependable format that has found favor with higher-end productions. Also, a MiniDV deck, if used in an analog suite, cannot perform frame-accurate edits, while DVCAM can. This makes it a good choice for post-production houses that want to simply add DV to their existing set- up, but is of no importance to those editing over Firewire. DVCAM can only be recorded in specific DVCAM decks (made by Sony), yet it can be played back in most MiniDV and DVCPRO decks.
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TBC, "Time Base Corrector"
A device used to correct for time base errors and stabilize the timing of the video output from a tape machine. Machines like VHS players are particularly susceptible to tape stretch, jitter, and speed variations which cause some recorded video lines to be shorter or longer than others. The TBC acts as a 'rubber-band' type storage device to line up each horizontal line at its proper location allowing for synchronous playback.
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DVD Regional Coding
- Region 1: The U.S., its territories and Canada
- Region 2: Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland
- Region 3: Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia
- Region 4: Mexico, South America, Australia, New Zealand
- Region 5: Russia, Eastern Europe, India, most of Africa
- Region 6: China
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