HDV and DV tape choices
 

What's been your experience using DV tape for HDV recording? When shooting DV, I have standardized on Panasonic AY-DVM series tapes for my Canon XH-A1. (Lately, I've noticed more dropouts than usual). I'm aware that the mini-dv format does not have the wider track width and other features associated with the DVCAM format. So I've more or less have come to expect an occasional hiccup when viewing the tapes.
As for HDV recording, there are new tapes from Sony and Canon. Has anyone tried and what's your opinion of the quality difference? These new tapes cost up to 3 times as much as mini-dv. Is this a must?

Moved from Open DV to Long Black Line. This is a very frequently asked question around here; what I really need to do is hunt down all those threads and combine them together into a single big one.

David as far as I am aware Canon do not make tapes unless that has changed recently.

Alan

Although they don't manufacture it, Canon packages and sells an HDV cassette under their own brand.

Only a must if you can't afford dropouts. Even at $15 for a 60 minute tape it's still the most economical way to get acquire HD. As far as I can tell, the Canon HDV tape is the same thing as the Sony Digital Master.

If you are getting drop outs maybe you need to get your camera serviced? Just one persons experience, but I've handled well over 1000 hours of HDV shot on "MiniDV" tapes and, to the best of my memory, I can only recall seeing just a few dropouts.

-A

When I was using my Canon XL2 (SD camera) with Panasonic AY-DVM63PQ tapes - I still get dropouts once in a blue moon. That tape is supposedly one of the best available ...

HDV is probably even more stringent than SD ... so, I suppose that dropouts that comes once in a blue moon is probably acceptable ... however, if you get it often, it is time to take your camera to the servicing centre.

It comes from the very nature of HDV. In one second, the DV tape has 25 independent frames (PAL) versus only 2 frames for HDV. If a single bit were written incorrectly on the DV tape, you just loose one of the 25 frames - negligible to most people. In HDV - you loose 0.5 seconds.

i read this entire thread before joining....whew!

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=77955

I'm getting frequent dropouts but it only started around the time that I switched tapes. I'm going to try switching back, but if that doesn't work I'll go for a wet-head cleaning. Know where I can get a Canon HV20 serviced?

Wet vs. Dry, Quality etc.
 

http://www.pro-tape.com/Site/PRO-TAPE.html

cb