S-VHS, Hi8, or DV quality?

[Nikos]

I have been recording sporting events for a while. I record them in Digital8 (DV) format which is said to record up to 480-500 lines of resolution. I usually record one 2 hour game on two tapes at D8 SP Mode.

S-Vhs and Hi8 are said to have 400 lines of resolution.

The question is to save money couldn't I just record the games using my Digital Camcorder in Hi8 MODE and get twice the amount of time with only a little less resolution (which will still be ALOT better than VHS SP mode)?

Would an S-VHS deck be more economical? I could actually record programs without being there -- but if the program is more than 2 hours I would need to record in LP mode etc.... Is the LP (2nd mode) good on S-VHS format?

Can someone tell me how S-VHS captures/hi8 look versus Digital8/DV captures? Considering I am recording from CABLE BROADCASTS on my source -- do I really need to go all out and record 1 hour on each Digital8 tape? Or would 2 hours of hi8 or 2 or 4 hours of S-VHS suffice?

[SF01]

Wow, noone replied to that?

Here's some facts:
Digital is digital format, so the resolution is 480 for NTSC ad 576 for PAL. I assume you're in NTSC, since you have 2x time in Hi8 compared to D8, in PAL we have 1,5 more in Hi8 vs D8.

Digital will have better quality, that's for sure, but some argue DV codec is not best for capturing analog video, but still it will have less degradation that storing it on analog media.

But then again, you probably don't care anymore.

[lordsmurf]

Here's some facts:
Digital is digital format, so the resolution is 480 for NTSC ad 576 for PAL. I assume you're in NTSC, since you have 2x time in Hi8 compared to D8, in PAL we have 1,5 more in Hi8 vs D8.

That's not entirely accurate. "lines" is analog measurement, resolution/pixels is digital. Given the optics of consumer cameras at the time, there's not a huge difference in image quality of Hi8 vs. Digital8/DV. Hi8 also doesn't have chroma noise like S-VHS-C would.

but some argue DV codec is not best for capturing analog video,

It's not good, because it discards about 50% of the color data. DV was never meant for conversion, just native shooting.

but still it will have less degradation that storing it on analog media.

Tape is tape, so neither will degrade any faster or slow than the other.

But then again, you probably don't care anymore.

Probably not. It's been 15+ years. Why did you necropost?

[KarMa]

I was about to ask why someone is still using Digital8 in the current year, and why Hi8 would be the next best alternative. But turns out OP posted this is 2003, lol. And OP has not been on since 2007.

But then again, you probably don't care anymore.

Yeah, it's been 5636 days. Unless he suffers from Rip Van Winkle syndrome.

[SF01]

Here's some facts:
Digital is digital format, so the resolution is 480 for NTSC ad 576 for PAL. I assume you're in NTSC, since you have 2x time in Hi8 compared to D8, in PAL we have 1,5 more in Hi8 vs D8.

That's not entirely accurate. "lines" is analog measurement, resolution/pixels is digital. Given the optics of consumer cameras at the time, there's not a huge difference in image quality of Hi8 vs. Digital8/DV. Hi8 also doesn't have chroma noise like S-VHS-C would.

Lines vs pixels are not exactly comparative yes, it depends more on the image sensor.

Also, I've seen Video8 in LP mode with footage that looked very good compared to some S-VHS-C...

but some argue DV codec is not best for capturing analog video,

It's not good, because it discards about 50% of the color data. DV was never meant for conversion, just native shooting.

Indeed, 4:2:0 does it's thing.

but still it will have less degradation that storing it on analog media.

Tape is tape, so neither will degrade any faster or slow than the other.

I meant the nature of the signal, not the storage medium

But then again, you probably don't care anymore.

Probably not. It's been 15+ years. Why did you necropost?

I felt pity for an unanswered question, second It's an interesting topic.

[JVRaines]

Tape is tape, so neither will degrade any faster or slow than the other.

Some tape is not tape. The metal formulas used in MiniDV and some 8 mm cassettes are not lasting as long as the oxide formula of S-VHS. The coatings are flaking off and many of these recordings are at risk.

[dellsam34]

I have been recording sporting events for a while. I record them in Digital8 (DV) format which is said to record up to 480-500 lines of resolution. I usually record one 2 hour game on two tapes at D8 SP Mode.

S-Vhs and Hi8 are said to have 400 lines of resolution.

The question is to save money couldn't I just record the games using my Digital Camcorder in Hi8 MODE and get twice the amount of time with only a little less resolution (which will still be ALOT better than VHS SP mode)?

Would an S-VHS deck be more economical? I could actually record programs without being there -- but if the program is more than 2 hours I would need to record in LP mode etc.... Is the LP (2nd mode) good on S-VHS format?

Can someone tell me how S-VHS captures/hi8 look versus Digital8/DV captures? Considering I am recording from CABLE BROADCASTS on my source -- do I really need to go all out and record 1 hour on each Digital8 tape? Or would 2 hours of hi8 or 2 or 4 hours of S-VHS suffice?

If you are aiming for the economics then the best option is a digital SD card camera, 16G card is like $5 and when it's full dump it in the hard drive and start over, Hi8 and S-VHS-C tapes are like $10 a piece, Best old camcorder are more expensive than newer HD ones from 2010's era.

[Cornucopia]

I bet the OP could really have used that info back in 2001-2007 (the years he/she was active here).

That's why "Old Thread Warning" makes sense.

Scott

<edit>Wow, just realized I've been coming to this site for 2 decades now (was a lurker for 2 years before I became a member)!...</edit>

[dellsam34]

Technically threads don't have to just address the OP problem, Being public and can be found easily in google by anyone it will be beneficial to have some answers rather than a dead end. Just because the OP decided not to come back or forgot all about it, other members or guests might benefit from it. I know a lot of forums that encourage reviving old threads, And off course I know some that don't.
I myself came across threads by google search looking for an answer and I get pissed when it comes to a dead end with no definitive answer.

[SF01]

Actually I came to this thread by google. I was searching anything about S-VHS video quality in LP mode.