Help comparing mini dv versus VHS camcorder?

Question

What is the best? What are the advantages of one over the other? Thanks!

Answer 1

The "DV" in miniDV = digital video. DV and HDV are the best storage methods because they are the least compressed digital processes.

VHS is an analog storage and over time the video will degrade on the tape. This is not the case with miniDV - which is a great storage media method - remember - miniDV is digital, not analog... so the video (and audio) analog signal does not degrade over time.

If it makes sense, look at what the pros use:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBus...

http://www.panasonic.com/business/provid...

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contro...

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/categ...

They use, primarily, miniDV tape. No VHS. No internal hard drives. No AVCHD (except one little panny, which I don't consider "pro"), no MPEG2... MiniDV tape (or in the case of the high-end Pannys, P2 cards) storing DV, HDV, DVCAM, HDCAM, DVCPRO...

Answer 2

There is no good comparision for VHS, especially now that digial television will be replacing analog.

DV is the system that was cooperatively developed to replace analog videotape (VHS, Beta, SuperBeta, VHS-C, SVHS, SVHS-C, video8 and high 8) by all the worlds manufacturers.  The standard frame for NTSC was 480 x 720, non-square pixels because this allowed for the best possible conversion to analog with subcarrier at 3.58 Mhz. Subcarrier will eventually dissapear from color video as more devices become digital, however it did dictate the digital sample rate (4 x subcarrier).

A color picture requires 3 channels of information, luminence and 2 color difference signals. VHS records 240 lines of luminence resolution while DV is 360 lines. However it is in the color resolution that is really improved, VHS records only 47 lines (622 khz) color definition while DV records full broadcast color resolution (1.6 Mhz).

Linear track VHS audio is really poor, only the improved FM tracks can be called HiFi. DV records audio at a higher data rate then audio CDs, making it exceptionally good.

VHS system was developed before there was a computer in every home, and editing was done deck to deck with serious picture degradation on each pass.  DV connects directly to a computer with bi-directional Video, Stereo Audio, timecode and machine control with one digital connection. The computer allows editing without loss of picture or audio quality.

miniDV is the variant for camcorder use, it has a small compact cassette, smaller than VHS-C or video8. Regular DV has a larger cassette for 3 hour recording time but it came to market just as DVD became popular for Movies, so it never found its way into American homes. Because the datarate for SD DV is about the same as HD television, a new HDV version has been introduced using TV codecs. This should give DV a new life in the HD future.

Additionally, VHS camcorders used heavy and large nicad or gelcel batteries. miniDV takes advantage of newer battery technology. Outside of some professional models VHS camcorders did not have timecode capability.