Mini dv tape ? whats the difference between short play and long play tapes ?

Question

mini dv tape ? whats the difference between short play and long play tapes ?

cause i bought a few 60 min sont short play tapes and was wondering if they were the best ones to buy ?

thanks dex

Answer 1

SP means "standard play". That is the time for which the tape is rated, ie a miniDV 60 minute tape runs 60 minutes. How you record is set by the camcorder, whether to use SP or LP. LP recording is EXACTLY the same as SP recording with the exception that the tape moves slower, thus giving the longer time. An LP recorded tape will only playback in the same camcorder that recorded it. It is much like an un-finalized DVD. If all you are going to do is playback the tape once into a computer for editing, then that works ok.

Professionals always use SP so that their tapes will playback in any DV recorder. If you archive your tape originals, then they would become useless if recorded in LP and the camcorder broke or was lost. And SP recording is less affected by dropouts in the tape coating (they go by quicker and affect less frames).  The dropout issue is the main reason to always use SP when recording HDV on miniDV tapes.

Sony professional DVcam is exactly the same as miniDV SP recording except it moves the tape even faster. The reason is for more reliable tape positioning during deck-to-deck editing. Since editing is done on computers these days, most professionals have switched their DVcams to the miniDV SP mode position to get the extra play time with no change in quality.

Answer 2

I don't know about your dv tape but with the vhs tape if I record on long play it will actually put more on the tape.  So if I used a 3 hr tape, I might get 3 1/2 hrs of recording using long play.  I think that it compiles the data more efficiently therefore you get a longer recording time.  But I would ask the sales person at the store. They should know.

Answer 3

The short play/long play is controlled by the camera.

60 minute short play = 90 minute long play.

It's all about how the data is stored on the tape. Nothing for you to worry about.

Answer 4

most mini dv tapes are 60 mins but long play to 90 mins

No real difference, you might lose small amount of quality.

i've never notices the difference.Buy any