-=> Quoting Roger Davison to Rick Mcbroom <=-

 (DAT)
 RD> ..in the professional market it's *very* highly used..

 Right! I'm aware that it's widely used by pros.

 RD> ..not so good in the /field/ as the older analogue formats.

 Really? How come?

 Peter Rowan and Jerry Douglas' new one, _Yonder_, was basically a DAT
 field recording (done in various living rooms around the country, as
 they toured), and it sounds /great/!

 (DAT for data)
 RD> It does seem to offer one of the biggest single backup device.

 Granted, though DVD will offer 5+ gigs of data storage.

 RD> I don't know anybody with a DAT machine..

 I know /one/.

 RD> ..but I still see the Sony 6 Track Audio PCM Video 8 format being
 RD> used by some..

 Really?  We're the opposite, I don't know anyone using that. FWIW, I
 considered buying one, myself.

 RD> ..but although it's not compressed the quality is still not up to
 RD> Cd standards.

 That's why I didn't buy it. The frequency reponse is limited to 15khz,
 due to the sampling rate used. It didn't sound as good as my analog deck
 using dbx-encoded metal tapes, to me. Also, the first generation of 8mm
 video tapes had a problem with oxide flaking. This causes only a slight
 glitch in a video, but /kills/ digital audio.

 RD> They did release Audio Cd writers well before Data writers..

 Sure. But as you say, the price has been kept atificially high. The first
 generation machine went for nearly $10 grand! The current generation (I've
 seen only a Pinoeer model) are still over $2 grand, I believe.

 RD> But at least us computer users can upgrade our machines without coming
 RD> close to the four figure mark.

 Unless you're running an old 386/25, like I am.  :-( I'll have to upgrade
 my whole computer, before I can go the CD-R route.

 -=> Quoting Roger Davison to Rick Mcbroom about Mike Auldridge <=-

 RM>> A Hi-Fi video deck really does make an outstanding "reel-to-reel"
 RM>> recorder. I'm amazed that more people don't use them that way!

 RD> I think the same.

 I still use a Beta deck. When taping in the "simulcast" mode, it has the
 capability of shunting the line-level audio input source to the Hi-Fi
 soundtracks, while pulling the linear soundtrack's signal from the tuner.

 Think about that for a moment, and you'll see where I'm going..  ;-)

 What it does is let me have my cake and eat it, too. Say I've got 9 or 10
 albums that I want to backup to Beta video.. I wait 'til there's a couple
 of good movies showing back-to-back on cable (or I feed in the RF signal of
 another VCR), then I start the machine to recording in "simulcast mode".
 THEN I cycle the music media (cassette, CD, LP, etc.) through the stereo. I
 end up with a Beta tape which contains a couple of movies which have only
 linear sound (good enough, for most movies!), and also 4.5 hours of high-
 quality audio which happens to be totally unrelated to the video. I only
 need to switch the Beta Hi-Fi off to watch the movie, or leave it on to
 hear the music that I've archived.

 I tell ya, those Beta manufacturers were /smart/!  ;-) I've looked high
 and low for a VHS machine that can do this, with no success.

 RD> I've also wondered why the stand alone PCM audio units that let you
 RD> record digital audio on the *video* *track* on any normal VCR never
 RD> really took off.

 Same here!

 I considered one myself, back at the same time that I was looking at the
 6-track Sony 8mm PCM machine. The main drawback, for me, was the cost. The
 lowest-priced PCM unit ran $1,000 or so, if I recall. And you STILL needed
 a $400 to $500 VCR (remember, that's what a basic mono VCR cost, 10 to 12
 years ago.. a Hi-Fi VCR was well over a grand!).

 RM>> ..some say that they sound /better/ than Compact Disc, being an
 RM>> analog format. With their helically-scanned tracks offering the
 RM>> equivalent speed of a reel-to-reel running at 120+ ips, they DO
 RM>> offer excellent fidelity.

 RD> With the price of Nicam video's today I always wonder why people
 RD> still buy mono units.

 "Nicam"? I'm not familiar with the term.. I assume you mean "Hi-Fi", which
 is the name that they're marketed under here in the U.S. But I agree! The
 price between a basic mono VCR and it's Hi-Fi counterpart is only $25 to
 $50! I've seen Hi-Fi VCSs for as low as $189.. why anyone buys a mono deck
 is beyond me.

 RD> But yes for the price of a medium quality VHS tape you do get three
 RD> very high quality hours of recording.

 SIX hours, using a T-120 VHS tape and a U.S.-spec NTSC machine. And if that
 isn't enough, a T-160 tape will give you EIGHT hours. I can hear absolutely
 NO difference between Hi-Fi VHS audio at the 2-hour or 6-hour speed, so I
 see no reason to use the 2-hour speed. Picture quality is another thing
 altogether, of course.

... IF WINDOWS$ = "Useful" THEN HELL$ < 32? F.