On or about 21 Dec 97  16:09:06, Joe Kotroczo did utter
Hi-Fi Stereo VCRs to James Bradley.
   Greetings Joe
 
 NB>> who likes using NICAM Hi-Fi Stereo VCRs as audio decks?
 
 JB> I use an old Sony that uses a potentiometer to adjust the input volume 

 JK> NICAM is no brand. It is an acronym for "Near Instantaneously
 JK> Companded Audio Multiplex". It is a standard for broadcasting digital
 JK> stereo audio developed by the BBC. A VCR having NICAM in it's name is
 JK> equipped with a NICAM decoder, it has nothing to do with the recording
 JK> on the tape. 
Well, if I was picking nits, (I wouldn't DARE to think about doing so on 
Christmas. =;-) it would have everything to do with the recording that goes 
on the tape. The reason I went to the VCR that I did, was because it has *no* 
companding while recording. I can hit the tape _really_ hard when I record, 
and as long as I don't record a snow storm on the video channel I have a 
really hard time saturating the tape.
 JB> This Sony has a better S/N ratio than any 44.1K, 16 bit recording! No
 JK> I doubt this. Did you measure this?
No, but someone with the proper setup did. (A-weighted I believe.) I forget 
the magazine I used to research the unit, but they did all sorts of tests on 
the video and audio chains of VCRs, TVs, and satellite systems... Quite a 
complete set of tests at that, unlike the "Consumer Report" types. For some 
reason, Sony jacked up the white burst (not terribly familiar with video 
terminology), but the audio portion was the best behaved consumer grade HiFi 
VHS in the market at the time. Now, that was before one bit MASH was on the 
market, so perhaps I was too exuberant in my claim. At the time, there wasn't 
a D-A system that could touch it in the S/N department. With the new 
developments in Delta this, and Sigma that, it probably doesn't out do the 
best CD players now, but it remains respectable.
I wish I was in reach of the published spec. The magazine reviewer was 
surprised that the published figure was exactly what they found on the bench. 
That alone should speak volumes. <-;=
james.bradley@t8000.com
James Bradley (Sysop) 1:134/213.0
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