MINI DV INFO
WET VS. DRY LUBRICANT
All,
With respect to some of the analysis here there are some inaccuracies.
Sony and TDK do indeed make their own tape. Panasonic does also do
most of the OEM for other brands. JVC is not one of them although
their formulation is chemically similar to Pansonic's so for all
practical purposes, it can be considered like Panasonic but it is now
less expensive because they make their own.
First of all, there are quality differences in DV tape just as there
are in any other tape. Density of particles, strength of the
binder, quality of cassette mechanism and specifications of the tape
all figure into it. In the tape world, the most critical
specifications are dropout, coercivity and retentivity. We all know
what dropout is. Coercivity, oversimplified, is the ability to attract
a magnetic signal and retentivity, also oversimplified, is the ability
to retain it. All of these factors go into consideration of the
quality of the tape.
We carry the various consumer brands (cheaper than Costco by the way)
but only professionals know about higher grade professional tapes.
These tapes are made only by Sony and Panasonic.
Sony has a two-tiered consumer line, the PR and the EX/EXM. These are
the same formulation and differentiated only by the selection process
(more explanation below). Recently added was a higher-grade tape
designed for HD use, the Sony DVM63HD. They also have a professional
line which is really considered DVCAM but is of course compatible with
mini DV and this includes the PDVM-40N/ME and the Digital Master
PDVM-40DM recently named PHDVM-63DM for marketing high-definition usage
purposes. The DVCAM and HD tapes, are qualitatively, better tapes,
offering significantly better specifications not the least of which is
dramatically lower dropout.
Panasonic, likewise, has both consumer and professional products but
all under the "DV" monicker as they haven't paid a license to use the
DVCAM logo although they tout their pro tapes as a DVCAM equivalent.
The consumer line is EJ and XJ and unlike Sony, these are different
formulations. In the professional line for some time we have had the
PQ (Professional Quality) and the MQ (Master Quality), which is soon to
be discontinued in favor of the more expensive AMQ (Advanced Master
Quality). NOTE: Buy MQ's while you can, they will be gone soon we are
told and the AMQ is much more. The formulations of the EJ-PQ and XJ-MQ
are similar but not only is the selection process different but the
shell, mechanism and quality control. THe AMQ is a new bird.
JVC does make consumer, high grade and pro but their higher grade
offerings are overpriced compared to Panasonic.
Here's how tape is made: it is produced in large sheets which are then
inspected and slit into the appropriate widths. In situations where
ONLY the selection process determines what the product is (i.e. not a
different formulation) the product on the ends and sides goes to
consumer as it is less consistent. The product in the middle is more
likely to exceed spec and be "the cream of the crop" and goes to either
pro or high grade as the case may be.
People often ask us which tape is best. Well, Sony mini DV tape is a
consumer product. A consumer product does not generally perform well
against the pro and coincidentally, repair facilities tell me they have
more issues with Sony tape than any other. A quick cost comparison
will reveal the cost of a Panasonic consumer tape is well below that of
a Sony and for about the same price as Sony consumer you can get
Panasonic Pro; furthermore for LESS than the cost of the Sony "high
grade" EX you can get the Panasonic MQ. Better tape, lower price.
Done deal.
Now about wet vs. dry: No one is trying to cover this up. The real
disaster happened early in the days of mini dv when Sony shipped a
bunch of camcorders with one tape and then had no supply. Everyone had
to buy Panasonic tape and then disaster occurred. Since that time the
manufacturers have worked together to alleviate the problem -- after
all, you can choose what you put in your camcorder but if you're making
dubs for others, you don't get to choose what tape they use. So, the
problem is much less of an issue than it ever was.
Still, we always recommend that if you must switch tapes, run a head
cleaner through first. If you have been using one brand for a long
time, also try to run one pass of the new tape to acclimate your heads
to the new version. I often recommend this process for switching from
Sony EX to the Panasonic MQ. We did both Videomaker shows, DV Expos,
Showbiz and WEVA for 10 years and I've had this conversation more times
than I can count and never has anyone come back to me with a complaint
despite a specific invitation to do so.
You can buy any of the consumer varieties for less than $2.50 except
for Fuji I think and the Sony is a little more too. If you want to
step up for a buck more you can get the Pansaonic Pro and while they
last, Panasonic Masters for your critical applications are under $5.
If you are going HDV you may want to consider AMQ or Sony DVCAM or
consumer HD tape.
It is important to remember that dropouts in digital are not like
dropouts in analog where part of your signal is still there. Much like
the digital cell phone service we all have to endure now (Crystal clear
when it's there but often NOT) digital signals, when lost enough to go
beyond the ability of the machine's error correction, are very very bad
- pixelated, blocky messes that can't go unnoticed. In HDV they are
even worse. So if your project is one of importance, use a
qualitatively better product...a bad piece of tape can ruin your shoot
just as easily as a problem with the most expensive camcorder so don't
skimp the couple of bucks on lower-grade products unless your use isn't
critical.
Hope that helps!
cb