|
Video
Recording > Formats > Betacam
Betacam:
Image
quality: very good
Generation
loss: Yes. But you can go 4-5 generations before
it looks too bad.
Recording
method: Component
Digital
or Analog: Analog
Other
incarnations: Betacam SP
Uses:
Betacam (Often called simply "Beta") is still
the most popular format in professional field production.
Most of what you watch on Dateline, 60 Minutes,
the evening news etc is shot on Beta. It’s been
around since the 1980s, everyone has it; and stations
are not in a big hurry to retire these $50,000 camcorders.
That’s right, they cost $50,000 and more. Even
the cheapest Beta camcorders are $15,000.
Again,
Betacam uses a completely different method of recording
than it’s low-quality cousin Betamax. Tapes recorded
on a Betamax VCR can NOT be played back on and Betacam
VCR (and vice versa).
It’s
true that DVCam and DVPro camcorders can be equal to
(or superior to) Betacam camcorders. At some point these
digital formats will cause the retirement of Betacam.
And pf you shoot Betacam, you can ship that tape to
any production company or TV station in the U.S. and
they can play it. Not so with the DV formats because
not all stations have VCRs that play the new DV formats.
|
 
If somebody says "hand me the
beta tape" they mean Betcam NOT
Betamax. While Betamax is dead, Betacam
is still the #1 format for field production.
|
|
|
|