Re: [AV Media Matters] F1 format PCM tape deterioration

[shubha@arce.ernet.in]

ours too play perfectly.. and we are lucky to have the playback
machines, but there is clearly a need to transfer them without
losing the quality.

>I have a whole closet full of F-1 format Beta videotapes,
>recorded in the mid to late 1980's. Recently there was a
>need to play a few of them. They all played perfectly.
>I have the Nakamichi and the Sony 500 converters. The tapes
>were *not* played back on the same Beta deck on which they
>were originally recorded, since it died long ago. I have found
>the *only* playback problems I have encountered so far have
>been with the consumer Beta decks (which I buy used); some
>will "eat" the tapes, and otherwise misbehave. The point is
>that, as far as I am able to determine, the problems encountered
>have never indicated any tape deteriorization.
>
>Doug Pomeroy   pomeroyaudio@att.net
>Audio Restoration [CEDAR] & Remastering
>
>>From: Charles Repka <Charles.P.Repka@abc.com>
>>To: AV Media Matters <AV-Media-Matters@topica.com>
>>Subject: RE: [AV Media Matters] F1 format PCM tape deterioration
>>Date: Wed, Mar 7, 2001, 1:44 PM
>>
>
>> I have heard word ( from a friend of mine in England) that there is
>> significant deterioration in the F1 PCM audio tapes recorded on the Beta VCR
>> format.  The source of this is the French Bibliotique.  They are supposed to
>> have made measurements that showed the tapes have lost 40% of their "carrier
>> level".  I have a number of tapes recorded using this format on both Beta
>> and VHS formats and have not seen this kind of problem(yet).  I suspect
>> their measurements reflect interchange errors that occur when the tapes were
>> played back on machines other than the ones used to make the original
>> recordings.  All my tapes play fine but I still have the original decks.
>> Has anyone else heard about this problem and care to comment?
>>
>> Charles Repka