On Fri, 11 Feb 2000 20:18:57 +0100, "KBS" wrote:

>I know a SP tape of 60min's becomes 90 min's when used with LP, but what is
>the techical difference between DV LP and SP. So far i've seen no clear
>difference in picture quality between them. Does anyone know something more
>about this?

As far as the tape "knows", the digits are the same for
either speed, so the picture and sound are the same.
What is different is the speed of the tape, and therefore
the relative size of problems that cause dropouts and
mis-tracking. Transport and head alignments are more
critical in LP mode, so a tape made in one camcorder
in LP mode may not play properly in a different camera,
and even if it does, the visible dropout rate may be
higher, especially over time. BTW, DVCAM tape also
uses the same signal, but the tape is run 50% faster
than it is for mini-DV in SP mode in order to lessen
dropouts and increase signal durability over time...