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From: boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: re: Double Speed with Sound
Message-ID: <2932@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 29-Jul-84 10:51:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2932
Posted: Sun Jul 29 10:51:17 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 30-Jul-84 01:34:17 EDT
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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From:	ihuxn!kim           27-Jul-1984 06:28:46  

> I notice that several of the Beta-Hifi vcrs have the feature of
> (pitch adjusted) sound in 2X mode. None of the VHS-Hifi units
> seem to have this feature.
> Does anyone know why? 

I don't know for sure, but I would assume that it's due to the method the VHS
machines use to lay down the tracks. The Betamax is extremely simple and effi-
cient --- it only uses two heads to do everything it needs to do (except for the
longitudinal mono sound track, which has its own fixed head). The VHS machines
seem to need extra heads for any special that it needs to do. I would guess that
to reproduce pitch-adjusted sound at 2X speed would require yet *another* pair
of heads on the drum, bringing the total upwards to nine(!)

Whenever you consider how much cheaper a VHS machine might be compared to a Beta
(low-end Betas are just as cheap as low-end VHS's, and high-end VHS's are just
as expensive as high-end Betas), think about the money you'll be shelling out if
you ever have to have work done on the head-drum assembly.

--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

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