Tape Information

This information comes from various posts I have received from club members and from my own experiences with tape trading. This section is constantly under construction since I get new ideas all the time from club members.

PAL and NTSC

1. The following explanation comes from club member KatrinaBarrios
   There are a few different formats for Televisions and VCR's in different countries. In North and South America, and Japan(and Phillipines), they use NTSC. In most European Countries plus Australia and South Africa, they use PAL. In France and I think Russia, they use Secam. In America, we cannot view PAL tapes because it is a different system unless someone has a converter. Conversely, many people in Europe are unable to view NTSC tapes unless they have a converter.

2. The following information comes from club member Msaria Oliveira
   PAL is the european format, it is used in South Africa too. Here in Brazil the official system is the PAL-M, in Europe the system is PAL, just PAL, it cannot be viewed by PAL-M users or NTSC, but the PAL-Musers can see NTSC. It is not perfect. The colors seem to disapear sometimes, and the same happens when your VCR is NTSC and try to see a PAL-M tape. Here in Brazil, the newest tape uses PAL-M and NTSC, and some others use the PAL-N too, but the older are only NTSC and PAL-M. Here, the PAL tapes are called SECAM, and only a specialized store can work with it. Sometimes it is very very very expensive.

Tape Trading Suggestions

1. Use New Tapes
   New tapes tend to hold up better than older tapes.
   One thing to remember: Often people will leave tapes running when they are copying them. When the gymnastics program is over, whatever is on the television will be taped after the program. If you receive a tape with non-gymnastics related material, don't assume the tape is not new.

2. Tape Quality
   Remember that different brands of tapes have different qualities. The most expensive is not necessairily the best and the same goes for cheaper tapes. They aren't necessairily of lower quality.

   From Maria Ohlson-Fein: About the quality of older programs: videotape is not immortal. It does not have the longevity of a compact disc! On average, videotapes last about 10 years. When getting an older program, don't expect perfect quality in picture or sound, because you might be setting yourself up for a disappointment. There's really not much that the person you are trading with can do about this, as their copy is aging.

3. Tape Speed
   Generally two tape speeds are used: EP or SP. Some VCRs have different letters for these two speeds but for this purpose, I am using EP and SP. If you tape on EP, you can potentially get 6-8 hours of programming (depending on the tape) on one video cassette. If you tape on SP you can get approximately 2 hours on each tape. This accounts for why one person might send three or four tapes with one program on each tape and another person might just send one tape with all three or four programs on it.

   The tape speed does affect the quality! Generally, tapes done on SP speed tend to hold up better than those done on EP speed. When multiple copies are made from a EP speed tape, the quality goes down.

4. Sounds of Gymnastics: About Hi-Fi

   From Michael Tobiassen:
   Hi-fi VCRs record the audio tracks as diagonal stripes across the tape's width under the video track. The result is near-CD sound quality. Hi-fi VCRs use two extra heads for the audio. So, if your machine has "Hi-fi Stereo" or "Home Theatre" written on front of it, then it's a Hi-fi.

   The basic VCR is a two-head player with monophonic sound rather than "stereo." Two play/record heads are all you need for everyday recording and playback.

   An extra pair of heads offers some advantages: cleaner slow-motion and freeze frames in the longer-play EP speed, and a slightly better picture during playback.

5. S-VHS Infomation
   From Michael Tobiassen: S-VHS has more than 400 lines of resolution and has better picture and sound quality. In order to record, dub, and play these kinds of tapes, you must have a S-VHS machine. It hooks up with S-Video rather that RCA jacks. And you can play standard VHS tapes in these. Although you can record, dub, and play a S-VHS tape in a standard VHS machine, it will not have the same effect as being played on a S-VHS machine. The S-VHS tapes do cost more and I dunno why anyone would want to record to a S-VHS tape on a VHS machine. If anyone want to add more about this, please do. Thanks!

6. Tell All!
   When negotiating a trade, let the person you are trading with know exactly what they are getting. You should tell them if the tape contains commercials, what speed it was taped at and approximate length of the competition. Be honest with them about what they are getting. If the sound on a tape is bad or non-existent, let them know that. You don't want to get a bad reputation among traders by not disclosing what you are trading. Bad reps can easily develop and are hard to overcome in tape trading.

   Traders should also specify how they will be shipping things and what kinds of tapes they would like to receive. If you are using very high quality tapes and are shipping them in a costly manner of some kind and you are expecting the person you trade with to do the same, you need to be explicit about that. For example, if you will be shipping two Kodak tapes priority mail with insurance and you expect the other person to use Kodak tapes and priority mail as well, make sure you tell them!

General Information about Tape Trading

1. Make sure it's a deal!
   Make sure that a tape trade has been solidified before you begin taping. Don't take the phrase "I'm interested in tapes x,y,z" as a "deal". Just because someone says they are interested in certain tapes, doesn't mean they want to trade. Make sure you are clear that the person wants to trade before you begin making the tapes for that person.

Tips on Tape Mailing

1. US Domestic Mail Only:
   From Maria Ohlson-Fein: Damage is least likely to occur if the tapes are sent in a box. You can buy a box specifically for videotapes for about $1.60, and they will charge you their $3 'Priority Mail' rate for it. Save your $1.60. Behind the counter they keep book/videotape boxes for priority mail. These boxes are FREE upon request! They have 2 sizes. The smaller one will fit 1 tape, while the slightly larger one will fit 2 tapes. For packing material, 1 full sheet of newspaper provides EXACTLY the right amount of packing material.

2. International Mail
   From Maria Ohlson-Fein: For mailing out of the country from the US...you can still get around buying the box. Simply take their free US domestic priority mail box, and fold each fold the OPPOSITE direction! You'll get a plain brown box. The sticky flap will get tucked in & stuck rather than wrapped around and stuck.