Replay VCR Mode

125 Views 10 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Dr. Zed, Sep 6, 2000

JANVideo

Discussion Starter · Sep 1, 2000

How closely will the VCR mode in the Replay emulate a real VCR? The reason I ask this is because a friend of mine has a video production company and wants to use the Replay as a video server to play his masters into a bank of slave VCRs for duplication purposes. His master programs usually span multiple tapes so if the VCR mode in Replay will have a PAUSE function, then he can queue up the multiple masters and play them into the Replay as one large file. Then, when he wants to make the dups, he simply plays back the large file with all of his "assemble edited" masters in one shot. Since the Replay will do instant rewind, has enough space for multiple projects, and the quality of the video/audio (high mode) is excellent, he thinks this would be a great idea for his business.

Since Tivo already has the VCR mode (I think I read that somewhere), would Tivo be a better choice because of the cost (he would not need the subscription because it would never be hooked up to a cable or sat).

I realize you could get a PC to do this, but he doesn't want to tie up a PC for this purpose or get into purchasing MPEG boards and get into that can of worms (I have done that and it is not easy).

Joel N.

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PRMan

· #2 · Sep 2, 2000

Well, with TiVo you could add a second hard drive easily with a very large drive, giving you the ability to store 40 hours worth of masters, instead of only 10. Oops, I mean the ability to hack hurts sales of new units.... http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

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PRMan

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turls

· #3 · Sep 5, 2000

Little off topic, but fits the description of the thread . . .

Hopefully I will be able to label the manual recordings so I don't just have a date and time. I don't know how often I would use this functionality, but if you code it just like you code the show search, it shouldn't be too big of a deal . . . or would it?

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Matt

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JANVideo

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 5, 2000

Thanks for the reply Marc. The input to the Replay would be MiniDV and BetaCam masters, so the quality would be very good as the output from these devices essentially comes from digital TBCs. His cameras are all broadcast quality units as well so the data input is not a problem, and from what I can see on Replay, the high quality MPEG2 conversion looks just like the input. Once these masters are bumped down to VHS for the copies, that alone would tend to mask any imperfections the Replay system might add.

Just a note: in doing these "assemble edits", a certain amount of black, unmodulated video would be used at the assemble points to mask any possible MPEG artifacts that would occur during the pause. (If we could get a pause!! YES? PLEASE?)

Joel N.

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JustDoug

· #5 · Sep 5, 2000

One of the last things I worked on at ReplayTV before leaving was the manual record mode, and my last task on it was to animate the flashing 12:00. How's that for emulation? http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif

Doug

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The Robman

· #6 · Sep 5, 2000

Hey Doug,

Did you also code in a feature to simulate a chewed tape, or did you leave that for Marc to finish up?

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Later,

Rob.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/

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JustDoug

· #7 · Sep 5, 2000

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman:
Hey Doug,

Did you also code in a feature to simulate a chewed tape, or did you leave that for Marc to finish up?

No. But, there was a big debate going on as to whether or not you should have to turn the power off for the record to take place.

<For anyone who may take this thread out of context: I'm joking>

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Amazingly Smooth

· #8 · Sep 5, 2000

Can we have a nostalgia mode where the clock always says *12:00AM*?

Cheers

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toots

· #9 · Sep 5, 2000

Quote:

Originally posted by Amazingly Smooth:
Can we have a nostalgia mode where the clock always says *12:00AM*?

Cheers

Yeah, I really miss that feature, too!

I'm thinking of "hacking" my Replay by adding a big flourescent display to the front of the unit that blinks 12:00 at me.

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PRMan

· #10 · Sep 6, 2000

Can we have a Timer button added, as well? That way, nothing that you have recorded VCR-style will record until you push it. Now that's VCR-style!

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PRMan

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Dr. Zed

· #11 · Sep 6, 2000

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman:
Hey Doug,

Did you also code in a feature to simulate a chewed tape, or did you leave that for Marc to finish up?

At the very least, pressing pause should slowly degrade the recording to simulate the stretching of the tape. And, any recording using a VCR style recording should slowly degrade over time.

But, back to the original topic....

I can't speak for Replay, but I'm almost postive that TiVo wouldn't allow you to pause it during recording either. Both units are really designed to record an entire episode automatically and there's no _need_ to be able to pause while recording.

Pause the playback, yes. The recording, no.

TiVo might be a better answer simply because it's cheaper. With Replay, you are buying the bundled service as well. With TiVo, the service is seperate and you wouldn't need it. Howver, TiVo will nag you with it's nag screen, so you would have to weigh in an annoyance factor.

As someone who has done video production and editing, I really don't see why you would be using either unit, except to save the expense of getting more appropriate gear. You might want to look into your PC-based options.

As far as future updates, both sides are working constantly to improve their products, but I wouldn't expect any changes to TiVo in the near future that would affect your needs. If you don't mind a bit of speculation, at least Replay offers a better _chance_ that it might become more suited to your needs.

And, regarding the service, just because you have a dedicated use for the machine doesn't mean that you might not have alternate uses for it between tasks. So, with Replay, you might view the service as a plus.

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"It's like living in the future."â„¢

[This message has been edited by an infinite number of monkeys (edited 10-24-2000).]

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