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From: lionel@orphan.DEC (Steve Lionel)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Stereo vs. Hi-Fi\
Message-ID: <266@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 08:16:35 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.266
Posted: Mon Jan 21 08:16:35 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 09:14:46 EST
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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>> I am now thoroughly confused regarding the distinction
>> which is painstakingly made by the various VCR manufacturers between
>> a "STEREO" unit and a "HI-FI" unit.  I thought the difference was merely

> Once again, almost every VCR on the market today is STEREO.  It has two
> tracks along the edge that are roughly equivelent fidelity to a crappy
> cassette.  HIFI multiplexes a higher fidelity audio track in with the
> video and is layed down withh the video head.

Many VHS VCRs, but not "almost every", are indeed low-fi stereo that is
far worse than audio cassettes.  The only Beta stereo VCRs are also
Hi-Fi.  Only Beta Hi-Fi multiplexes the audio with the video - VHS uses
separate heads to record the audio information separately.

>> I've come across those who tell me that the two
>> audio formats are incompatible, that the stereo movies I have purchased
>> will not reproduce stereo in a HI-FI recorder system.

> They are incompatible, but that doesn't mean they can't coexist.  I would
> venture to say that all HIFI decks are perfectly able to replay the old
> stereo signals when the HIFI isn't on the tape.  The Beta HIFI tapes may
> also be played on non-hifi machines because they also record the old style
> stereo tracks as well.  VHS detracters say VHS HIFI tapes can't be played
> on older machines without degredation of the video component.  I don't know
> if this is true, or just SONY propaganda.

VHS Hi-Fi tapes can indeed be played on non-Hi-Fi VCRs, but you might not
get what you expect.  Some VHS Hi-Fi VCRs don't record or play the standard
audio track in stereo, and some which do don't have Dolby circuitry (a few
have a high-cut filter for playing Dolbyized tapes).  The result is that
if you play a tape recorded on one of these VHS Hi-Fi VCRs on a non-Hi-Fi
deck, you may not get stereo or Dolby.  I would expect that commericial
prerecorded tapes would play normally.  Whether the VHS Hi-Fi recording
method degrades the video (even more than it is already degraded for VHS :-))
remains to be seen.  I can't see how you can help but lose some signal when
you deliberately try to keep two different signals in the oxide.

				Steve Lionel