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REVIEW
DOUBLE TROUBLE
INTRO
It
sounds like the answer to an 8mm camcorder owner's prayer, we've been
evaluating the Goldstar DD101 8mm/VHS twin deck VCR, to see if those prayers have come true...
COPY
One of the few
disadvantages of the 8mm format is that it is forced to exist in world
dominated by VHS, which can make life awkward for 8mm users should they want to
copy or edit their recordings. The
Goldstar R-DD101appears to be an instant solution. It's a good-looking
twin-deck VCR that can playback 8mm cassettes, and record and playback VHS
tapes, as well as all the more mundane things video recorders are called upon
to do, including recording and timeshifting TV programmes.
On
its own that would have been enough to whet the appetites of most 8mm users but
Goldstar have included several additional camcorder-oriented facilities. For
example, it has an on-board edit controller capable of replaying up to five
selected scenes, which are then automatically re-recorded by the VHS deck. It
also has a title generator, front-mounted AV socket, automatic insert edit plus
audio and video dubbing. Goldstar have thought the whole thing through quite
well, and when it's not being used for editing, it functions happily as a
normal VCR, with most of the convenience features we've come to expect, such as
index search and intro scan and dual speed operation (on both decks); there's a
comprehensive, menu-driven on-screen display system to help with initial
set-up, and routine operations, like timer programming. In fact, just about the
only thing that's missing is stereo sound, but that's being picky...
Two
video decks in one box could easily have become a nightmare to use but once
again Goldstar done their homework. Each deck has its own set of transport
controls, which operate independently of each other in normal use; these are
duplicated on the chunky remote handset, which controls the rest of the
machines functions. Things start to get a little more complicated once you move
from straightforward record and playback operations, though the on-screen
display keeps the user informed about what is going on.
EDIT
ENSEMBLE
One
of the DD101's most important facilities is the assemble-edit system, it is
controlled from a set of four buttons and the 8mm deck's transport keys, to
locate each scene. The first of the four edit buttons engages the assemble-edit
mode and calls up the on-screen display, the second and third buttons designate
the start and stop points of each segment, the fourth button starts the
automated copying process. It's very easy to use and fine for undemanding
applications but unfortunately that's about as far as it goes.
It's
not especially accurate, the system uses the 8mm deck's real-time counter to
flag the beginning and end of each scene, it's calibrated in seconds, so at
best accuracy is to within plus or minus one second. In practice the users own
reactions have a greater bearing on accuracy as the 8mm deck has no special
playback facilities, other than still frame, which means cuts are made 'on the
fly', whilst the tape is in motion. The edit list cannot be altered, other than
by erasing an entry and starting again. Ironically the VHS deck has quite good
tape navigation facilities, including slow-motion, still and frame-advance,
it's a pity the 8mm deck is not similarly equipped.
The
DD101's title generator is a useful extra.There's a full set of alphanumeric
characters, including many accented and special characters. These are displayed
in one of four sizes and widths, on a grid that occupies the centre portion of
the screen. Once you've got used to the sequential character selection system
it's quite easy to use, though creating a long title can become quite
time-consuming, and that's made all the more frustrating by the machine's
apparent amnesia, which means the title is lost as soon as you move out of the
title set-up mode. An extra page or two, and some form of short-term memory
would be very welcome.
PERFORMANCE
So
far so good, but now we come to the crunch, how well does it all work? On the
evidence of our sample we have to say picture quality is not that wonderful.
Standard speed replay of the VHS deck yielded a resolution figure of around 230
lines, that's a little below average, most budget VCRs manage 240-lines or more
these days. SP replay on the 8mm deck was even more dissapointing, no more than
220 lines, which means that some detail is lost, in fact the picture on this
machine isn't as sharp as the replay on most camcorders, including budget
models. Recording from the 8mm deck to VHS tape results in another drop in
resolution, to around 200-lines, which is below what you might expect when
recording or copying from most camcorders to a VCR. Second generation
recordings made on our machine looked distinctly ragged around the edges, more
like a third generation copy in fact, with noisy and smeared colours and
noticeable instability on captions and titles. Recordings of off-air material
were a little better, though it's still bettered by machines costing half as
much. Clearly that's not very satisfactory, and a little hard to understand
since both decks should be optimised to work together.
Audio
quality on second generation recordings was quite reasonable, though that's to
be expected as the 8mm soundtrack has a wider dynamic range than the mono
linear VHS audio system
VERDICT
What
started out as a very attractive proposition has been let down by poor performance. The whole point about the
DD101 is that it makes editing and copying 8mm recordings to VHS easier and
more convenient. On the convenience front it scores very well, and provided
you're not too worried about accuracy, it does a passable editing job, but if
the end result is no better, or possibly even worse than editing or copying
using a camcorder and VCR then Goldstar are going to have a tough time
justifying that £630 price tag.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
In a word, nothing. The
DD101 is the first 8mm/VHS twin-deck to reach the UK, and we suspect not the
last, but let's consider what else you could buy with that £630. If your
camcorder is equipped with a Control L or RMC 5-pin edit terminal then you could choose from a half dozen or so very
capable controllers, and still have plenty left over for some post production
equipment. Even if you haven't got an edit-capable deck you could still buy the
excellent Sony EV-C45 8mm edit deck which has outstanding tape replay
facilities, stereo sound and an edit terminal, and you would have enough left to buy a VHS VCR, or, if
you've already got one, a good edit controller.
VCR SPECS
Make/model Goldstar R-DD101
Tape
format VHS and 8mm twin-deck
Guide price £629.99
TAPE DECK
Max playing time VHS:
8-hours (E-240 tape LP mode)
8mm: 4-hours (P5-120 tape, LP mode)
Timer
8-events, 365-days
Remote control full
function
VIDEO
System
PAL SP/LP, HQ
Replay speeds
8mm: x 9, still; VHS: x2, x7, x11, slomo, still
Main facilities
Slow motion yes
(VHS only) Multi-speed no
Insert edit: no Jog/shuttle no
On-screen display yes Videoplus no
Index search yes Intro Scan yes
Instant timer yes LCD remote no
PDC timer no Repeat play no
Record search no NTSC replay no
Quasi S-VHS replay no Auto play no
Auto head cleaner yes
Additional facilities
AUDIO
Stereo Hi-Fi no Audio dub yes
Man level control no Level display no
NICAM sound no Line output no
H/phone level control no
GENERAL
Sockets
Front AV terminal
yes Edit
terminal no
Microphone yes Headphones no
SCART twin Syncro edit no
Dimensions (mm) 430 x 99 x 390
Weight (kg) 8.2
PERFORMANCE
Resolution VHS:
230-lines; 8mm 220-lines; Copy <200-lines
Colour fidelity VHS:
average; 8mm average; Copy fair
Trick play stability VHS:
average; 8mm fair; Copy fair
Colour bleed VHS:
none; 8mm none; Copy some smearing
Audio performance VHS average;
8mm average; Copy fair
Edit functions 8mm-VHS fair, +/- 1-second
VC RATINGS
Value for money 7
Ease of use 8
Performance 7
Features 8
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(c) R.Maybury 1993 1708
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