How can this be?

23 Sep 2005 6:30 PM

Tim Walters

I live in Spain. A lot of TV programmes from outside Spain
are broadcast over the Dual/Nicam system, so on the main
audio channel you hear the dubbed version in Spanish, and
on the second channel you get the original version in English
or French or whatever.

I just watched an American programme - recording it at the
same time - and listened to it in English over the Nicam
channel. There was a bit I couldn't understand so, when the
programme was over, I rewound the tape, and listened
to it again. But I could only get the main channel. The second
channel isn't there.

To make sure, I've done exactly the same thing with a
different programme, and got the same results.

What's going on?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Tim

23 Sep 2005 8:38 PM

Jukka Aho

Tim Walters wrote:

> I just watched an American programme - recording it at the
> same time - and listened to it in English over the Nicam
> channel. There was a bit I couldn't understand so, when the
> programme was over, I rewound the tape, and listened
> to it again. But I could only get the main channel [with
> the Spanish dub]. The second channel isn't there.
>
> To make sure, I've done exactly the same thing with a
> different programme, and got the same results.
>
> What's going on?

Is it a "Hi-Fi Stereo" VCR at all? Do you have a NICAM tuner in your VCR
as well? If it isn't, and if you don't, the VCR will only record the
soundtrack that was broadcast on the analogue mono channel.

--
znark

23 Sep 2005 9:04 PM

Tim Walters

Yes, it's a hi-fi stereo. And I've just tested the thing with a different
videotape, and it works normally. So, for some reason, the problem occurred
with just the first tape, which is a SONY E-240CDF.

Funnily enough, I've had other problems with the same batch of six. The
other day my machine needed cleaning after putting in a brand new tape from
that batch. After that cleaning, and trying a different tape, then putting
the "dirty" tape in again, I had to re-clean the machine. Could there be a
connection?

Regards, Tim

Show quoteHide quote

"Jukka Aho" <jukka.***@iki.fi> wrote in message
news:7KZYe.28184$jv1.10556@reader1.news.jippii.net...
> Tim Walters wrote:
>
> > I just watched an American programme - recording it at the
> > same time - and listened to it in English over the Nicam
> > channel. There was a bit I couldn't understand so, when the
> > programme was over, I rewound the tape, and listened
> > to it again. But I could only get the main channel [with
> > the Spanish dub]. The second channel isn't there.
> >
> > To make sure, I've done exactly the same thing with a
> > different programme, and got the same results.
> >
> > What's going on?
>
> Is it a "Hi-Fi Stereo" VCR at all? Do you have a NICAM tuner in your VCR
> as well? If it isn't, and if you don't, the VCR will only record the
> soundtrack that was broadcast on the analogue mono channel.
>
> --
> znark
>
>

23 Sep 2005 11:49 PM

Daver

One channel is recorded at a higher frequency than the other and therefore
is more prone to dropout than the other. My first hifi video crapped out
this way with one channel either disappearing totally or dropping out all
together. Perhaps faulty tapes are causing this.

Show quoteHide quote

"Tim Walters" <tim.walt***@subterra.es> wrote in message
news:dh1ql8$3aa$0@pita.alt.net...
> Yes, it's a hi-fi stereo. And I've just tested the thing with a different
> videotape, and it works normally. So, for some reason, the problem
occurred
> with just the first tape, which is a SONY E-240CDF.
>
> Funnily enough, I've had other problems with the same batch of six. The
> other day my machine needed cleaning after putting in a brand new tape
from
> that batch. After that cleaning, and trying a different tape, then putting
> the "dirty" tape in again, I had to re-clean the machine. Could there be a
> connection?
>
> Regards, Tim
>
>
>
> "Jukka Aho" <jukka.***@iki.fi> wrote in message
> news:7KZYe.28184$jv1.10556@reader1.news.jippii.net...
> > Tim Walters wrote:
> >
> > > I just watched an American programme - recording it at the
> > > same time - and listened to it in English over the Nicam
> > > channel. There was a bit I couldn't understand so, when the
> > > programme was over, I rewound the tape, and listened
> > > to it again. But I could only get the main channel [with
> > > the Spanish dub]. The second channel isn't there.
> > >
> > > To make sure, I've done exactly the same thing with a
> > > different programme, and got the same results.
> > >
> > > What's going on?
> >
> > Is it a "Hi-Fi Stereo" VCR at all? Do you have a NICAM tuner in your VCR
> > as well? If it isn't, and if you don't, the VCR will only record the
> > soundtrack that was broadcast on the analogue mono channel.
> >
> > --
> > znark
> >
> >
>
>
>

24 Sep 2005 3:22 PM

Andrew Rossmann

In article <dh24af$56***@lust.ihug.co.nz>, jbrock***@hotmail.com says...

> One channel is recorded at a higher frequency than the other and therefore
> is more prone to dropout than the other. My first hifi video crapped out
> this way with one channel either disappearing totally or dropping out all
> together. Perhaps faulty tapes are causing this.

VHS-HiFi has two sets of audio.

There is the original linear audio recorded on the edge of the tape. It
is usually mono now, although there was stereo, and even Dolby stereo,
in the past.

HiFi is two FM channels recorded using separate heads from the video.
It is recorded using something called 'depth multiplexing.' The stronger
audio signal goes deep into the tape, while the video signals are
shallower. Somehow, it can keep the two apart despite overlapping
frequencies.

Beta HiFi recorded with the video heads as they could move the gap
between the chroma and luminance signals to squish them in. The VHS
specs at the time didn't support moving signals around, so they had to
come up with the depth multiplexing version.

http://www.audioetc.tv/articles/vcrsound.htm

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