The picture quality of the DVD disc is consistent from the first play to the thousandth play. Plus, DVD discs will not deteriorate over time, are unaffected by magnetic fields (which can literally erase a VHS cassette) and do not require rewinding after viewing.

DVD discs are the same diameter (120mm) and thickness (1.2mm) as a Compact Disc, but that is where the similarities end. A single DVD disc has the capability to store up to 13 times the data contained on a CD, on one side! If you factor in DVD's capability to utilize both sides of a disc for data storage, you have an information marvel that offers 26 times the power of a Compact Disc!

That enhanced capability is a tremendous enabling device. DVD will revolutionize Multimedia, information retrieval and storage and mobile navigation. DVD will create new high quality audio standards, impact learning and training videos, and bring the Cinema experience to Home Entertainment.

DVDs offer many advantages such as:

  • No rewinding!
  • There is no magnetic coating that can wear away with each use, which is the case with tapes.
  • Menus and chapter points (bookmarks) allow you to skip to certain scenes instantly.
  • Quick forward/backward scanning and searching.
  • DVDs take up less space than VHS tapes.
  • Since a DVD is digital, any copies are exactly the same as the original with no loss of quality!.
  • A DVD can be put into a computer so that you can capture still scenes for printing photos.
  • Zoom-in features (if your DVD player supports it).
  • If handled properly (like a CD), a DVD can last over 100 years!.

For the reasons above and many more, DVDs are becoming the mainstream, and VHS is becoming obsolete.

Videotapes deteriorate faster than any other media. They are made of a magnetic imaging material a binder and a base. The videotape was never meant to be a long-term storage media. Due solely to the weakening of the binder, which holds the magnetic particles containing the video data to the plastic tape material, videotapes continually release their magnetic information particles over time until eventually the tape is unplayable. Environmental conditions can speed the process, but nothing is going to stop it. Equally as bad, simply playing a videotape causes some wear. The older the tape is the more deterioration will take place each time it's played, because the older binder material is weaker and therefore more particles are ripped away each time it's rubbed by the spinning player heads. Magnetic media's sensitivity to static shock or common electric fields further confirms it is a shortfall of magnetic storage media. All or some of the information stored on videotape can be wiped out by a simple static shock or an electric field from a household device as common as a VCR, stereo, speaker or TV.

Deterioration of videotape can be caused by any of the following:

  • Sunlight breaks down the binder that holds the magnetic material to the base. Heat (from the sun, radiators, heating vents, air conditioners and other appliances) causes expansion and contraction of the tape base, which leads to warping and even shedding of the magnetic material.
  • Dust, dirt, smoke and oil may cause abrasion that wears the magnetic material from the base.
  • Magnetic fields (speakers, motors, amplifiers, telephones, computers, TVs and even the Earth's magnetic field over time) may cause partial erasure and/or tape noise as they act on the tape's complex magnetic patterns.
  • Exposure to moisture and high humidity allows fungus and mould to grow preventing the head from reading the magnetic material. Moisture also breaks down the molecules in the base and magnetic material over time.
  • Playing the tape (especially leaving the VCR on pause or still frame) stretches the tape and wears off the magnetic data.

Depending on the conditions of storage, usage and the equipment used to play the video, it will have a life of between a few years and about 15 or 20 years. Lower end analog formats such as VHS and Video8 degrade even faster.

  • Fuzzy or snowy images
  • Blank spots, streaking, sparkling, static or thin lines across the screen
  • Faded or uneven color (color becomes brownish, then pinkish, and finally colorless)
  • Distorted noise

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