Steve North, owner of Atlanta Media Concepts, came across DVC Pro working at GPTV. He was skeptical at first and wanted to find something wrong with the unfamiliar equipment, but has been won over. "I've never seen any imperfection, drop out, hits, irregularities, or problems with performance," he says.
The system does have some limitations. There are only 2 digital video tracks whereas Beta has 4. Also, there is no preread feature, which could be a critical point for some potential users. North says he has worked around that by using cache recording and dumping off to a disk recorder. However, for those without the budget for disk recorders, adding additional DVC decks is still a bargain compared to Beta. North also points out that if material shot on DVC is then digitally dumped into Avid, the lack of preread capabilities is a moot point and the cost performance ratio of the DVC system grows even greater.
As can be expected, there are compatibility issues between the two dominant manufacturers, Sony and Panasonic. Sony DV Cam, which uses 15 micron tape, will handle consumer tapes with an adaptor, but will not accommodate Panasonic. Panasonic, which uses 18 micron tape, also comes with an adaptor and will handle products from Sony.
Kenny Crysler of Showcase Video in Atlanta points out that CBS and NBC have spent millions of dollars on DVC Pro, which Panasonic pushed hard to the networks. Sony's DV Cam is not as prevalent since the company held back its marketing so as not to impact its existing Beta presence.
Some professionals and other purists may have problems with the fact that DVC gear is available on a consumer level, but as with many applications, the advent of digital technology has blurred the line between professional and consumer equipment.