Fuji ST-160 S-VHS Video Tape - Just Don't Use The EP Speed
Written: Jun 20 '02 (Updated Jun 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Picture and sound quality, good production quality, durability
Cons: Case design
The Bottom Line: The Fuji ST-160 is a good choice if you need more capacity than ST-120 provides. It excels in terms of picture quality and durability.
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| dkozin's Full Review: Fuji St-160 S-vhs Video Tape |
There Fuji ST SVHS tape can be purchased in 2-hour form (ST-120) as well as in 160-minute form (ST-160). The ST-160 features recording time in SP mode of 2 hours and 40 minutes, which leads to recording time of 8 hours in EP/SLP mode.
I have tried many different brands and types of tapes recording from digital sources (DirecTV, Adelphia digital cable, non-Macromedia-protected DVDs). The Fuji tape proved to be the best in the SP mode.
Manufacturers of SVHS-ET VCRs state that you can get picture quality close to SVHS by using their SVHS-ET mode on a “high-quality” VHS tape and save money in process, but I found that SVHS-ET recording on regular (even higher grade) tape is inferior to recordings in SVHS mode on a “true” SVHS tape.
Another case of “you get what you pay for” - there is video noise in VHS-ET mode on VHS tape that is absent in SVHS mode on SVHS tape. However, you have to use the SP mode with SVHS tapes!
EP speed with SVHS mode makes pictures look worse and adds video noise. I routinely record shows (Formula One races, South Park, Saturday Night Live, etc.) to watch them later and want them to look as close to original broadcast as possible.
The best way is to use SVHS tape at SP speed. Since the ST-120 tape sometimes cannot fit the entire program at SP speed and the LP speed causes picture quality degradation, the ST-160 is a better choice.
Picture Quality
The SVHS mode provides more detail than VHS. Although the picture quality also depends on other variables (your VCR, signal quality, etc.), when I use my VCR I can see the difference between different kinds of video tape. Especially visible is video noise. The Fuju ST-160 tape is excellent in this respect and features great color reproduction.
The sound is excellent, but this is the case with virtually all video tapes if you use Hi-Fi stereo VCR. The tape is also durable and the mechanism seems to be well manufactured.
The Tape Case
Although the plastic cases some SVHS tapes come in are annoying, the Fuji case is the worst I have seen. Regular VHS tapes usually come in paper cases from which it is easy to remove them and put them back into. Some have plastic cases of the same design.
But plastic cases of Fuji SVHS tapes have edges that tend to flex inward and make the task of putting the tape back in the case more difficult than it has to be. The case is made of translucent plastic.
Bottom Line
The Fuji ST-160 is a good choice if you need more capacity than ST-120 provides. It excels in terms of picture quality and durability.
Recommended:
Yes
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dkozin
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I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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