LP mode vs. SP mode

HomeMovie.Com is one of the only companies that can transfer your Mini-DV tapes recorded in LP mode to DVD.

SP and LP modes offer the same video quality, but during LP recordings the tape moves slower across the heads of the recording deck. Since the tape moves across the heads slower you have more room for your longer movies. You have a higher risk of dropouts in LP mode. Recording your tapes in SP gives you a higher level of security since more of the tape has to be damaged to make your image irretrievable or unaesthetic. Our Sony DSR-2000 decks are capable of playing DV tapes recorded in LP mode, but because of the small size of the Mini-DV tape and the specific pitch created by the heads and transports of your camera or recorder the deck may not be able to reliably play your tape. Most professional DVCAM and DVCPRO decks are not even capable of playing DV tapes recorded in LP mode.

While we can transfer tapes in LP mode we recommend that you use SP mode and split the production onto 2 separate tapes to avoid any problems.