[Aaron Brenner] "For the past few years, I've been delivering content via FTP or Beta SP. Now, I have the opportunity to spend money on a deck. I need your help to figure out what is the MOST usable. I'm looking for an HD deck that would be found in most HD TV trucks. HDCAM seems just too pricey for me at $1 a minute. I'd love to buy used and be in the $10k-$15k range... Just looking for the most versatile, widely-used HD formats to record and playback."
What are your specific needs for the deck? I'd think that if not having one were really holding you back, you'd already know exactly which format you needed -- the one that your clients used the most.
I don't think the "if you build it, they will come" approach applies to video decks in 2011. Tapeless acquisition and digital delivery are really limiting the usefulness of low-end and mid-range decks. I agree with Adam that HDCAM and HDCAM-SR are probably "the" HD tape formats today, and I'd be very hesitant to spend money on anything else unless my clients specifically needed it.
Is there some other investment in your business you can make with that $10-15K that might see a faster or higher return?
Walter Soyka
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