Dan:
The slower speeds like LP (4hrs) and SLP/EP (6hrs) are always a compromise
of picture and sound quality.... and if VCR interchange is less than perfect
you may end up with tracking problems and sound problems..... you would be
best advised to stay with the Standard Play (SP) speed if at all possible
for best results.
Most VCRs manufactured in the last 5 years do not record in the LP (4
hr)speed. Even if the playback VCR does not "support" (or record) in all
three speeds, i.e. SP, LP, SLP/EP it will still playback in all three of
those speeds.
SLP and EP speeds are the same thing, just that different manufacturers
called them different names..... Super Long Play and Extended Play ......
Most tech types will keep all of this crystal clear by identifying the speed
in hours on a T120 tape:
SP 2 hr speed
LP 4 hr speed
SLP/EP 6 hr speed
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
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"Dan" wrote in message
om...
I want to tape some cable programs for a friend who does not have HBO
& mail them the cassettes. My VCR supports SP, LP & SLP. Their VCR
supports SP & EP. I see on the tape box (T-160) that both EP & SLP
provide 8 hours of recording. This is the speed I generally use and
prefer due to the recording length, but the last time I prepared a
tape for the VCR in question, the audio was very muffled. I tried the
tape on another VCR in the area, it too was muffled. I'm not sure
what the available speeds were on this 2nd VCR, but it was pretty old.
I had attributed this sound degradation to the fact that I had taken
the tapes to my friend on an airplane, & it occurred to me the tape
may have been effected by the x ray security scan (I realize x rays by
themselves would probably not have this effect, but it seems possible
a magnetic field in the x ray machine, perhaps from the large high
voltage transformer x ray units generally contain, might have harmed
the tape). So my question (FINALLY! ;-) is will a tape recorded on my
machine in SLP play on a machine with the speeds SP & EP?

TIA

David