What is LP Mode and When Should I Use It?

by Andrew Alexander
Published on Dec 19, 2001 12:00 AM



In the ninth question in our series of the twelve questions of Christmas, I want to address the LP (long-play) mode in camcorders and look at some pros nd cons. Before I get into it, let me just say the words "lost entire roject" to describe an experience I had with LP mode - perhaps that's nough warning about it?

Camcorders generally come with at least two modes, SP (standard play) and LP long play). The advantages are obvious - with a regular X minute tape, you can record X * 1.5 minutes (ie., 60 minutes becomes 90 minutes). Peopleseem to think this happens by magic, weigh the costs of a DV tape and decidethat they want the extra time.

Makes sense. In theory.

What LP mode does is uses less tape to record the same amount of data. The recording parts of the camcorder run at a certain speed - for example, in SP mode, data is recorded on 3/4 inches of tape every second. The data is spread out along enough distance that there's plenty of room for all the information. In LP mode, data is recorded on 1/2 inch of tape every second - the same data gets squeezed together in a smaller space.

This "squeezing" can result in errors, dropped frames and noise during playback, especially if you are using previously used tapes. If you need the extra space, tape manufacturers are now producing high-capacity tapes; Panasonic makes a 120 minute DV tape (in SP mode!). You will pay a premium price, but it's better than sacrificing the quality.