Fujifilm Canada has introduced its HD331 digital high-definition videocassettes for hdcam systems, and Toronto equipment supplier Sim Video Productions is choosing the new tapes to supply its customers.

Fujifilm is a recognized innovator in metal particle technology, having won an Engineering Emmy in 1991. The company has developed technologies enabling various high-density digital video and data storage formats, including dvcpro and Zip disks. It is this history that reassures Rob Sim, president and cofounder of Sim Video.

‘Our track record with Fuji tape goes back many years, and it’s never let us down,’ says Sim, whose company is currently assembling an equipment package for Salter Street Films’ sci-fi series lexx, shooting in hd at Electropolis Studios in Halifax.

Sim Video has experienced problems with other hd tape brands where cameras have chewed up several cassettes. In these cases the tape stuck to the video head drum as it turned, subsequently wrapping itself around the head. Sim isn’t sure whether it was the cameras, excessive humidity, or the tapes themselves that caused the malfunctions, but he hasn’t had these difficulties with the Fujifilm tapes.

‘My technicians have used a few [HD331] samples as tests,’ he explains. ‘We would get the hdcam cold outside, then bring it inside and roll the tape, which you’re not supposed to be able to do, but it passed with flying colors.’

Sim cites the way Fujifilm has traditionally stood behind its products as another factor in making up his mind. In the past, other companies have refused to address or even acknowledge deficiencies in their tapes, and as a result the reputation of those companies has been damaged.

‘There are plenty of people who have good products, but they don’t have engineers who can actually make the stuff work properly and support it,’ Sim says. ‘If we’ve had a question about a tape, we’ve called [Fujifilm] and they’ve been over here to pick it up personally and have been back in touch, usually in 24 to 48 hours.’

He adds that Sim Video carries Fujifilm cassettes in all formats and has rarely found the need to place such calls.

‘Fujifilm Betacam sp and digital Betacam have been consistently problem-free, and so far our evaluation on the HD331 tape has indicated it works perfectly,’ he says.

Sim Video is currently waiting to see if the tv series pilot The Neverending Story, on which it collaborated in December with Montreal’s Muse Entertainment, will get picked up. Meanwhile, Sim forecasts substantial growth for hd.

‘Film will be used for the majority of high-end projects for the immediate future,’ he says. ‘But we’re definitely chipping away at that, and I think this year you’re going to see quite a number of projects going hd.’ *

-www.fujifilm.ca

-www.simvideo.com