| TAPE CHANGE |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| Users are required and relied upon to change tapes at regular intervals | With the memory box solution no tapes ever need to be changed. Even with the DLT solution there is a buffer to give leeway for tape changing |
| While tapes are being changed recording is not taking place. | Duplex recording solves this problem, the system is always recording. |
TAPE WEAR |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| VHS tapes should be replaced after 10-12 passes. Tapes used in Time Lapse mode or searched through frequently will wear out even faster. The quality of recording will diminish even after a few passes. | The data stored on Mitsubishi systems is digital, therefore no loss of quality can occur. |
MAINTENANCE |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| Units must be maintained on a regular basis. This level of maintenance is necessary due to the high number of moving parts in a VCR. | The MEDSS solution eliminates this constant need for maintenance. |
| This involves cleaning/replacing the heads, replacing gears, even replacing the VCR. | The only moving parts are the HDD, but these have a very high life expectancy. |
BREAKDOWN |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| Breakdown of VCR's are more likely due to the number of moving parts. | Due to the low amount of moving parts in the MEDSS solution the likelihood of a breakdown is greatly decreased. |
| No one may notice this problem for some time. | The DS system incorporates a "Watchdog card" which continuously monitors the system and alerts the user of a problem. |
| This results in lost recording which is unacceptable. | |
PLAYBACK |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| In existing VCR's the recording must be stopped if the video is to be retrieved. | Duplex operation removes this aspect. |
| This can be solved by a second VCR resulting in extra cost and is more susceptible to human error. | Again duplex operation is the answer. |
| Tape swapping for review is a logistic challenge when cataloguing tapes. | When using purely HDD storage, no tapes are used. |
| Searching for an incident can be time consuming. This can lead to incident review being ignored. | The searching capabilities of the system cut down on review time. This means all incidents can be easily reviewed. |
DEGRADATION OF QUALITY OVER TIME |
| VCR Recorders (Analogue) | DVR Recorders (Digital) |
| Due to wear and tear the quality of the recordings decrease with time. | Digital recording eliminates degradation and copy quality is close to cloning. |
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