Video Archives Unlimited has joined the many industrial video and post production companies upgrading their facilities to digital with JVC's DIGITAL-S. The Franklin, Massachusetts company purchased the DIGITAL-S BR-D85U editing recorder with video pre-read and is using it to make high quality industrial marketing and training videos for its various clients.

"The quality we get with Digital-S is outstanding," said the company's president, Steve Auerbach. "With the BR-D85, we have so much more at our fingertips. We can now incorporate complex layering effects into our work, which would have been out of the question before, and we don't have to worry about generation loss."

Video Archives Unlimited has been shooting with JVC's KY27C in the S-VHS format and editing with a NewTek Flyer non-linear editing system. By adding the BR-D85 to his editing suite, Auerbach is now able to maintain first generation quality to the final edited product. The BR-D85's pre-read function expands the capabilities of his Flyer allowing him to perform layering and repeated transfers to and from the hard disk without noticeable loss.

Auerbach is currently adding DIGITAL-S acquisition with his purchase of the BR-D40 dockable recorder, which will provide another leap in picture quality and an increased competitive edge.

According to Auerbach, the deciding factor in his purchase of DIGITAL-S was picture quality, or as he puts it - eye-appeal. "DIGITAL-S not only had the specs, but it had the best picture quality I've ever seen," said Auerbach. "You can talk specs all you want, but your client doesn't want to know about the specs. He wants to know what the picture is going to look like and what it's going to cost. To be able to produce something that's Digital Betacam quality at a fraction of the cost is terrific."