69-551: U-matic or 3 ⁄ 4 -inch Type E Helical Scan or SMPTE E is an analogue recording videocassette format first shown by Sony in prototype in October 1969, and introduced to the market in September 1971. It was among the first video formats to contain the videotape inside a cassette, as opposed to the various reel-to-reel or open-reel formats of the time. The videotape is 3 ⁄ 4 in (19 mm) wide, so
138-752: A high definition -quality content live. These devices are known as Digital Mobile News Gathering (DMNG). The ongoing technological evolution of broadcast video production equipment can be observed annually at the NAB Show in Las Vegas where equipment manufacturers gather to display their wares to people within the video production industry. The trend is toward lighter-weight equipment that can deliver more resolution at higher speeds. There has been an evolution from film to standard-definition television , high-definition television and now 4K . As of 2016, highlights included unmanned aerial vehicles aka drones for
207-694: A time base corrector (TBC). Some TBCs had a drop-out compensation (DOC) circuit which would hold lines of video in temporary digital memory to compensate for oxide drop-out or wrinkle flaws in the videotape, however the DOC circuits required several cables and expert calibration for use. U-matic tapes were also used for easy transport of filmed scenes for dailies in the days before VHS, DVD, and portable hard drives. Several movies have surviving copies in this form. The first rough cut of Apocalypse Now , for example (the raw version of what became Apocalypse Now Redux ), survived on three U-Matic cassettes. Audio quality
276-441: A Sony PCM-1600, -1610, or -1630 PCM adaptor . These devices accepted stereo analogue audio, digitized it, and generated "pseudo video" from the bits, storing 96 bits—three stereo pairs of 16-bit samples—as bright and dark regions along each scan line. (On a monitor the "video" looked like vibrating checkerboard patterns.) This could be recorded on a U-matic recorder. This was the first system used for mastering audio compact discs in
345-437: A failure, because of the high manufacturing cost and resulting retail price of the format's first VCRs. But the cost was affordable enough for industrial and institutional customers, where the format was very successful for such applications as business communication and educational television. As a result, Sony shifted U-Matic's marketing to the industrial, professional, and educational sectors. U-Matic saw even more success from
414-487: A formal document reached by consensus, its first as an accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO), registering the specifications with the United States Bureau of Standards . The SMPTE Centennial Gala took place on Friday, 28 October 2016, following the annual Conference and Exhibition; James Cameron and Douglas Trumbull received SMPTE’s top honors. SMPTE officially bestowed Honorary Membership,
483-482: A means of providing access copies and proof for copyright deposit of old television broadcasts and films. SMPTE The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers ( SMPTE ) ( / ˈ s ɪ m p t iː / , rarely / ˈ s ʌ m p t iː / ), founded in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and executives working in
552-615: A news event. Editing equipment was expensive and each scene had to be searched out on the master recording. Using technology such as multicast or RTP over UDP , these systems achieve similar performance to high end-microwave. Since the video stream is already encoded for IP, the video can be used for traditional television broadcast or Internet distribution without modification (live to air). As mobile broadband has developed, broadcast devices using this technology have appeared. These devices are often more compact than previous technology and can aggregate multiple mobile data lines to deliver
621-487: A peak white frequency of 7.2 MHz, retaining the color carrier frequency of regular Hi-band. Some of the standards that define the format, are: At the 1971 introduction of the first model of U-Matic VCR, the VO-1600, Sony originally intended it to be a videocassette format oriented at the consumer market, even including a VHF/UHF TV tuner built into the model for home television recording. This proved to be something of
690-409: A piece of information," said 48 Hours executive producer Susan Zirinsky, whose team produced the primetime coverage that first night. "You were getting cameras up, you were putting people in place, you were trying to wrap your brain around it. You wanted to step back and synthesize some of the information, which is what we were trying to do ... At that point, we thought there were many more dead, and it
759-474: A protected, co-primary basis with Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) use of 2483.5-2495 MHz. Use of these channels is restricted by federal regulations to those holding broadcast licenses in the given market, to Broadcast Network-Entities, and to Cable Network-Entities. Channels 1 through 7 are in the 2 GHz band and channels 8, 9 and 10 are in the 2.5 GHz band. In Atlanta for example, there are two channels each for
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#1732775423763828-533: A station in St. Louis, Mo., was the first to abandon film and switch entirely to ENG. Stations all over the country made the switch over the next decade. ENG greatly reduces the delay between when the footage is captured and when it can be broadcast, thus enabling news gathering and reporting to become steady cycle with little time in between when story breaks and when a story can air. Coupled with live microwave and/or satellite trucks, reporters were able to show live what
897-428: A sync tip frequency of 3.8 MHz, a peak white frequency of 5.4 MHz, and a color carrier frequency of 688.373 kHz. NTSC U-matic SP has a peak white frequency of 7 MHz. When recording PAL, U-matic Hi-band had a sync tip frequency of 4.8 MHz, a peak white frequency of 6.4 MHz, and a color carrier frequency of 983.803 kHz, while U-matic Hi-Band SP had a sync tip frequency of 5.6 MHz, and
966-494: A tab. The standard cassette employed only one flange for each reel - top flange on the pickup reel and bottom flange on the supply reel. This allowed the reels to overlap like in Compact Cassette , making the design more space-efficient. JVC explored similar approach for an early version of VHS cassette, but abandoned it in favor of full-flanged cassette, because such an arrangement created unnecessary friction between
1035-553: A thinner tape. It was the U-Matic S-format decks that ushered in the beginning of ENG, or electronic news gathering . The price point of the VO family was primarily oriented toward educational, corporate and industrial fields, featured unbalanced audio connectors, and did not typically include SMPTE time code (although one or two companies offered after-market modification services to install longitudinal time code). The VO-3800
1104-625: Is a battery operated cassette recorder with a dynamic microphone and optional telephone interface. With this set-up, the reporter can record interviews and natural sound and then transmit these over the phone line to the studio or for live broadcast. Electronic formats used by journalists have included DAT , MiniDisc , CD and DVD. Minidisc has digital indexing and is re-recordable, reusable medium; while DAT has SMPTE timecode and other synchronization features. In recent years, more and more journalists have used smartphones or iPod -like devices for recording short interviews. The other alternative
1173-683: Is open to any individual or organization with an interest in the subject matter. In the US, SMPTE is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. An informal organizational meeting was held in April 1916 at the Astor Hotel in New York City. Enthusiasm and interest increased, and meetings were held in New York and Chicago, culminating in the founding of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers in
1242-495: Is usage of electronic video and audio technologies by reporters to gather and present news instead of using film cameras. The term was coined during the rise of videotape technology in the 1970s. ENG can involve anything from a single reporter with a single professional video camera, to an entire television crew taking a truck on location. The term ENG was created as television news departments moved from film-based news gathering to electronic field production technology in
1311-489: The character generator , audio controllers and digital video effects (DVE). In 1976, Sony introduced the semi backwards-compatible High-band or Hi-band revision, with the introduction of the top-loading BVU-200. The original version became known as Low-band or Lo-band . U-matic Hi-band had an improved colour recording system and lower noise levels. BVU gained immense popularity in ENG and location programme-making, spelling
1380-677: The 1970s. Since film requires chemical processing before it can be viewed and edited, it generally took at least an hour from the time the film arrived back at the television station or network news department until it was ready to be broadcast. Film editing was done by hand on what was known as " color reversal " film, usually Kodak Ektachrome , meaning there were no negatives . Color reversal film had replaced black-and-white film as television itself evolved from black-and-white to color broadcasting. Filmo cameras were most commonly used for silent filming, while Auricon cameras were used for filming with synchronized sound. Since editing required cutting
1449-475: The 1990s, the FCC made available some bands of spectrum as unlicensed channels. This included spectrum for cordless phones and Wi-Fi . As a result, some of these channels have been used for news gathering by websites and more informal news outlets. One major disadvantage of unlicensed use is that there is no frequency coordination, which can result in interference or blocking of signals. A common set-up for journalists
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#17327754237631518-614: The FM carrier frequency to 4.8-6.4 MHz, while U-matic SP increased it even further to 5.6-7.2 MHz, while increasing the color carrier frequency to 924 kHz. U-matic tape moves at 3.75 inches per second, and has a tape writing speed of 8.54 meters per second for PAL or 10.26 for NTSC. This means that the heads on the drums of U-matic VCRs move across the tape at one of those speeds. The drum has two heads, both of which are used for recording video. The drum spins at 1500 rpm for PAL or 1800 rpm for NTSC. U-matic Lo-band when recording NTSC has
1587-685: The Oak Room of the Raleigh Hotel, Washington DC on the 24th of July. Ten industry stakeholders attended and signed the Articles of Incorporation. Papers of incorporation, were executed on 24 July 1916, were filed on 10 August in Washington DC. With a second meeting scheduled, invitations were telegraphed to Jenkin’s industry friends, i.e., key players and engineering executives in the motion picture industry. Three months later, 26 attended
1656-508: The SMPTE 3D Home Master. In 1999, SMPTE established the DC28 technology committee, for the foundations of Digital Cinema. The SMPTE presents awards to individuals for outstanding contributions in fields of the society. Recipients include: The Progress Medal, instituted in 1935, is SMPTE's oldest and most prestigious medal, and is awarded annually for contributions to engineering aspects of
1725-436: The SMPTE website, or other distributors of technical standards. Standards documents may be purchased by the general public. Significant standards promulgated by SMPTE include: SMP(T)E'S first standard was to get everyone using 35-mm film width, four sprocket holes per frame, 1.37:1 picture ratio. Until then, there were competing film formats. With the standard, theaters could all run the same films. SMP(T)E's standard in 1927
1794-570: The Society’s highest honor, upon Avatar and Titanic director Cameron in recognition of his work advancing visual effects (VFX), motion capture , and stereoscopic 3D photography, as well as his experimentation in HFR . Presented by Oscar-winning special effects cinematographer Richard Edlund , SMPTE honored Trumbull, who was responsible for the VFX in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner , with
1863-483: The Society’s most prestigious medal award, the Progress Medal. The award recognized Trumbull’s contributions to VFX, stereoscopic 3D, and HFR cinema, including his current work to enable stereoscopic 3D with his 120-frames-per-second Magi system. SMPTE's educational and professional development activities include technical presentations at regular meetings of its local Sections, annual and biennial conferences in
1932-713: The US and Australia and the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal . The society sponsors many awards, the oldest of which are the SMPTE Progress Medal, the Samuel Warner Memorial Medal, and the David Sarnoff Medal. SMPTE also has a number of Student Chapters and sponsors scholarships for college students in the motion imaging disciplines. SMPTE standards documents are copyrighted and may be purchased from
2001-530: The back of a broadcast video camera and allows photojournalists to live-switch a multi-camera production in studio or on location. Outside broadcasts (also known as "remote broadcasts" and "field operations") are when the editing and transmission of the news story are done outside the station's headquarters. Use of ENG has made possible the greater use of outside broadcasts. "Some stations have always required reporters to shoot their own stories, interviews and even standup reports and then bring that material back to
2070-509: The cassette from a port opening and the cassette was pulled into and seated in the transport (a "front-loading" mechanism). Some U-Matic VCRs could be controlled by external video editing controllers, such as the cuts-only Sony RM-440 for linear video editing systems. Sony and other manufacturers, such as Convergence, Calaway, and CMX Systems , produced A/B roll systems, which permitted two or more VCRs to be controlled and synchronised for video dissolves and other motion effects, integration of
2139-475: The delivery of aerial footage, various lines of cameras that can deliver 4K resolution , graphics packages for news stations, which can be utilized inside their microwave and/or satellite vehicles, wireless technology, POV cameras and peripherals from GoPro and other action camera manufacturers, and the Odyssey 7Q+ monitor with Apollo multi-camera switcher/recorder from Convergent Design. This monitor fits on
U-matic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2208-540: The early 1980s. The famous compact disc 44.1 kHz sampling rate was based on a best-fit calculation for PAL and monochrome NTSC video's horizontal line period and rate and U-matic's luminance bandwidth. On playback, the PCM adapter converted the light and dark regions back into bits. Glass masters for audio CDs were made via laser from the PCM-1600's digital output to a photoresist - or dye-polymer-coated disc. This method
2277-655: The edge of the tape and the inner surface of the cassette. In the U-Matic cassette friction was reduced by the reels, having overlapping flanges, rotating in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, the U-Matic S cassette acquired traditional double-flange reels, which reduced the amount of tape that could be loaded, and as such, the duration of recording. U-Matic S tapes had a maximum recording time of 20 minutes, and large ones 1-hour, although some tape manufacturers such as 3M came out with 30-minute S-tapes and 75-minute large cassettes (and DuPont even managed 90-minute tapes) by using
2346-438: The end of 16 mm film in everyday production. By the early 1990s, Sony's 1 ⁄ 2 in (1.3 cm) Betacam SP format had all but replaced BVU outside of corporate and budget programme making. With BVU-870, Sony made a final revision to U-matic, by further improving the recording system and giving it the same "SP" suffix as Betacam. SP had a horizontal resolution of 330 lines. The BVU-800 series Y-FM carrier frequency
2415-471: The field, portable recorders had an external AC power supply, or could be operated from rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries . S-format tapes could be played back in older top-loading standard U-Matic decks with the aid of an adapter (the KCA-1 from Sony) which fitted around an S-sized tape; newer front-loading machines can accept S-format tapes directly, as the tapes have a slot on the underside that rides along
2484-443: The field. Portable recorders were connected to the camera with a multi-conductor cable terminated with multi-pin connectors on each end. The cable carried bi-directional audio, video, synchronisation, record on/off control, and power. Early studio and all portable U-Matic VCRs had a drawer-type mechanism which required the tape to be inserted, followed by manual closure of the drawer (a "top-loading" mechanism). Later studio VCRs accepted
2553-469: The film and/or television industries. Recipients include: The Eastman Kodak Gold Medal, instituted in 1967, recognizes outstanding contributions which lead to new or unique educational programs utilizing motion pictures, television, high-speed and instrumentation photography or other photography sciences. Recent recipients are Related organizations include Electronic news gathering Electronic news gathering (ENG) or electronic journalism (EJ)
2622-523: The film into segments and then splicing them together, a common problem was film breaking during the newscast. News stories were often transferred to bulky 2-inch videotape for distribution and playback, which made the content cumbersome to access. Film remained important in daily news operations until the late 1960s, when news outlets adopted portable professional video cameras, portable recorders, wireless microphones and joined those with various microwave - and satellite truck -linked delivery systems. By
2691-646: The first “official” meeting of the Society, the SMPE, at the Hotel Astor in New York City, on 2 and 3 October 1916. Jenkins was formally elected president, a constitution ratified, an emblem for the Society approved, and six committees established. At the July 1917 Society Convention in Chicago, a set of specifications including the dimensions of 35 mm film, 16 frames per second, etc. were adopted. SMPE set and issued
2760-427: The format is often known as " three-quarter-inch " or simply "three-quarter", compared to open reel videotape formats in use, such as 1 in (25 mm) type C videotape and 2 in (51 mm) quadruplex videotape . Unlike most other cassette-based tape formats, the supply and take-up reels in the cassette turn in opposite directions during playback, fast-forward, and rewind: one reel would run clockwise while
2829-488: The four news-producing television stations ( WSB-TV , WAGA-TV , WXIA-TV , WANF ), one for CNN, and another open for other users on request, such as Georgia Public Broadcasting . Traditionally, the Federal Communications Commission has assigned microwave spectrum based on historic patterns of need and through the application/request process. With the other uses of radio spectrum growing in
U-matic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2898-522: The instantly available playback of videotape, making faster breaking news possible. U-matic was also available in a smaller cassette size, officially known as U-Matic S. U-Matic S was developed as a more portable version of U-Matic, to be used in smaller-sized S-format recorders such as the aforementioned Sony VO-3800, as well as the later VO-4800, VO-6800, VO-8800, BVU-50, BVU-100, BVU-110, and BVU-150 models from Sony, among others from Sony, Panasonic, JVC and other manufacturers. To minimize weight and bulk in
2967-595: The media and entertainment industry. As an internationally recognized standards organization , SMPTE has published more than 800 technical standards and related documents for broadcast, filmmaking, digital cinema , audio recording , information technology (IT), and medical imaging. SMPTE also publishes the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal , provides networking opportunities for its members, produces academic conferences and exhibitions, and performs other industry-related functions. SMPTE membership
3036-464: The mid-1980s, film had all but disappeared from use in television journalism. As one cameraman of the era tells it, One of the very first examples of reliable, news-style video was revealed at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I was a 16mm cameraman at that convention and turned in the street violence one day to eye the first portable " Portapak " video package from Sony in Japan. It
3105-499: The news stream. In the United States, there are ten ENG video channels set aside in each area for terrestrial microwave communications. TV Broadcast Auxiliary Services (BAS) Channel A10 (2483.5-2500 MHz) is only available on a grandfathered basis to TV BAS licensees holding authority to use that channel as of July 10, 1985. However, there is no sunset date to the grandfather rights, and continued use of A10 remains on
3174-473: The other would run counter-clockwise. A locking mechanism integral to each cassette case secures the tape hubs during transportation to keep the tape wound tightly on the hubs. Once the cassette is taken off the case, the hubs are free to spin. A spring-loaded tape cover door protects the tape from damage; when the cassette is inserted into the VCR, the door is released and is opened, enabling the VCR mechanism to spool
3243-505: The scope of the story, the number of crews vying for position at the story venue (press conference, courthouse, crime location, etc.) can potentially be dozens. Natural disasters, terrorism, death and murder are topics that reside at the top of the news-gathering hierarchy. For instance, in the U.S., the series of events culminating in what would thereafter be known as 9/11 galvanized every news division of every network. "Especially on that first day, you were really just going to whomever had
3312-491: The spectrum. For this reason, on-camera talent was discouraged from wearing red clothing that would call attention to technical shortcomings. Copying video from one U-matic VCR to another compromised playback reliability, and levels of head-switching noise, chroma smearing, and chroma noise compounded with every generation. These issues motivated videotape editors and engineers to use work-arounds to minimise this degradation. A time-base corrector (TBC) could be used to regenerate
3381-521: The spinning head or the head would stop spinning after resting in pause mode for a pre-determined period of time. The format video image also suffered from head-switching noise, a distortion of the image in which a section of video at the bottom of the video frame would be horizontally askew from the larger portion. The format also had difficulties with reproducing the red color on the NTSC color standard, and red images would be noisier than other colors in
3450-496: The station where the video is edited for that evening's newscast. At some of these stations, the reporters sometimes even anchor the news and introduce the packages they have shot and edited." Short-form news stories are what local news reporters deliver to their stations. Longer-form stories about the same topics are covered by national or international broadcast news magazines such as Dateline NBC , 20/20 , Nightline , 48 Hours , 60 Minutes and Inside Edition . Depending upon
3519-490: The studio. This portability greatly contributed to the rise of electronic news gathering as it made portable news more easily accessible than ever before. Early portable video systems recorded at a lower quality than broadcast studio cameras, which made them less desirable than non portable video systems. When the Portapak video camera was introduced in 1967, it was a new method of video recording, forever shifting ENG. By
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#17327754237633588-400: The sync tip portion of the video signal sent to the "recording" VCR, improving playback reliability. The "dub" cable, more formally called "demodulated" (or "demod" for short), was a multi-conductor cable that circumvented a portion of the video circuitry, minimising amplification noise. For synchronisation to broadcast or post-production editing house genlock systems, U-Matic VCRs required
3657-1238: The tape around the spinning video drum. Accidental recording is prevented by the absence of a red plastic button fitted to a hole on the bottom surface of the tape; removal of the button disabled recording. As part of its development, in March 1970, Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic), Victor Co. of Japan (JVC), and five non-Japanese companies reached agreement on unified standards. The first U-matic VCRs were released by Sony in 1971. The first generation of U-matic VCRs are large devices, approximately 30 in (76 cm) wide, 24 in (61 cm) deep, and 12 in (30 cm) high, requiring special shelving, and had mechanical controls limited to Record, Play, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Stop and Pause (with muted video on early models). Later models sported improvements such as chassis sized for EIA 19-inch rack mounting, with sliding rack rails for compressed storage in broadcast environments, solenoid control mechanics, jog-shuttle knob, remote controls, Vertical Interval Time Code (VITC), longitudinal time code, internal cuts-only editing controls, "Slo-Mo" slow-motion playback, and Dolby audio noise reduction . U-matic
3726-504: The television broadcast industry in the mid-1970s, when a number of local TV stations and national TV networks used the format when its first portable model, the Sony VO-3800, was released in 1974. This model ushered in the era of ENG, or electronic news gathering , which eventually made obsolete the previous 16mm film cameras normally used for on-location television news gathering. Film required developing which took time, compared to
3795-579: The time videotape technology advanced, the capability for microwave transmission was well established (and used in the 1960s by the BBC's ill-fated Mobile Film Processing Unit). But the convenience of videotape finally allowed crews to more easily use microwave links to quickly send their footage back to the studio. It even made live feeds more possible, as in the police shootout with the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. Also in 1974, KMOX ,
3864-546: Was High-band or Hi-band , with the original version becoming known as Low-band or Lo-band . This was followed by SP (superior performance). Both revisions increased the FM carrier frequencies, increasing the available bandwidth on the tape, hence increasing image quality and the number of resolution lines. U-matic SP also introduced chrome dioxide tape. U-matic Hi-band recordings will play in black and white in U-matic Lo-band machines. PAL U-matic Hi-band increased
3933-441: Was common until the mid-1990s. U-matic is no longer used as a mainstream television production format, but it found lasting appeal as a cheap, well specified, and hard-wearing format. The format permitted many broadcast and non-broadcast institutions to produce television programming on an accessible budget, spawning programming distribution, classroom playback, etc. At its peak popularity, U-matic recording and playback equipment
4002-426: Was compromised due to the use of longitudinal audio tape heads in combination with slow tape speed. Sony eventually implemented Dolby noise reduction circuitry (using Dolby C ) to improve audio fidelity. The 2012 film No , set in 1980s Chile, used U-matic tape for filming. U-matic was also used for the storage of digital audio data. Most digital audio recordings from the 1980s were recorded on U-matic tape via
4071-420: Was damage to the videotape caused by prolonged friction of the spinning video drum heads against a paused videocassette. The drum would rub oxide off the tape or the tape would wrinkle; when the damaged tape was played back, a horizontal line of distorted visual image would ascend in the frame, and audio would drop out. Manufacturers attempted to minimize this issue with schemes in which the tape would loosen around
4140-443: Was easier to edit , duplicate and distribute. Over time, as editing technology has become simpler and more accessible, video production processes have largely passed from broadcast engineers to producers and writers, making the process quicker. However, initially the ENG cameras and recorders were heavier and bulkier than their film equivalents. This restricted the ability of camera operators from escaping danger or hurrying toward
4209-413: Was for speed at which sound film is shown, 24 frames per second. SMPTE's taskforce on "3D to the home" produced a report on the issues and challenges and suggested minimum standards for the 3D home master that would be distributed after post-production to the ingest points of distribution channels for 3D video content. A group within the standards committees has begun to work on the formal definition of
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#17327754237634278-503: Was happening, bringing the audience into news events as they happened. CNN launched in June 1980, as ENG technologies were emerging. The technology was still in its developmental stages, and had yet to be integrated with satellites and microwave relays, which caused some problems with the network's early transmissions. However, ENG proved to be a crucial development for all television news as news content recorded using videocassette recorders
4347-498: Was largely metal, which made the unit heavy, but still technically portable. The VO-4800 had the same functionality as the VO-3800, but at a greatly reduced weight and size, by replacing many components with plastic. The VO-6800 added the improvement of a long, thin battery standard ("candy bars") that permitted storage of the batteries in a trouser pocket. Common model numbers for these batteries were NP-1, NP-1A and NP-1B. The VO-8800
4416-576: Was manufactured by Sony, Panasonic and JVC, with many spin-off product manufacturers, such as video edit controllers, time base correctors, video production furniture, playback monitors and carts, etc. Many television facilities the world over still have a U-matic recorder for archive playback of material recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. For example, the US Library of Congress facility in Culpeper, Virginia , holds thousands of titles on U-matic video as
4485-424: Was named after the shape of the tape path when it was threaded around the helical-scan video head drum, which resembles the letter U. Betamax uses a similar type of "B-load" as well. Recording time is limited to one hour. It initially had a resolution of 250 lines . Signals are recorded onto the tape using Frequency modulation (FM modulation). U-matic saw two revisions to improve its image quality. The first
4554-407: Was still a search-and-rescue mission. It was a very, very complicated day to try to give context to." "There is a hierarchy of news. It's a hierarchy of judgment, I guess. All deaths are equal to the victims and their families. But all deaths are not equal in the calculation of news value." "Feel-good stories" such as the saving of a life, or selfless act of kindness, sometimes make their way into
4623-455: Was the first truly portable video package I had ever seen and it made quite an impression on me while carrying that back breaking film camera. The Sony Portapak was a two-piece, battery powered, self-contained video tape analog recording system that could be carried and operated by one person. Because earlier "portable" television cameras were so large, heavy and cumbersome, the Portapak made it possible for individuals to record video easily outside
4692-456: Was the last of the portable VO series to be produced by Sony, and featured solenoid-controlled transport. The Sony BVU family (Broadcast Video U-matic) added longitudinal and vertical interval SMPTE time code , balanced audio XLR connectors , and heavier-duty transport features. The BVU-50 enabled recording in the field but not playback, and the BVU-100 permitted both recording and playback in
4761-401: Was upped to 1.2 MHz giving it wider bandwidth. The BVU-800 series also added Dolby audio noise reduction. Sony's BVU-900 series were the last broadcast U-matic VTRs made by Sony. First-generation U-matic SP and Beta-SP recordings were hard to tell apart, but despite this the writing was on the wall for U-matic, due to intrinsic problems with the format. A recurring problem with the format
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