VHS-C is the compact variant of the VHS videocassette format, introduced by Victor Company of Japan ( JVC ) in 1982, and used primarily for consumer-grade compact analog recording camcorders . The format is based on the same video tape as is used in VHS, and can be played back in a standard VHS VCR with an adapter. An improved version named S-VHS-C was also developed. S-VHS's main competitor was Video8 ; however both became obsolete in the marketplace by the digital video formats MiniDV and MiniDVD , which have smaller form factors.
20-520: The magnetic tape on VHS-C cassettes is wound on one main spool and used a gear wheel which moves the tape forward. It can also be moved by hand. This development hampered the sales of the Betamax system somewhat, because the Betamax cassette geometry prevented a similar development. VHS-C cassettes have a switch to inhibit recording of a cassette. Not all adapters propagate the state of this switch to
40-440: A feature known as SQPB, or SuperVHS Quasi-PlayBack, but did not make a significant impact on the market as the arrival of MiniDV as a consumer standard made low-cost, digital, near- broadcast quality video widely available to consumers, and rendered analog camcorders largely obsolete. Early VHS-C cassettes did not have a mechanism to ratchet or lock the supply reel when not in use, making them susceptible to spilling tape inside
60-575: Is a medium for magnetic storage made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film . It was developed in Germany in 1928, based on the earlier magnetic wire recording from Denmark. Devices that use magnetic tape can with relative ease record and play back audio, visual, and binary computer data. Magnetic tape revolutionized sound recording and reproduction and broadcasting. It allowed radio, which had always been broadcast live, to be recorded for later or repeated airing. Since
80-423: Is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording . Tape was an important medium for primary data storage in early computers, typically using large open reels of 7-track , later 9-track tape. Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes, such as the widely supported Linear Tape-Open (LTO) and IBM 3592 series. The device that performs
100-478: Is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal . Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette recorders (VCRs) and camcorders . Videotapes have also been used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram . Some magnetic tape-based formats include: Magnetic-tape data storage
120-469: The LaserDisc system. Although DV video was ported to 8-mm hardware in 1999 to become Digital8 , D-VHS was never adapted to a compact VHS format. A higher quality version of VHS-C was released, based on S-VHS , known as S-VHS-C , that competed against Hi8 , the higher quality version of Video8. The arrival on the market of inexpensive S-VHS-C camcorders led to the inclusion on many modern VCRs of
140-419: The 1980s, 20-minute VHS-C cassettes were the norm. In 1989 JVC increased the run time to 30 minutes by using thinner tape. Later, JVC offered 45-minute and 60-minute cassettes. For comparison, 120-minute 8-mm cassettes became available in the late 1985 and quickly became the norm. Later, 150-minute and 180-minute 8-mm cassettes were offered as well. The later Hi8 and S-VHS-C systems both have a quality similar to
160-569: The VCR itself, so accidental erasure of a write-protected cassette is possible if the adapter's write protect lug or switch allows it. To reduce the size of cameras, the VHS-C mechanism uses a two-thirds size head drum (41.3 mm diameter instead of the original VHS drum size of 62 mm). The wrap angle is 270 degrees instead of VHS's 180 degrees. The drum rotates at a proportionately higher speed, and four rotary video heads are used to trace out exactly
180-433: The VCR's takeup sprocket, which connected to a gear train to drive the VHS-C cassette takeup gear. VHS end of tape is normally detected by a light in the VCR that inserts into the full-size cassette body, and detected by sensors in the VCR located at the far outer corners of the front of the cassette. Because the width of VHS-C is narrower than a full-size VHS cassette and does not align with the full-size end of tape sensors,
200-405: The adapter has a guide roller swing arm to pull tape out of the VHS-C cartridge out to the far right edge where it would normally be located in a full-size cassette. When the VHS-C cartridge is to be removed from the adapter, a geared retraction system pulls in the excess loose tape when the swing arm retracts. VHS-C had similar video quality as Video8 , but a significantly shorter run time. During
220-492: The early 1950s, magnetic tape has been used with computers to store large quantities of data and is still used for backup purposes. Magnetic tape begins to degrade after 10–20 years and therefore is not an ideal medium for long-term archival storage. The exception is data tape formats like LTO which are specifically designed for long-term archiving. Information in magnetic tapes is often recorded in tracks which are narrow and long areas of information recorded magnetically onto
SECTION 10
#1732797751571240-486: The end of the war. It was only after the war that Americans, particularly Jack Mullin , John Herbert Orr , and Richard H. Ranger , were able to bring this technology out of Germany and develop it into commercially viable formats. Bing Crosby , an early adopter of the technology, made a large investment in the tape hardware manufacturer Ampex . A wide variety of audiotape recorders and formats have been developed since. Some magnetic tape-based formats include: Videotape
260-419: The reel's turntable and teeth above the shell, allowing it to rotate freely when in use. If a tape with slack was loaded into a VHS-C adapter, the tape could sit on the wrong side of a tape guide when the adapter loaded. The result would be a tape and cassette combination that would not play in a video deck, and would damage the tape to some extent when being unloaded. Magnetic tape Magnetic tape
280-408: The same helical recording path as a standard sized VHS drum. By adding more heads, the same small VHS-C drum can record and playback FM Hi-Fi audio that is also fully compatible with a standard sized Hi-Fi video drum VHS-C cassette was larger than Video8 cassette, but was compatible with VHS tape recorders, using a special adapter cassette. The adapter contains a standard full-size engagement hub for
300-445: The shell. Consequently, manufacturers placed a label on their camcorders and adapters to warn the user to check that the tape is not slackened before inserting a cassette. The user could dissipate the slack by manually turning the take-up gear. Later cassettes corrected this problem by adding teeth to the supply reel to lock it in place when no upward pressure is applied. The spindle of the camcorder or VCR supplies pressure to float
320-399: The spacing that exists between adjacent tracks. While good for short-term use, magnetic tape is highly prone to disintegration. Depending on the environment, this process may begin after 10–20 years. Over time, magnetic tape made in the 1970s and 1980s can suffer from a type of deterioration called sticky-shed syndrome . It is caused by hydrolysis of the binder in the tape and can render
340-689: The tape unusable. Since the introduction of magnetic tape, other technologies have been developed that can perform the same functions, and therefore, replace it. Such as for example, hard disk drives in computers replacing cassette tape readers such as the Atari Program Recorder and the Commodore Datasette for software, CDs and MiniDiscs replacing cassette tapes for audio, and DVDs replacing VHS tapes. Despite this, technological innovation continues. As of 2014 Sony and IBM continue to advance tape capacity. Magnetic tape
360-458: The tape, which are separate from each other and often spaced apart from adjacent tracks. Tracks are often parallel to the length of the tape, in which case they are known as longitudinal tracks, or diagonal relative to the length of the tape in helical scan . There are also transverse scan and arcuate scanning, used in Quadruplex videotape . Azimuth recording is used to reduce or eliminate
380-500: The writing or reading of data is called a tape drive . Autoloaders and tape libraries are often used to automate cartridge handling and exchange. Compatibility was important to enable transferring data. Plastic film Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces. Plastic films are used in
400-555: Was invented for recording sound by Fritz Pfleumer in 1928 in Germany. Because of escalating political tensions and the outbreak of World War II, these developments in Germany were largely kept secret. Although the Allies knew from their monitoring of Nazi radio broadcasts that the Germans had some new form of recording technology, its nature was not discovered until the Allies acquired German recording equipment as they invaded Europe at
#570429