Analog Recording Formats

1-Inch Type C is an open-reel format that records a composite video signal onto a 1-inch-wide videotape. There are three audio tracks, two for the program audio and one for longitudinal time code. This format was introduced in 1978 and has been widely used throughout the production and postproduction industry. The maximum playing time available is 180 minutes, and the tape moves through the machine at a speed of 9.6 inches/sec.

8-mm format is a composite analog format. It was originally released by Eastman Kodak. It provides an image quality that is slightly superior to that of VHS. It makes the recording on an 8-mm metal-particle videotape enclosed within a cassette. It supports one stereo AFM and one stereo PCM audio track and has a maximum recording time in NTSC of 240 minutes, running at LP speed, using a P6–120 videocassette. In PAL, the format has a maximum recording time of 180 minutes, using a P5–90 videocassette, running at LP speed.

Betacam is an analog component format developed by Sony Corporation in 1982 and uses a 1/2-inch (12.7-mm) videotape enclosed within a cassette. The format supports a maximum recording time of 30 minutes. Besides being able to record composite video, the format has the option of recording a Y, R-Y, B-Y component signal and supports up to two channels of audio and a timecode track. This format has become extremely popular for electronic news gathering (ENG) applications.

Betacam SP (Superior Performance) format released by Sony Corporation in 1987. The format supports videocassettes with a longer running time than Betacam. As with its Betacam counterpart, Betacam SP uses 18 Video Color Correction for Nonlinear Editors a 1/2-inch (12.7-mm)-wide videotape enclosed within a cassette. The format supports a maximum recording time of 90 minutes and has four channels of audio, two of which are FM tracks, which provide high-quality audio reproduction. The change from Betacam to Betacam SP saw the format evolve from being used for news-gathering applications and industrial use to being widely used within the postproduction industry.

Betamax is an analog videocassette format intended for consumer use that was originally developed by Sony. It utilizes a half-inch (12.5-mm) ferro-chrome videotape enclosed within a cassette. It supports up to two channels of audio and has a maximum recording time of 300 minutes in NTSC. The maximum recording time in PAL is 215 minutes.

Hi-8 format is an analog format that can receive a video input in composite or Y/C mode, which separates the chrominance and luminance information. It was introduced by Sony in 1989. It records the information onto an 8-mm-wide metal-evaporated cassette-enclosed videotape. It is basically a consumer format; however, it is sometimes used for professional applications. The format has a maximum recording time of 240 minutes in NTSC, running at LP speed, using a P6–120ME videocassette. In PAL, the maximum recording time is 180 minutes in LP mode, using a P5–90ME videocassette.

S-VHS format utilizes a special high-energy videotape and provides superior resolution over its VHS counterpart by receiving the input video in Y/C mode, which separates the chrominance from the luminance information. The use of the Y/C input signal significantly improves the color reproduction. The format has a maximum recording time of 480 minutes, using an ST-160 videocassette running at EP speed in NTSC. The maximum recording time in PAL is 480 minutes at LP speed, using an SE-240 videocassette.

U-Matic or 3/4-inch format as it’s sometimes known, is essentially an industrial format released in 1968 and has been widely used throughout the production and postproduction industry due to its compact size and quality. It was widely used within the news business for field ENG. It records using a 3/4-inch-wide videotape enclosed within a cassette and has a maximum recording time of 75 minutes. The U-Matic format is a composite analog video format that has two audio tracks, one of which is frequently used for the time code. In order to maintain superior color rendition, the chrominance and luminance information is separated during recording and restored during playback. There are also certain professional models that have their own dedicated time-code channel, which is known as “address track time code.”

VHS is a consumer format that records an analog composite signal along with two channels of audio. The format records using a 1/2-inch-wide videotape enclosed within a specially designed cassette. There are three speeds available. These are: 1.94 inches per second (known as SP or standard play), which yields the best results; LP (long play) mode, which records at 0.66 inches/sec; and finally, SLP (super long play), which records at 0.44 inches per second. The best quality is of course achieved when using the SP mode. The format has a maximum recording time of 320 minutes in LP mode, using a T-160 videocassette in NTSC, and 600 minutes using an E-300 in PAL at LP mode.

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