VideoPreservation Website

Chapter 9

VTR Interchangeability

The Variety of VTR Formats

Generally, all video cameras and monitors are basically interchangeable and will plug into any VTR and work. However, many VTRs are not interchangeable, which means that a videotape made on one type VTR will play back only on the same type of VTR. This lack of interchangeability is due to the different methods a particular VTR uses to record the various video, audio, and control tracks on the tape; the configuration of recording heads; and the speed and size of the tape.

The problem this creates is obvious. The compatibility of a tape made on a particular VTR should be considered before making the tape. Consider how much difficulty others will have when they try to play back the programs you make on your particular VTR. If they are not on the same format as you are, find out how expensive and difficult it will be to transfer your tape to the appropriate format. See Chapter 15—The Big Decision.

Each VTR is known by the size tape it uses. There are 5 different tape sizes:

2-inch, 1-inch, 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch

There are many different VTR formats within the various tape sizes. As we mentioned earlier, a 2-inch VTR is considered large-format whereas the term small-format refers to the 1-inch, 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch VTR sizes.

Another VTR category is TAPE CONFIGURATION which refers to packaging, such as reel-to-reel or open reel, videocassette, videocartridge, or videodisc. In order to avoid problems, it is essential to have some knowledge of the relative compatibility of the various VTR formats.

VTR Standardization

Five serious attempts have been made to standardize VTR formats:

1. The 2-inch quad format had to be standardized so tapes could be interchanged among Broadcast TV stations.

2. The 1-inch broadcast helical scan format was agreed to by Sony and Ampex in 1977 and called the TYPE C HELICAL SCAN VIDEO RECORDING format and is a compromise between the Ampex VPR and Sony BVH recording systems.

3. The 3/4-inch videocassette format (U-Matic) was standardized from the start by Sony.

4. The very widely used 3/4-inch EIAJ reel-to-reel format was established by the Electronics Industries Association of Japan in 1969. Unfortunately, several different 1/2-inch formats existed prior to the establishment of the EIAJ standard, but fortunately they have now become quite rare.

5. The -inch Beta 7 and 2-hour and VHS 2 and 4-hour home videocassette formats. These are 2 incompatible formats, but within each format there are many compatible machines produced by various manufacturers.

Unfortunately, manufacturers resist standardization because they feel it binds them longer to obsolete technology, but more standardization would sure make life easier for the video user.

Veteran video users have painfully accepted the fact that the manufacturers will always be changing formats on them without warning. The task then becomes how to use each format to its best advantage. There is no question that a variety of formats allows greater system flexibility and speeds technological advancements. New formats can be designed from the bottom up without having to conform to existing limitations.

Since all VTRs are electronically compatible, any videotape format can be copied to another format simply by plugging the 2 appropriate VTRs together and re-recording the program. In this manner, any tape can easily be transferred to whatever format is most expedient and economical for the user.

MAJOR VTR FORMATS

2-INCH REEL-TO-REEL VTRs Ampex AVR-3 (2-Inch Quad)

Super-good, outrageously expensive, and mammoth in size, a quad VTR generally is considered the best video recording and playback machine money can buy. An Ampex AV R -3 will run about $250,000 for a fully-loaded, signal-processed and image-enhanced machine. The quad's big advantage is its ability to go many generations (make copies of copies), perhaps 10 or 15, without significant quality loss.

However, ultra-sophisticated 1-inch and 2-inch helical scan systems are moving in fast for the kill. The quad is now a very endangered species. The TV networks are the major users of quads and will convert to 1-inch helical scan for most or all of their production and playback purposes in the near future because the quality of 1-inch helical scan is nearly comparable to quad for a fraction of the price.

IVC-9000 (2-Inch Helical Scan)

The IVC-9000 is a unique 2-inch helical scan VTR system that features quad-comparable performance with only half the tape consumption. Simpler than a quad but still much more expensive than 1-inch, the I VC-9000 offers a wide range of excellent and very sophisticated production and editing features. See Chapter 5—The VTR (I VC-9000).

1-INCH HELICAL SCAN—REEL-TO-REEL VTRs Ampex VPR-1 (Video Production Recorder)

The latest generation of sophisticated 1-inch VTRs, the VPR -1 is a high-performance high-band video recorder that can be purchased in a basic unit or upgraded to an entire system. The VPR-1 system includes AUTOMATIC SCAN TRACK