References and Further info
Collectors can be great sources of encyclopaedic knowledge on trivial things. In this case, it was vintage video recorder collector Andy Hain, who has also used his collection to educate their history in Total Rewind - The Virtual Museum of Vintage VCRs. It was the only source I can find online telling me the retail price for a blank Philips VCR cassette. That's how informative it is.
http://televideoramamuseum.blogspot.com/ - A very wordy blog (with ample profile photos of various models) from collector Frank Sharp. He also has one for TVs, fridges and washing machines.
Techmoan - Video History: V2000 - The format that came third in a two-horse race
video99.co.uk - Early Philips VCR format also known as N1500, N1700, SVC.
https://www.oldtechnology.net/vcr.html
https://www.oldtechnology.net/v2000.html
TV & Video Engineer's Reference Book - Kenneth George Jackson, Boris Townsend (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991, ISBN: 0-7506-1021-2)
Audio-Video Engineering - R. C. Jaiswal (Nirali Prakashan, 2009) A text book from used in Indian Universities.
From Betamax to Blockbuster: Video Stores and the Invention of Movies on Video - Joshua M. Greenberg (MIT Press, 2010, ISBN-13 : 978-0262514996)
DEAD VIDEO FORMATS - They will be missed - Philips N1500 - U-Matic - Video 2000 - UMD and more - by THE LOCH (YouTube 2015) This is how I found out about the competition.
Magnetic Recording: The First 100 Years - C. Denis Mee, Eric D. Daniel, Mark H. Clark (Wiley, 1999, ISBN:9780780347090)
Philips - The Forgotten Video War Contender
To most people the video format war of the 1980s was two-sided – Sony, with its Betamax system, and JVC, with VHS. But Beta and VHS were the most successful contenders of a market war that involved many other home video formats. In fact, they were formats created and sold years before anyone outside Sony saw a Beta tape. In fact, in Europe, there was a third contender who wanted to be the best video format in the world. In fact, this company was a video pioneer and later developed a format that was unique and more advanced than any other VCR ever made. This company was Philips and, for a while, dominated the video market in Europe – before losing to VHS. This nibble is about these efforts.
Video Cassette Recording
Walter Eibensteiner has filed patents for what became the VCR format from 1970. Philips introduced the VCR format with the N1500 in 1972, which was cheaper than U-matic machines that just came out a year earlier. Initially, Philips sold VCRs for business and education use. But when they found that some were buying their machines for home use, they decided to sell it to the public. However, with a price tag of a small car in 1972, and pricey tapes that tore easily and (at most) can only record up to 70 minutes a session, very few people bought it. But it was early days for VCRs, and things did improve over time…
Born – 1972
Price of blank 1 hour tape on launch – £14.50
Cassette size - 127 x 146 x 40mm
Tape width - 12.7mm
Tape speed VCR - 14.29 cm/s - VCR-LP - 6.56 cm/s – SVR - 3.95 cm/s
Max poss record length - 240 min (with a SVC cassette)
The First Domestic
VCR
Introduced in 1972, the Philips N1500 can be considered the
first truly practical home VCR. It was the first to have a tuner and timer
built-in, packing the ability to record TV shows up to 24 hours in advance in a
single unit (they were separate components in earlier recorders). It also more
easier to use than earlier machines, with a simple load mechanism, “piano key”
controls, and a full stop function for when the tape ends. It also had a RF
modulator that allowed it to be plugged into any TV (at the time) through its
aerial connection. Before, video and audio connectors were needed to hook up a
video player to a screen. However, even with an initial price of £442 (over £
5,870.52 in 2020), its tapes were (initially) only able to record (in high
quality colour) 45 minutes at most. This improved in later on.
VCR Cassette
The VCR format used bulky square-shaped cassettes containing two reels of chrome dioxide tape. The reels are placed one on top of the other, with the tape forming a diagonal line under the top protective flap (which is easy to open by pressing a button on the side). But this layout was easily prone to problems. If the tape developed slack on the top reel, for example, tape may droop over to the bottom reel and get snagged when the user pressed rewind.
Initially, the VCR format offered a choice of three recording times – 30, 45, and 60 minutes. VCR-LP introduced cassettes that can record 27, 41, 55, and 69 minutes on a N1500. They can record 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes in the N1700. There was also a 180-minute tape, which could record 83 minutes in the N1500, but it wasn’t recommended, because it used thinner tape.
Spring-loaded brake mechanism to stop spools from rotating while outside a machine.
This spring-loaded metal door slides down when the cassette is in the VCR to allow the pinch roller in to pull the tape along, as well as the audio/control head to read the tape.
To reduce risk of
damage, the tape is laced up in the machine at shallow angles from the cassette
and is stayed laced up while rewinding and fast-forwarding. Other cassette
formats with their reels side by side don’t need to do this.
VCR-LP
In 1977 Philips introduced the N1700. Apart from been easier
to use, it also used the same tapes – except at about half the speed, doubling
their capacity. It also achieved additional record time by angling its playback
heads in the rotating drum, removing the need for blank spaces between images
recorded on the tape.
Initially, the maximum you can record on this machine was two hours (with a 60-minute cassette). Then higher capacity tapes (with thinner tape) were introduced, increasing the maximum to three hours. However, the resulting recordings couldn’t be played on previous machines. Because of this VCR-LP is seen as a separate format from VCR.
Super Video Recording
To further complicate things, Grundig decided (on their own) to improve the VCR format further, resulting in the SVR system. Introduced in 1979, SVR used specially-formulated tape and a slower tape speed to allow a possible maximum record time of just above four hours. Grundig had plans to introduce a five hour cassette, but it never materialized. SVR was abandoned within a year.
SVCs
A SVR cassette is almost 100% physically identical to a regular VCR cassette. But the biggest difference is its tape. Increased record time was achieved by coating the tape with finer particles of chrome dioxide, as well as slowing the tape down further than on VCR-LP. SVR tapes can be used in all VCR machines, but non-SVR tapes can’t be played in SVR machines.
The only thing that physically makes a SVC different is this one piece of extra plastic in the cavity in the top left of the underside of the cassette, which acts as an actuator in a SVR machine telling it it’s a SVC.
The Only SVR VCR Ever
Made
Only one SVR machine was ever made - the Grundig SVR4004 (as well as a rebadged ITT 240). It was an advanced machine of its day, with fully electronic controls, microprocessor-controlled deck, automatic tuning, and a timer that can record one event up to 10 days in the future. But it developed a reputation for unreliability. It was hard to set up and had tracking issues. A recording made on one machine might not play on a different one. In fact, a recording that worked fine may have issues with the same machine weeks later, due to components shifting slightly, due to temperature.
What happened to VCR?
The VCR format was only sold in Europe, Australia and South
Africa. Been the first video format sold to the public; Philips had a virtual monopoly
on home video technology – until Betamax came along. Philips announced plans to
sell the format to North America in 1977 and test marketed it there. But they
had trouble adapting the format to record NTSC. The tape speed had to be
increased by 20%, reducing record time on a cassette. DuPont announced a thinner
tape that could solve this problem, but it just made the tape easier to break.
This, and additional reliability problems (and the introduction of VHS) forced
Philips to abandon this plan. From then on, Philips concentrated on making
video for Europe. The format died in 1980, making way for …. Video 2000.
Video 2000
Philips had developed the compact audio cassette in the 1960s. So, naturally, when the VCR came along this thought may have entered the mind of someone in Philips – “Our audio tapes are double-sided. Is it possible to make a double-sided video tape?” That must have pondered the people at Philips, resulting in them deciding to abandon the VCR format to create the world’s only double-sided video cassette format – Video 2000. The format was co-developed with Grundig and (after some delays) they announced in the International Radio Exhibition in Berlin in 1979. It finally went on sale in 1980.
Born – 1980
Price of blank 8 hour tape in 1983 – £14.99
Cassette size - 183 × 110.5 × 26 mm
Tape width - 12.7mm
Tape speed – 2.442 cm/s (SP) - 1.221 cm/s (XL)
Max poss record length – 8 hours per side
Branding Issues
Branding was cause of confusion with this format in the beginning. For starters, a VCR logo of the previous format was used on cassettes. Although the system was trademarked “Video 2000,” Philips preferred to call its tapes “Video Compact Cassettes,” in the hope to ride on the success of the audio compact cassette. Later on everyone got wise and dropped the VCR logo and used the Video 2000 one instead. Eventually, everyone referred to it as “V2000.”
Video Compact
Cassette
Despite its official name, a VCC is a bit bigger than a VHS tape. Unlike other cassette designs, the VCC is completely contained, with not a single hole exposing its chrome dioxide tape. It’s only exposed when inserted in a machine, where it pushes its protective sheath down to make the top flap fall down. It’s designed like this because the cassette is double sided, so that the flap will always fall downward no matter which way up the cassette is.
This protective flap design was patented by Hendrik C. Wardenaar, Franz Werner, Petrus J. J. Aarts and Franz Beitler in 1978.
These set of holes are for sensors in the VCR. The left three holes include the write protection hole. The other two were never used, but were planned to be used to indicate the cassette’s tape formulation. They were plans to make higher magnetic loss resistance (which offer higher recording quality) “Super 2000” and metal “Digital 2000” tapes, but abandoned when the format was withdrawn.
The right three holes (using a system of closed or open holes) indicate the total tape length of the cassette. They were used in second gen V2000 VCRs to work their real-time tape counter.
Write protection is reversible. It is turned on/off by rotating a wheel to block a hole in the top of the cassette. If you see red/orange that side of the tape is write-protected.
Ratchets inside prevent the reels from moving while out of the VCR, preventing tape from becoming slack. A pin goes through this hole to disengage these ratchets. Before a cassette is ejected the VCR performs a tape tensioning operation before the pin is pulled out.
The real-time counter works out how much tape is left in a cassette by registering its total length, according to the three-hole pattern of the cassette, and the speed of the reels’ rotation when the tape is moved back and forth a bit after insertion. With this data, the VCR compares it to a programmed data table of known cassette sizes, does some math, and displays how much time is left on the cassette in hours and minutes.
Dynamic Track Following
One feature found on all V2000 VCRs (except the budget-conscious Grundig 1600 of 1983) was DTF. Its playback heads are mounted on piezoelectric crystals, which change shape when electric current is applied to them. By applying the right signal, these crystals can be altered to reposition the playback heads while playing a tape. By doing so, tapes don’t need any tracking control, allowing noise-free pictures at any speed AND in reverse, as well as freeze frame. Sony managed to get hold of this technology for their Betamax VCRs when they collaborated with Philips on the compact disc. VHS players just used more playback heads in the drum to achieve the same result.
Hendrik J. Bergmans and Rudolf Drabek filed a patent for a “Servo system for controlling the position of a magnetic head relative to a track to be followed using periodically interrupted long-wave positioning signals” in 1977.
V2000 VCRs record footage on one half of the tape. There is space for additional tracks that can be used to record stereo sound or duel language soundtracks. Additionally there was one made for data, such as time/date info, computer data, digital sound, etc. But it never got used before the format was abandoned.
Before VCR-LP, the
playback heads in VCR machines were right-angled to the tape. But to prevent
interference from neighbouring image tracks while reading, the tracks were
spaced apart. VCR-LP machines removed these gaps (or “guard bands”) by using
angled playback heads. Because of their angles the magnetic patterns made in
the tracks recorded create destructive interference when they interact,
eliminating cross-talk. This method is called “azimuth recording,” and it’s
been used in most video recorders since, including Video 2000 machines
First Machines
The first Video 2000 VCRs were the Grundig 2x4 Model 700 and (a month later) the Philips VR2020. Both introduced in 1980, although they look different, functionally they are the same machine with virtually identical features. Full-electronic controls and a microprocessor controlled tape mechanism. A search-and-store tuner and a five-event timer that can record 16 days into the future. And, a “GOTO” function, where a user can type in a number and it’ll rewind or fast forward to that part of the tape - according to the tape counter. But they also lacked features that were becoming commonplace on rival systems. Infrared remote controls, which were later sold as an optional adaptor. They didn’t have a “still-frame” and “picture search” feature, where you could see the image on screen while rewinding/fast-forwarding. They also had mechanically-complicated tape mechanisms, which made V2000 VCRs more likely to need repairs than Beta and VHS. Also, it was discovered quickly that the audio head in the V2020 was 2.5mm out of position, compared to the 2x4. This meant that if a tape was recorded on a V2020 and played on a 2x4 (or any other model) the sound will be out of sync by 0.2 seconds. This was quickly solved by Philips and Grundig moving the audio head by 1.25mm in all their machines. Because of this they are compatibility issues with recordings made on these very first VCRs. They are also some issues with recordings been made on Grundig VCRs and playing on Philips VCRs, and vice versa, because of each other choosing a different design of tape mechanism. Despite this, the 2x4 (retailing for £600 in 1980) and VR2020 (retailing for £650 in 1980) sold well.
Later and Proposed
Developments
Philips and Grundig intended V2000 to fix problems they perceived with other systems while providing potential for further developments. But the format was withdrawn before many could have been implemented. “Picture search” was added quickly after the first VCRs (which lacked the feature) were sold. In later machines, V2000 experienced a half-speed mode (called V2000 XL or eXtra Long) doubling the capacity of cassettes. Some gained stereo sound recording. Timers were improved to the point they can record a month into the future and can be programmed by date, using a calendar. And, when programming multiple events, it’ll say how much tape will be left after recording. With its real-timer tape counter, this info would be told in hours and minutes. When JVC revealed the compact-VHS cassette for camcorders in 1982, plans were drawn up for a mini V2000 cassette that can be played in all V2000 VCRs like VHS-C – except double-sided. Hi-fi sound was never offered, but could have been recorded separate from the images, allowing re-recording and dubbing Hi-fi quality sound for videos. An auto reverse function was talked about, which got rid of users needing to turn over the cassette after playing one side. It can be argued that if V200 was introduced earlier it may have been more successful.
What Happened to
Video 2000?
Despite its great specs and features, when V2000 was released Betamax and VHS had already established themselves in the market. And, because of its delayed development, the first machines on the market looked overpriced and primitive, compared to contemporaries on the store shelves. And reliability issues didn’t help. It had a bit more success in mainland Europe, where it even outsold Betamax in some places. But it struggled in the most successful VCR market at the time - the UK (13% in 1981). In 1983 Philips spent £1million on pre-recorded tapes (costing up to £50 each) and selling them to dealers at £7 each to convince them to stock V2000 VCRs. Some VCRs were later given away as competition prizes. But the people weren’t interested. The situlation can be summed up with this antidote . In 1983 an electronic warehouse was raided. Thieves cleared every VHS and Betamax VCR inside … but left every V2000 VCR untouched! The situation was so dire that Philips lobbied the EEC to create tariffs on Japanese electronic imports, in the hope to stem the tide in their direction. But it proved futile. By 1984 (with a 3% UK market share and 2% in Europe), Philips was making VHS machines (at a cost, due to the tariffs they lobbied for). Development stopped in 1985. The last V2000 VCR was made in 1988.
The Professionals 1982
annual features a competition where you could win a “Philips Video,” worth over
£800!
Comments
Post a Comment