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Ampex
Ampex company create the first “home” system but the camera weighed 100 lbs and cost $30,000. There was no sound and could only play at 3 minutes at a time. -
DV-2400 Video Rover
A Portapak is a battery powered, self-contained video tape analog recording system that can be carried by one person. Because earlier television cameras were large and relatively immovable, the Portapak made it possible to record video easily outside of the studio. Although it recorded at a lower quality than television studio cameras, the Portapak was adopted by both professionals and amateurs as a new method of video recording. -
U-Matic
U-matic is an analogue recording videocassette format first shown by Sony.
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. -
Betacam System
Sony released the Betacam system. A key component was a single camera-recorder unit, eliminating a cable between the camera and recorder and increasing the camera operator's freedom. The Betacam used the same cassette format (0.5 inches or 1.3 centimetres tape) as the Betamax (but with a different, incompatible recording format), and became standard equipment for broadcast news and in-studio video editing. -
The DV Recorder
This was the first time a digital recording and playback function became available to the mainstream consumer.
The quality of DV far exceeded the film models available to consumers and eliminated a slew of problems associated with conventional film, such as excessive white noise and tracking problems. The downside: you still needed a small DV tape to record and store digital footage. -
The DV Recorder
This was the first time a digital recording and playback function became available to the mainstream consumer.
The quality of DV far exceeded the film models available to consumers and eliminated a slew of problems associated with conventional film, such as excessive white noise and tracking problems. The downside: you still needed a small DV tape to record and store digital footage. -
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Digital Revolution
In 2006, Sony unveiled the first 1080i HDV hard drive camcorder. The introduction of high def 1080i put unprecedented picture and sound quality into the hands of average consumers. It was small, easy to use and set the standard for home HD recording. Today, HD camcorders are largely considered the norm.
