Digital Betacam
AKA
Digibeta
Era
1993–2016
Analog/digital
digital
Format
Cassette
Developed by
Sony
(Max) Capacity
Small: 40 minutes
Large: 124 minutes
Size
Small: 15.6 cm × 9.6 cm × 2.5 cm
Large: 25.4 cm × 14.5 cm × 2.5 cm
Fun facts
- This format was in competition with the D-1 format, but was significantly cheaper
- Digital Betacam decks included SDI coaxial digital connections, which allowed digital signals to be sent on existing coaxial wiring
- These cases are usually blue and the tapes are various colors based on producer: Ampex (baby blue), Fuji (sea blue), and Sony (gray)
- Look for an "A" in the deck model. If you find one, you've got a backwards-compatible deck, which has both analog and digital "heads" for playing both Betacam SP (analog) and Digital Betacam (digital) tapes.
