VHS
AKA
Video Home
System
Era
1976–2000s
Analog/digital
analog
Format
Tape
Developed by
JVC
(Max) Capacity
VHS-C: 30 minutes
Standard Play (SP): 2 hours
Long Play (LP): 4 hours
Extended Play (EP): 6 hours
Super Long Play (SLP): 6 hours
Size
18.7 × 10.2 × 2.5 cm
Fun facts
- Development of this format was initially canceled in 1972, but engineers continued to work on it in secret until they had a successful working prototype in 1973
- A smaller variant of VHS, VHS-C, was introduced in 1982 for use in camcorders; these tapes could be played in standard VHS machines with an adapter
- This format was developed with the following goals: be compatible with any television, be compatible across all manufacturers, have the ability to be customized and expanded, be inexpensive to purchase and repair, and have parts that can be easily replaced and maintained
- The introduction of the S-Video cable, with it's funky face configuration, split the video into two signals for better quality: The luminance (the B&W) is separated from the chrominance (the color).
- VHS-C had its own market, specifically for camcorder use (compared to VHS being mostly for VCR recording or commercially-released titles).
