Compact Video Cassette
Encyclopedia
Compact Video Cassette (CVC) was one of the first analog recording
videocassette formats to use a tape smaller than its earlier predecessors of VHS
and Betamax
, and was developed by Funai
Electronics of Japan
. The first model of VCR for the format was the Model 212, introduced in 1980 by both Funai
and Technicolor
. The two companies had created a joint venture to manufacture and introduce the format to the home movie
market. The system, which included the VCR and a hand held video camera, was very small and lightweight for its time.
The CVC format used a cassette slightly larger than an audio cassette (about 4.124" x 2.625" x 0.5" in size) and was loaded with 1/4" magnetic tape
. Unlike most other video cassette formats that have two spools fixed in diameter, the cassette size was able to be made smaller by re-using the space vacated by one spool as the other spool filled up, similar to a standard audio cassette. The tapes for the CVC format came in VC-30 (30 minute) and later VC-45 (45 minute) & VC-60 (60 minute) models. The format was released for both NTSC
and PAL
television systems, and tapes had to be played on machines using the same TV system as the recording.
Funai Model 212 came with a JVC
model GX-44E hand held Vidicon tube
camera with a zoom lens
. Model 212D was the NTSC
version and 212E was PAL
for Europe. The deck and electronics from the 212 were also used to build the model 335 Technicolor Video Showcase, which included a colour video monitor
, speaker and contained an internal 12V battery. A lightweight television tuner pack was available to allow the 212 to record off-air television program
ming, but since it contained no timer, unattended recordings would have been hard to arrange. Grundig
also produced a CVC-format VCR, the Model VP-100 for the PAL market, specifications were similar to the 212E and recordings were compatible. The VP-100 weighed only 2.3 kg with battery
, and had a separate power pack.
Technicolor had hoped that this system would compete with 8mm
film
. But the Vidicon tube used for the bundled camera had poor low-light sensitivity, limiting its usefulness for home indoor use. Worse, the 1/4"-wide tape was prone to dropouts (appearing as lines of white snow in the video) during video playback, partially due to the smaller tape size. Low tape quality used at that time for the CVC cassettes was also a contributing factor to these dropouts. As the decks aged, the lubrication in the mechanism's loading ring dried out, causing many machines to malfunction.
Analog recording
Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information for later playback.Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media...
videocassette formats to use a tape smaller than its earlier predecessors of VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
, and was developed by Funai
Funai
Funai Electric is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. The company was founded in 1961. It owns the subsidiary Funai Corporation, Inc., established in the United States since 1991, to market and maintain Funai-licensed brands such as Sylvania, Emerson Radio,...
Electronics of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The first model of VCR for the format was the Model 212, introduced in 1980 by both Funai
Funai
Funai Electric is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. The company was founded in 1961. It owns the subsidiary Funai Corporation, Inc., established in the United States since 1991, to market and maintain Funai-licensed brands such as Sylvania, Emerson Radio,...
and Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. The two companies had created a joint venture to manufacture and introduce the format to the home movie
Home movie
Home movie may mean:*Home movies, referring to private or amateur motion picture photographic products shot and printed in any video or film format....
market. The system, which included the VCR and a hand held video camera, was very small and lightweight for its time.
The CVC format used a cassette slightly larger than an audio cassette (about 4.124" x 2.625" x 0.5" in size) and was loaded with 1/4" magnetic tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
. Unlike most other video cassette formats that have two spools fixed in diameter, the cassette size was able to be made smaller by re-using the space vacated by one spool as the other spool filled up, similar to a standard audio cassette. The tapes for the CVC format came in VC-30 (30 minute) and later VC-45 (45 minute) & VC-60 (60 minute) models. The format was released for both NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
and PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
television systems, and tapes had to be played on machines using the same TV system as the recording.
Funai Model 212 came with a JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
model GX-44E hand held Vidicon tube
Video camera tube
In older video cameras, before the mid to late 1980s, a video camera tube or pickup tube was used instead of a charge-coupled device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal. Several types were in use from the 1930s to the 1980s...
camera with a zoom lens
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length lens...
. Model 212D was the NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
version and 212E was PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
for Europe. The deck and electronics from the 212 were also used to build the model 335 Technicolor Video Showcase, which included a colour video monitor
Video monitor
A video monitor also called a broadcast monitor, broadcast reference monitor or just reference monitor, is a display device similar to a television set, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device, such as playout from a video server, IRD, video camera, VCR, or DVD player. It may or...
, speaker and contained an internal 12V battery. A lightweight television tuner pack was available to allow the 212 to record off-air television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming, but since it contained no timer, unattended recordings would have been hard to arrange. Grundig
Grundig
Grundig AG is a German manufacturer of consumer electronics for home entertainment which transferred to Turkish control in 2004-2007. Established in 1945 in Nuremberg by Max Grundig, the company changed hands several times before becoming part of the Turkish Koç Holding group...
also produced a CVC-format VCR, the Model VP-100 for the PAL market, specifications were similar to the 212E and recordings were compatible. The VP-100 weighed only 2.3 kg with battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
, and had a separate power pack.
Technicolor had hoped that this system would compete with 8mm
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. But the Vidicon tube used for the bundled camera had poor low-light sensitivity, limiting its usefulness for home indoor use. Worse, the 1/4"-wide tape was prone to dropouts (appearing as lines of white snow in the video) during video playback, partially due to the smaller tape size. Low tape quality used at that time for the CVC cassettes was also a contributing factor to these dropouts. As the decks aged, the lubrication in the mechanism's loading ring dried out, causing many machines to malfunction.
Specifications
- Two Rotary helical scanHelical scanHelical scan is a method of recording high bandwidth signals onto magnetic tape. It is used in reel-to-reel video tape recorders, video cassette recorders, digital audio tape recorders, and some computer tape drives....
record heads - Capstan-driven linear tape speed: 1.26 ips (inches per secondInches per secondThe inch per second is a unit of speed or velocity. It expresses the distance in inches traveled or displaced, divided by time in seconds...
) or (32.1 mm/sec) - Video signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio: 43 dBDecibelThe decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
- Image resolutionImage resolutionImage resolution is an umbrella term that describes the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail....
: 240-lines - AudioSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
S/N ratio: 40 dB - Audio frequency responseFrequency responseFrequency response is the quantitative measure of the output spectrum of a system or device in response to a stimulus, and is used to characterize the dynamics of the system. It is a measure of magnitude and phase of the output as a function of frequency, in comparison to the input...
: 100 HzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
to 8 kHz - 7.16 pounds (3.25 kg)
- Dimensions: 9.2 × 10.2 × 3.1 inches (24 × 26 × 8 cm)
