Just 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 send your tapes with a covering letter or use our Order Form

0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Just 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 send your tapes with a covering letter or use our Order Form

History of the Umatic Tape 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Format

U-matic is a videocassette format first shown by 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Sony in prototype in October 1969, and introduced to the market in 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 September 1971. It was among the first video formats to contain 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 the videotape inside a cassette, as opposed to the various 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 open-reel formats of the time. Unlike most other cassette-based 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 tape formats, the supply and take-up reels in the cassette worked 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 in opposite directions during playback, fast-forward and rewind: 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 one reel would run clockwise while the other would run 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 counter-clockwise. As part of its development, in March 1970, 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Victor Co. of Japan (JVC), 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 and five non-Japanese companies reached agreement on unified 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 standards.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 The videotape was 3/4 inches (1.9 cm) wide, so the format is often 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 known as 'three-quarter-inch' or simply 'three-quarter'. U-matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 was named after the shape of the tape path when it was threaded 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 around the helical video head drum, which resembled the letter U. 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Betamax used this same type of "U-load" as well.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 The total potential lines of horizontal resolution for standard U-matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 is 250 lines per picture height (the NTSC television system signal 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 that it records is capable of 330 lines per picture height). 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Vertical resolution is the NTSC standard of 486 visible scan 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 lines.

U-matic is also available in a smaller cassette 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 size, officially known as U-Matic S. Much like VHS-C, U-Matic S 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 was developed as a more portable version of U-Matic, to be used in 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 smaller sized S-format recorders such as the Sony VO-3800 (the 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 first portable U-Matic S machine released by Sony in 1974), the 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Sony BVU-100, and the Sony VO-6800. S-format tapes can be played 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 back in older top-loading standard U-Matic decks with the aid of 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 an adapter (the KCA-1 from Sony) which fitted around an S-sized 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 tape in order for it to load properly in the deck, while newer 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 front-loading machines can accept S-format tapes directly. U-Matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 S tapes had a maximum recording time of 20 minutes, although some 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 tape manufacturers such as 3M came out with 30 minute tapes by 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 loading the cassette with a thinner tape. It was the U-Matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 S-format decks that ushered in the beginning of ENG, or Electronic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 News Gathering.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 In the early 1980s, Sony introduced the semi backwards-compatible 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 High-band or BVU (Broadcast Video U-matic) format, and the 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 'original' U-matic format became known as 'Low-band'. This 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 High-band format had an improved colour recording system and lower 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 noise levels. BVU gained immense popularity in ENG and location 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 programme-making, spelling the end of 16mm film in everyday 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 production. By the early 1990s, Sony's 1/2" Betacam SP format 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 had all but replaced BVU outside of corporate and 'budget' 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 programme making. Sony made a final improvement to BVU by further 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 improving the recording system and giving it the same 'SP' suffix 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 as Betacam. First generation BVU-SP and Beta-SP recordings were 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 hard to tell apart, but despite this the writing was on the wall 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 for the U-matic family.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 U-matic would also see use for the storage of digital audio data. 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Most digital audio recordings from the 1980s were digitally 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 mastered to U-matic tape. The Sony PCM-1600 PCM adaptor used a U-matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 recorder as a transport. The PCM-1600 output standard "pseudo 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 video" in 525/60 format, which appeared to be a video image 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 of vibrating checkerboard patterns that could be recorded on a 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 video recorder. The PCM-1600 was the first system used for 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 mastering audio compact discs in the early 1980s, with the famous 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Compact Disc 44.1 kHz sampling rate based on a best-fit 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 calculation for the U-matic's video horizontal-sync rate. The 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 later PCM-1610 and 1630 units also used U-matic cassettes as a 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 storage medium.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 U-matic is no longer used as a mainstream production format, yet 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 it has such a lasting appeal as a cheap, well specified, and 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 hard-wearing format that many television facilities the world-over 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 still have a U-matic recorder for archive playback of material 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 recorded in the 1980s. For example, the Library of Congress 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 facility in Culpeper, VA, holds thousands of its titles on U-matic 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 video, as a means of providing access copies and proof for 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 copyright deposit of old television broadcasts and films.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Four decades after it was developed, the format is still used for 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 the menial tasks of the industry, being more highly specialized 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 and suited to the needs of production staff than the domestic VHS, 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 although as time passes it has been replaced at the bottom of the 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 tree of tape-based production formats by Betacam and Betacam SP as 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 these in turn are replaced by Digital Betacam and HDCAM.
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666
0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 U-matic tapes were also used for easy transport of filmed scenes 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 for dailies in the days before VHS, DVD, and portable hard drives. 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Several movies have surviving copies in this form. The first rough 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 cut of Apocalypse Now, for example (the raw version of what became 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 0800 0141 666 Apocalypse Now Redux), survived on three U-Matic cassettes