Editing Videotape (section)

=== Professional cassette formats ===
[[File:U-matic.jpg|thumb|[[U-matic]] tape]]
A '''videocassette''' is a case containing videotape. In 1969, [[Sony]] introduced a prototype for the first widespread video cassette, the ¾ʺ (1.905&nbsp;cm) [[composite video|composite]] [[U-matic]] system, which Sony introduced commercially in September 1971 after working out industry standards with other manufacturers. Sony later refined it to ''Broadcast Video U-matic'' (BVU). Sony continued its hold on the professional market with its ever-expanding ½ʺ (1.27&nbsp;cm) [[component video]] [[Betacam]] family introduced in 1982. This tape form factor would go on to be used for leading professional digital video formats. [[Panasonic]] had some limited success with its [[Panasonic MII|MII]] system, but never could compare to Betacam in terms of market share.

The next step was the [[Digital data|digital]] revolution. Sony's [[D-1 (Sony)|D-1]] was introduced in 1986 and featured uncompressed digital component recording. Because D-1 was extremely expensive, the composite [[D-2 (video)|D-2]] (Sony, 1988) and [[D-3 (video)|D-3]] (Panasonic, 1991) were introduced soon after. Ampex introduced the first compressed component recording with its [[DCT (videocassette format)|DCT]] series in 1992. Panasonic's [[D5 HD|D-5]] format was introduced in 1994. Like D-1, it is uncompressed, but much more affordable.

The [[DV (video format)|DV]] standard, which debuted in 1995, and was widely used both in its native form as [[MiniDV]] and in more robust professional variants.

In digital camcorders, Sony adapted the Betacam system with its [[Digital Betacam]] format in 1993, and in 1996 following it up with the cheaper [[Betacam SX]] and the 2000 [[MPEG IMX]] format,<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.4rfv.co.uk/industrynews/5163/sony_unveils_latest_products_at_ibc |title=Sony Unveils Latest Products at IBC |access-date=2023-05-22}}</ref> The semiprofessional DV-based [[DVCAM]] system was introduced in 1996. Panasonic used its DV variant DVCPRO for all professional cameras, with the higher-end format [[DVCPRO50]] being a direct descendant. [[JVC]] developed the competing [[Digital-S|D9/Digital-S]] format, which compresses video data in a way similar to DVCPRO but uses a cassette similar to [[S-VHS]] media. Many helical scan cassette formats such as VHS and Betacam use a head drum with heads that use [[azimuth recording]], in which the heads in the head drum have a gap that is tilted at an angle, and opposing heads have their gaps tilted so as to oppose each other.<ref name="poptronics">{{Cite magazine |last=Goldwasser |first=Sam |date=January 2000 |title=VCRs |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=2782584&site=eds-live&scope=site |magazine=[[Poptronics]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=77–79 |issn=1526-3681}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8YDOAwAAQBAJ&dq=dv+9000+rpm&pg=PA473|title=Broadcast Engineer's Reference Book|first=E. P. J.|last=Tozer|date=November 12, 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781136024184 |via=Google Books}}</ref>