The D-3 Composite Digital VTR Format

Philip Livingston, Johann Safar

Present broadcast analog VTR formats have proven unsatisfactory for repeated dubbing. Current 19mm D-1/D-2 digital VTRs utilize physically cumbersome cassettes, preventing easy adaptation to ENG/EFP applications and reducing their cost-effectiveness. This combination has led to the development of the D-3 1/2-in. composite digital VTR format. To achieve more than twice the recording capacity of D-2, reduction of the error rate in a higher-density recording format and improved interchange compatibility with a narrower track pitch were required. The D-3 format includes a significant number of new developments in recording technology. They provide the format with input/output signal specifications equivalent to D-2 but a cassette size only slightly larger than VHS.

Print ISSN
Published
1992-09
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J02222