SMPTE Type C Helical-Scan Recording Format

About two years ago there was little prospect that a 1-in helical-scan videotape recorded on one manufacturer's machine could ever be played back on another manufacturer's VTR. In a single year, however, this situation has changed and the SMPTE Standards Committee has approved the basic format documents for high-quality 1-in helical-scan VTRs capable of interchanging tapes. Topics covered in detail in the paper include: the process of developing a standard, with a list of the relevant ANSI and SMPTE documents; helical video format parameters, with definitions and criteria for their selection; location of tape tracks; video and sync records, with sources and magnitudes of various time-base errors; limitation of vertical-interval dropout; the requirement for six heads; the contraints of video track straightness and longitudinal track dimensions; audio and control-track recording; and video signal processing. It is expected that the new SMPTE Type C format will provide a practical solution to the users' requirements for tape interchange.

Print ISSN

0036-1682

Published

1978-11

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J10478