M (videocassette format)
| Media type | Magnetic Tape |
|---|---|
| Encoding | NTSC, PAL |
| Standard | Interlaced video |
| Developed by | Panasonic, RCA |
| Usage | Video production |
M is the name of a professional
Like Betacam, M recorded component video and used a much faster linear tape speed. A cassette that would yield 120 minutes on a VHS VCR at SP speed would only yield 20 minutes on an M VCR.
The format was called "M" due to the shape of the threading path of the tape around the helical scan video head drum, which resembles a letter M. (This is also how the U-matic format got its name, for its U-shaped tape path in the VCR.) The M-shaped tape path was retained from VHS. An example M VCR is the Panasonic AU-300B,[1] also sold as the Ampex ARC-40, and the M format was also sold by Ampex as the ARC format.[2]
M had a similar 4-head recording system to Betacam, but the chrominance signals were recorded as two FM subcarriers of the main chrominance track
 | This paragraph possibly contains original research. (November 2019) |
M found little success in the professional/industrial video production market. This might have been due to RCA's Broadcast Products division, which marketed the M format in the United States under the "Hawkeye" brand name, going out of business in 1984. Thus NBC was one of the few broadcasters to use the format. Weak marketing by Matsushita for M might have been a factor as well.
M was also marketed by Panasonic (a division of Matsushita) under the Recam (REcording CAMera) name, and by RCA as Hawkeye.[3][4][5][6]
M was succeeded in 1986 by the
See also
References
- ^ Panasonic AU 300 B Decoder Circuit ( SL 1)" service manual
- ^ "Ampex Recorder" (PDF). tvcameramuseum.org. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "The HR-1 Recorder" (PDF). tvcameramuseum.org. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "VideOlson Videotape Formats".
- doi:10.5594/J03353– via IEEE Xplore.
- ^ Panasonic AU-100A Operating Instructions & Service Manual
Sources
- lionlamb.us List of videotape formats past and present, with a mention of the M format
- mediacollege.com The M Format
- ultimatewebdesigning.com List of videotape formats past and present, the M format listed
- Sony Betamax Case Report
- DC Video on M
- The History of Television, 1942 to 2000, page 194, By Albert Abramson, Christopher H. Sterling
- Encyclopedia of television, Volume 1, page 251, By Horace Newcomb
- The History of Television, 1942 to 2000, page 214, By Albert Abramson, Christopher H. Sterling, NBC use