12-11-2023, 08:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-11-2023, 08:30 PM by Mike Watterson.)
I think the plan originally was to sell it to consumers, but it was just too expensive 
Even the older ones (later called low band) were superb compared to any of the other non-broadcast VCRs /VTRs in 1978. I suppose 3/4" vs 1/2" tape. How much more expensive was a U-matic original and early high band compared to N1500 and N1700?
We never saw many N1700 (1977) in the AV company I was in after leaving BBC. The VHS and Betamax was out earlier and if you were non-domestic you bought U-matic by 1977 unless you couldn't really afford video. Saw far more U-matics or Betamaxes than N1700, but by 1981 VHS had "won" domestic. V2000 was announced, demoed and then didn't appear for a year or two. Very clever but more than four years too late!
Allegedly U-matic is why 44.1 KHz was chosen rather than any other frequency from 40 KHz to 50 kHz for digital audio sampling prior to 48/96/192.
Even the older ones (later called low band) were superb compared to any of the other non-broadcast VCRs /VTRs in 1978. I suppose 3/4" vs 1/2" tape. How much more expensive was a U-matic original and early high band compared to N1500 and N1700?
We never saw many N1700 (1977) in the AV company I was in after leaving BBC. The VHS and Betamax was out earlier and if you were non-domestic you bought U-matic by 1977 unless you couldn't really afford video. Saw far more U-matics or Betamaxes than N1700, but by 1981 VHS had "won" domestic. V2000 was announced, demoed and then didn't appear for a year or two. Very clever but more than four years too late!
Allegedly U-matic is why 44.1 KHz was chosen rather than any other frequency from 40 KHz to 50 kHz for digital audio sampling prior to 48/96/192.
