VHD decode project

[ppppenguin]

The VTR has to be able to read the tracks on the tape so it needs to be the same format and in good condition. The EIAJ case is interesting. Provided that the player's head amplifier is good enough to reproduce everything on the tape the colour should be recoverable on a mono machine.

There is the almost practical possibility of reading the flux directly from the tape to make a universal magnetic tape reader. Edivue fluid (carbonyl iron suspended in a solvent) was used in the early days of 2" VTRs to make the tracks visible. This allowed physical editing with a Smith microscope. http://www.vtoldboys.com/editingmuseum/smith.htm I'm pretty sure we have one at the BECG. I know we'll be getting one (another one?) soon. There was also a diaphragm viewer which presumably had fine magnetic particles between two fine diaphragms. I've never seen one. In a crude way these revealed the recorded information. I understand there is a technique that can scan digital tapes, such as old computer tapes. I don't think there is any currently feasible method for analogue tapes.

Both Umatic and Betamax were used for early digital audio recorders. https://www.palsite.com/pcmf1ovi.html As Mike says, they dressed up digital audio to look like analogue video.

All sorts of formats were doomed. Hindsight is a very powerful forecasting tool. To name just a few:

Elcassette - an improved audio cassette

B-Format VTRs - a professional 1" format that was used to a very limited extent. The BECG has a non-working machine

M and M2 Format VTR - professional formats loosely based on VHS. Again they had limited use. Betacam and its variants won that battle. They were loosely based on Betamax. They were the last videotape formats.

CED - a consumer videodisk format.