Vhs-c

VHS-C ( VHS Compact ) is a standard for VHS tapes that are smaller than VHS with shorter recording times. First released in 1982 by Panasonic for lightweight handheld camcorders ^[1] . Currently, the format has been superseded by digital video tapes and is considered obsolete.

Vhs-c
VHS-C format video cassette (bottom) and adapter for it (top)
Media type	Tape Videocassette
Content format	FM tape SECAM / 625/25 MESECAM / 625/25 NTSC / 525/30 PAL / 525/30 PAL / 625/25
Capacity	30–90 minutes (SP) up to 180 minutes (LP)
Reading mechanism	tape speed 3.335 cm / s for NTSC 2,339 cm / s for PAL
Designed by	Panasonic
The size	91x59x20 mm
Application	home video
Year of issue	1982

VHS-C cassettes can be viewed using a standard VHS VCR using a cassette adapter. In 1984, the first JVC GR-C1 video camera was released, assembled in a common housing with a video recorder of this format ^[2] . The year before it, the Betamovie camera of the competing Betamax format of the same design and more bulky was released, since there was no smaller version of cassettes similar to VHS-C. Prior to this, the VCR and camera were produced as separate devices connected by cable. Immediately after the start of production, the JVC camera was shown in the first part of the Back to the Future movie trilogy as an example of cutting-edge video technologies ^[2] .

After the advent of VHS-C cassettes, Sony released Video8 format with a more compact cassette with a narrow magnetic tape 8 mm wide. With comparable picture and sound quality, Sony cassettes were more compact and provided longer recording time: 90 minutes versus 30 with a standard length VHS-C. Simultaneously with the start of production of S-VHS high - quality video cassettes, the production of S-VHS-C cassettes with the same magnetic tape and characteristics was launched. As well as full-sized S-VHS-cassettes, the S-VHS-C-variant had an additional hole on the body through which the VCR could distinguish them. Accordingly, the S-VHS-C adapter was distinguished by the presence of an additional lever closing this hole if a regular VHS-C cassette was inserted into it. When using a “normal” adapter that does not distinguish between S-VHS-C and just VHS-C cassettes, the ability to play depended on the ability of the VCR to automatically distinguish between modes. When recording was started on an S-VHS-C cassette inserted in an S-VHS, VCR through a “normal” adapter, the VHS mode with low image quality was always selected.