Video Formats

VHS came to the UK in 1975 VHS was the first tape for home use. Being an analogue format and no longer readily available it is very important to transfer your old home videos to DVD or Digital on USB.

The VHS-C tape is a smaller version of VHS system. It was the first domestic camcorder tape format in the UK. You could play the tapes in a VCR with a videotape adapter.

The video 8 camcorder tape pioneered by Sony in the mid 1980’s and used in early home compact video cameras.

The Hi8 camcorder tape replaced the early analogue Video8 tapes. It was one of Sony’s most popular consumer camcorder tape formats.

The first tape using existing 8mm analogue media to be available in a digital format. Released in 1999.

The MiniDV tape format is one of the later camcorder tape formats able to record in higher resolution than the earlier analogue 8 tape formats.

The MicroMV format was the last digital camcorder tape format available, It was cut short by the arrival of DVD which went onto be the most popular storage media for video.

The Betamax tape was launched by Sony to compete with the VHS tape. It lost the tape war though as more people went for the VHS format. Despite this, there are still many thousands around waiting to be bought back to life by converting to a digital format.