The Forgotten History of Home Video

Ғылым және технология

In this essay I will tell you about 15-30 years of home video history that you have never heard about from anyone, anywhere. It covers entire categories of technology you never knew existed, and completely defies the most common conceptions about what happened when in the history of consumer videotape.
You will link this video to other people during conversations. I made it for that.
This is the work of several years of investigation, research, and about 1200 source files culled from Google Books, KZread, Pinterest, and dead eBay listings. I have cried over this project, I have started from scratch five times, I have put it down for a year and a half and picked it back up, I have wondered if people would find the unfinished project on my hard drive after I departed this mortal coil. But here I am, posting it, against all probabilities.
This is because the amount of ground covered is immense. There's thirty years of history in this video; I am summarizing a lot. I am ignoring certain unknowables, because this isn't Sega - nobody has 50 year old sales figures, and for a lot of these products I can barely prove they existed at all. Some of this stuff only exists in single low-res scans of magazine advertisements. So some of my claims here are inaccurate, and there are things I summarized very reductively, like the role film played. This is known, and unimportant.
The value of this documentary is in understanding that things did not begin when and how we usually think they did, and whether any of that matters is an exercise for anthropologists, because it's way beyond my capabilities. What I want you to know is that it could have.
If you enjoyed this, please fill up my eBay fund so I can buy this ancient equipment to show off on here, either on my Patreon ( / gravisvids ) or ko-fi (ko-fi.com/gravis)
Thank you so much for watching!
Support my channel:
/ cathoderaydude
ko-fi.com/cathoderaydude
Tech Connections' Betamovie video: • Betamovie: Sony's Terr...
Here Come The Videofreex: • Here Come the Videofreex
Sections:
00:00 Chapter: Premise
01:17 Forgotten etymology
03:05 Chapter: The Usual Story
03:15 Home movies
05:04 Needs of broadcasters
06:02 1951 - First video technology
06:34 1956 - Practical video
07:14 1969 - First cassette video format
09:45 1983 - First camcorder
08:35 1970s - Consumer videocassette
10:38 The incomplete timeline
12:05 Chapter: The Complete Story
12:17 1965 - First consumer video
13:43 1965 - First consumer video camera
14:35 1967 - Portable consumer video
16:05 1969 - Standardized consumer video
18:13 Mostly fixing the timeline
18:52 Popular portable video
20:59 The EIAJ standard
22:32 Chapter: Conclusion
23:22 Home video advantages
24:53 Counterculture / Videofreex
29:24 Cultural impact
29:57 Outro

Пікірлер: 905

  • @turtlecatpurrz
    @turtlecatpurrz3 жыл бұрын

    Whelp... you sir have just joined LGR, TechMoan, Technology Connections, and 8-bit guy as some of my favorite KZread channels... thanks!

  • @HzH2O

    @HzH2O

    2 жыл бұрын

    i follow them all❤😊

  • @snithereens

    @snithereens

    2 жыл бұрын

    Me too! 😜

  • @KrisDouglas

    @KrisDouglas

    2 жыл бұрын

    Check out Nostalgia Nerd as well, his documentaries are excellent

  • @turtlecatpurrz

    @turtlecatpurrz

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@KrisDouglas thanks for the suggestion will do!

  • @Wtfinc

    @Wtfinc

    2 жыл бұрын

    he sure has. the effort put into these vids is astounding

  • @TheQuickSlash
    @TheQuickSlash3 жыл бұрын

    This better get blessed by the algorithm

  • @GeoffreyGore

    @GeoffreyGore

    3 жыл бұрын

    Better, kinda, the channel has been blessed by Technology Connections.

  • @Left-Earth

    @Left-Earth

    3 жыл бұрын

    Spread the good news ! 👍✨

  • @F-Man

    @F-Man

    3 жыл бұрын

    It’s been blessed - by Technology Connections! 😁

  • @sonarun

    @sonarun

    3 жыл бұрын

    It did. For me at least. Don’t worry. :)

  • @emagotis

    @emagotis

    3 жыл бұрын

    A blast to hear from this guy!

  • @SeadogDriftwood
    @SeadogDriftwood3 жыл бұрын

    That transition music and blue screen with flying text really does lend this the feel of one of those classic 80s/early 90s documentaries. I applaud your research on the topic, as well as the passion and humour in your narration. I hope you keep producing content like this: it deserves to become required watching in college and university classes on the subject.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank you so much! wow this is such a compliment

  • @benullom2301

    @benullom2301

    3 жыл бұрын

    Crap another blue screen, damn you Windows 95...

  • @AeroplaneJamie

    @AeroplaneJamie

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@CathodeRayDude where did you get this music? Im sure I recognise it from somewhere and it's driving me mad

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@AeroplaneJamie it's from a xerox training tape

  • @NathanMeyersIsAwesome

    @NathanMeyersIsAwesome

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@CathodeRayDude it made me think of the laserdiscs we used to watch in my middle and high school classes 😂

  • @softchassis
    @softchassis3 жыл бұрын

    The total gap in communal knowledge about the EIAJ plug is *mindblowing*

  • @StevenBradford
    @StevenBradford3 жыл бұрын

    As an old dude who used eiaj VTRs and EIAJ connectors when they were new, i really appreciate your fresh enthusiasm for these topics . I never really thought about how people today are unaware of these gaps, because i used all of these cameras and recorders, but you’re absolutely right ht!

  • @benullom2301

    @benullom2301

    3 жыл бұрын

    Yes when you start breaking it down and realizing initially it took two different devices, plus your wires, the first the camera just to capture the signal and a separate device with your storage tape. Some of those first portable units were only that by name, since you literally had to have a place to set some of it down and even plug it in, because it was not truly mobile, I think that's where the term remote location started being used. It's interesting to see how far the technology has come. Imagine if he had covered the old large reel to reel systems used in professional movie making as well, I think some of the very first were 1920s or earlier. (essentially the same technology seen miniaturized in the very first home video recording systems).

  • @genius1a

    @genius1a

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@benullom2301 You forget about the basic point: Portable meant you could take recordings out on the field, without a generator and a car to give you power and machinery. Of course you could make that before, using a film camera. But that included a constant changing of incredibly expensive to develop reels, waiting for development and time consuming cutting afterwards. So having a portable Video Tape recorder was huge! Of course it was lame, compared to the following camcorders. But as such, we will be loughed at in a decade, with our constant power plug hungry and sunlight shy smartphones that cost a fortune. Remember, there was a time we had portable phones that had a battery that lasted for 2 Weeks. What if a future smartphone generation can do that, including constant use. What will our current 1000 Dollar smartphone be worth then?

  • @benullom2301

    @benullom2301

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@genius1a touching on the two week battery life. That was back before we even had smartphones and a lot of phones were Nokia, I don't even think they exist anymore, at least I don't see them. Lithium ion does have more capacity but the phones just eat up power, it's surprising they last as long as they do. The screen is the big culprit it takes a lot of the battery power to light it.

  • @TassieLorenzo

    @TassieLorenzo

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@genius1a Hey, plenty of good budget phones have 5000-6000 mAh batteries! Not everyone wants some $1000 flagship that allocates more priority to performance or features than a battery. [It seems to be increasingly hard to find a budget phone with optical image stabilisation on the camera though. :(]

  • @joejarvis2497

    @joejarvis2497

    5 ай бұрын

    Same I didn’t know that people were unaware of EIAJ and video camera’s of this era. It’s really not a big deal and saying nobody knows about this or remember it was hyperbolic by this channels creator.

  • @CathodeRayDude
    @CathodeRayDude3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you to everyone who's commented, I really appreciate the response! I wanted to mention that I have not yet completed the subtitling for this video because I've been working on it for so long that looking at it makes me sick; as soon as I can stomach it I'll get proper CC in place.

  • @Gloworm17

    @Gloworm17

    3 жыл бұрын

    As someone who does have harder time hearing certain sounds, I certainly do appreciate proper CC. However you speak clearly enough that the auto-gen had no trouble I seen understanding you! While no substitute to proper CC, the auto-gen certainly provided to get me through the video with no issue.

  • @crazEgamer201

    @crazEgamer201

    3 жыл бұрын

    Adding my comment to feed the almighty algorithm! This video is great, keep up the good work friend, you've earned a sub.

  • @johnnymnemonic5413

    @johnnymnemonic5413

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hey man, this is a GREAT documentary and you are doing a fantastic and really important job of preserving the history. If you want some insight into 70's media (and the reasons for distrust in them) I can really recommend you "Manufacturing Consent" by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky.

  • @jamesslick4790
    @jamesslick47903 жыл бұрын

    LOL, I am OLD. When he was first showed the Camcorders, I thought "Those are camcorders, NOT video cameras. A camcorder is a video CAMera WITH a built in reCORDER." - And then he went on to explain, LOL. PS Your web cam is a "modern" example of a "video camera" -sans recorder.

  • @PureFalcon1
    @PureFalcon13 жыл бұрын

    it feels like every single advertisement before like, 1995 was just some variation on "ey have you guys seen these broads, amirite fellas?"

  • @fluffycritter
    @fluffycritter3 жыл бұрын

    The instant you showed the camera and said that nobody would know what it was made me feel very old, as I definitely used that exact camera as a teenager and had not, in fact, forgotten about the original split camera-recorder systems that camcorders were an improvement over.

  • @PassengerPigeonsLE
    @PassengerPigeonsLE3 жыл бұрын

    I picked up an old camera like that at a garage sale, has the same EIAJ connector, and I later picked up a box to power it and convert it to RCA. Never really looked into the connector, never knew how obscure but universal it is!

  • @S7EVE_P
    @S7EVE_P2 жыл бұрын

    There’s a guy on KZread who seemed to record alot of his life starting in the 1980s when he was about 14 and for about 20 years after. Him and his friends on BMX bikes, later his cars and parties etc. I love watching these things and seeing how life was all thanks to these cameras

  • @ZGGuesswho
    @ZGGuesswho3 жыл бұрын

    this video is dry but you keep it in your mouth a while and it melts

  • @arantes6
    @arantes63 жыл бұрын

    This is Technology Connexions-level quality. And yeah, it's high praise.

  • @fisqual

    @fisqual

    3 жыл бұрын

    At least... I can't believe I only found this channel last week.

  • @SirRobertDole2

    @SirRobertDole2

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@fisqual the algorithm decided it was time

  • @locke103

    @locke103

    3 жыл бұрын

    ah, a fellow fan of alec. i see you are a man of culture as well.

  • @bchoward0000

    @bchoward0000

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@fisqual Agree!

  • @RedMeansRecording
    @RedMeansRecording3 жыл бұрын

    Ok but that intro tag is fucking rad also the production quality on this is absolutely wild

  • @turtle_soda
    @turtle_soda3 жыл бұрын

    I love this. It went from a history lesson on tape to making me want to take down “the man”.

  • @JesseDEngland
    @JesseDEngland3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this. If you're curious, the short film "VTR St-Jacques" documents an early activist exploration of the social possibilities of portable video equipment (specifically those Sony CV-2000s and Video Rovers.) It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 1969 and can be found on their website to view for free, if you wish.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    wow, thank you! i'll check this out!

  • @Leo9ine
    @Leo9ine3 жыл бұрын

    This is seriously one of my all time favorite video essays. So much history that never made it into the "mainstream" of youtube tech retrospectives. Thank you for this, I never knew how much I needed to have those gaps filled.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    And thank you for watching!

  • @Oniontpf
    @Oniontpf3 жыл бұрын

    Aesthetically perfect blue gradient and public school synth. Now I know why my parents basement has plastic tubs of 8mm reel, a Sony VHS camera, and how we got from one to the other.

  • @AntiPseudo
    @AntiPseudo3 жыл бұрын

    I'm impressed how every since video I've seen of yours so far has been touching on a topic I thought I knew a lot about, and still manages to drag me through a rabbit hole of history that I didn't even know existed!

  • @forestaeon
    @forestaeon3 жыл бұрын

    That JVC commercial at 19:54 is a big yikes. Great work! I'd definitely watch any follow up rabbit hole you jumped down around this, or likely any other subject

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    subscribe if you haven't and keep an eye out! at a minimum i'll be doing videos eventually about my army of old tube based cameras!

  • @brantisonfire

    @brantisonfire

    3 жыл бұрын

    No that’s awesome, come on. It was the 80s, dude.

  • @TetsuDeinonychus

    @TetsuDeinonychus

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@brantisonfire The guy's being a creep, but that's the joke. He just ends up with video of bikini girls telling him to buzz-off.

  • @trinitron384
    @trinitron3843 жыл бұрын

    As an A/V enthusiast, this video is an absolute blessing! Amazing work!

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank you! I'm here for my fellow Enthusiasts

  • @FunkyKong
    @FunkyKong3 жыл бұрын

    Great video. It might be good to include "EIAJ connector" or similar in your description or even title just to help with those searching about it in the future!

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    you're right, this reminds me that I completely forgot to create any keywords! whoops! thank you!

  • @tookitogo

    @tookitogo

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well, I don’t think it’d be wise to try and establish “EIAJ connector” to refer to the 10-pin camera connector, because “EIAJ connector” is already firmly established as the term for the EIAJ-defined system of DC barrel plugs. (It not only defines the plug dimensions, but also pairs each size with a specific voltage range, so that devices don’t get damaged by overvoltage.) It seems that “10-pin camera connector” and the like is the most common term, but if it does have an official name, it’s not easy to find.

  • @tvamsterdamonline

    @tvamsterdamonline

    2 жыл бұрын

    Sony introduced a 14 pin connector, (HVC3000), to plug it into a VHS portable (with the J10 plug) you needed an adapter (this was in 1981).

  • @ChristianKoehler77
    @ChristianKoehler773 жыл бұрын

    Please don't forget the system called "VCR" released by Philips and Grundig in 71/72. It used cassettes, offered full frame rate, full resolution, color and even stereo. Quality was like VHS. It was aimed at consumers and it had some commercial success. Video cassettes for consumers did not start with beta. There were portable machines and there was even editing equipment that allowed editing with single frame precision. It was only released in Europe and Africa, PAL only. Tech history tends to forget things not sold in the USA.

  • @purplegill10
    @purplegill103 жыл бұрын

    I'm genuinely shocked that this has only 6k views. That's an absolute _travesty_ for the quality this brings. I've sent this to a few of my tech chats to hopefully get this more traction. Hopefully you'll get your break soon enough.

  • @olddisneylandtickets
    @olddisneylandtickets3 жыл бұрын

    This video was outstanding! I feel like I just visited the best Home Video Museum ever - Thank You for all the hard work and research, wow!

  • @DJAllOut
    @DJAllOut3 жыл бұрын

    Just stumbled on your channel, great stuff! I'd love to see more like this, where you dive into the details of forgotten tech history. Since the 90s, I've been fascinated by analog TV descramblers for cable and satellite, and it seems no one has done a full video on how they work and how it started. It would be awesome if you did something like that.

  • @quieky
    @quieky3 жыл бұрын

    Watching this video makes me realize how fortunate I was to come across a working Sony AVC-3400 with it's portable recorder 10 years ago. When I turned it on for the first time I was hooked on how the quality of the image looked and enjoyed its limited quality atheistic. Thank-you for putting together this history and it was really cool to see how the device that I have fits into it!

  • @natethefighter
    @natethefighter3 жыл бұрын

    I've been curious about those early home-friendly open reel video machines. Thank you for FINALLY putting them in some sort of historical context!

  • @lev3k
    @lev3k2 жыл бұрын

    I should note that I became a Patreon supporter based on this video. I know this can't happen every time, but I appreciate the piece at the end discussing what people actually tried to do with this tech.

  • @DJignyte
    @DJignyte3 жыл бұрын

    I want you to stay motivated. I see your videos as being like Technology Connections or Techmoan, but with your own unique style and look, which I hope you continue to refine. The first video of yours I came across, I enjoyed - and it was surprising to see that you only had ~8k subs given the level of information and research that went into it, as well as the production quality. I'm sure that if you keep it up, you'll be as well known as the aforementioned. Keep it up, mate. You're doing beautifully!

  • @trueilarim
    @trueilarim3 жыл бұрын

    Wow, I was amazed to see so few subscribers since this felt like content produced in 500k subs channel. Subbed

  • @jojib7621
    @jojib76212 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this video a few years ago i worked in my high school theatre and there was a 10 pin in the tech booth that nobody knew what it was for (this theatre was built in the mid 70s) and now i realize how cutting edge that mustve been to have wired in video capability with the recorder being in the booth and the camera being wherever the director wanted considering the flexibility of the overhead wiring network. I'm now the only one who knows what that connector was for

  • @Wolf359HeavyIndustries
    @Wolf359HeavyIndustries3 жыл бұрын

    When I was a little kid and first heard the word I thought it was "camquarter" because they were about a quarter size of the professional cameras at the time. Then I saw it spelled out.

  • @StevenBradford

    @StevenBradford

    3 жыл бұрын

    There was an attempt by Bosch to sell a news camera called the QuarterCam. It used quarter inch tapes. The prototypes were tested by ABC at the 1984 Olympics but Betacam had already established an unbeatable lock on the broadcast camcorder market for another 12 years.

  • @kewlkiddekottle
    @kewlkiddekottle3 жыл бұрын

    What a video! The way you have demonstrated the mass forgetting of such a ubiquitous device (the "half-inch") and related technology is certainly something I am going to keep thinking about as I continue to learn about all the many things we keep forgetting.

  • @sonarun
    @sonarun3 жыл бұрын

    Seriously though, you should become KZread famous and rich because you are producing incredible content. Subscribed.

  • @christopherfairfax64
    @christopherfairfax643 жыл бұрын

    I watch one youtube video a year and I'm really glad it was this one, great work!! I am always glad to watch your latest documentary about technology I've never heard of

  • @BertGrink
    @BertGrink3 жыл бұрын

    I am old enough to have witnessed the advent of home VTRs firsthand, so this video was quite nostalgic. 😁

  • @burnerwolf4401
    @burnerwolf44013 жыл бұрын

    thank you for this! lately i've been interested in learning about home videos, and technology from when i grew up/even before me. this was very cool.

  • @fevengr9245
    @fevengr92453 жыл бұрын

    Good information! Another company involved in home video recording in the early 70s was Cartrivision in San Jose, CA. Their machines used ½” video tape in a stacked reel cartridge format and recorded in full color using a skip field recording technique. The machines were too expensive and not packaged or marketed well (along with a host of other problems) and the company went bankrupt. A lot of unsold machines (along with a black & white camera AND microphone) were sold in the mid 70s for dirt cheap. I got one then and still have it. After a few years of use it sat idle for about 40 years. I replaced a belt and did some other minor repairs and got it working again.

  • @TheKingScrod

    @TheKingScrod

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'd be very interested in talking to you about your CV player, especially if it does still work.

  • @tombuck
    @tombuck2 жыл бұрын

    This is unreal. Thanks for putting all the work into it!

  • @timrb
    @timrb3 жыл бұрын

    I grew up with my grandfather having a camcorder. I want to say it was a National branded VCR that had these great big NiCad or sealed lead acid batteries that slotted in the front. It had a faux leather over the shoulder case that held the VCR, with a clear vinyl window so you could see the buttons and protect it from the elements. He always had the neatest gadgets.

  • @oldpolishguy253

    @oldpolishguy253

    3 жыл бұрын

    Geez my grandfather had a Brownie box camera...

  • @brreeaad
    @brreeaad3 жыл бұрын

    This is honestly astonishing, everything about this video is so damn good.

  • @Jasonliggett69
    @Jasonliggett693 жыл бұрын

    You’ve got a great thing going! I love the nostalgia and forgotten information. From one creative to another, don’t be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone, I believe you have real knack for informative content and could make interesting works on anything your interested in. Way to go!!

  • @IsmaelIszlonn
    @IsmaelIszlonn3 жыл бұрын

    I'm so glad I found your channel. Its exactly the type of content I like and usually consume but with loads of info I've never seen before. Thank you for putting so much effort into this videos.

  • @schmatzler
    @schmatzler3 жыл бұрын

    That was really enjoyable. Very good production value, too! You deserve way more subs! :)

  • @ecnepsnaiold
    @ecnepsnaiold3 жыл бұрын

    Good gravy, that JVC advertisement... Great video!

  • @tylerzerbe6861
    @tylerzerbe68613 жыл бұрын

    I had one of those rover cams with the goofy plug back in the late 80s/early 90s. It had a power brick/some kind of signal processor. Never got ahold of the tape/recorder unit for it as i picked it up at a yardsale. I managed to adapt it to my little black and white tv and i could see a live feed of whatever the camera saw on my tv. My buddy managed to find another one in his grandparents' attic but again no recorder. We ended up stringing a bunch of coax cables together with barrel connecters from radioshack to connect the feed from my camera to the tv in his room and vice versa.....strung the cables out my window, thru a tree, and into his window. Viola video conferencing. ....then our parents got pissed off that we'd swiped every unused coax cable from both our houses to create what they thought would be a nice lightning rod and made us take the whole thing down. Still, 12 year old me thought this was the raddest thing ever. The picture quality sucked, but man, we thought we were the jetsons.

  • @funksterdotorg
    @funksterdotorg3 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating and different portrayal of this history, thanks for taking the time to make it!

  • @futuremutant
    @futuremutant3 жыл бұрын

    Your narration and the general structure of this is Aces man! Really enjoyable.

  • @NiemandKatzchen
    @NiemandKatzchen3 жыл бұрын

    This is it! This is great! Thanks for collating all of this information into one place. "Typical" in that title provides a lot of tension. Also, excellent points about how home film vs home video were recorded.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    let me tell you , in re: "typical", i had to back off my verbiage like 4 times to make sure i wasn't inadvertently insulting anyone. the original script was basically me going "everyone just lies about all this!" when that isn't true at all!! but yeah, "typical" is carrying a LOT of weight here, and I much prefer it as implicit rather than an explicit callout, heh. thanks for watching!

  • @bunk-o2495
    @bunk-o24953 жыл бұрын

    I love how in depth this all goes. I found it fascinating! thanks for your hard work!

  • @douglashero3261
    @douglashero32612 жыл бұрын

    I just found your channel here on KZread and have been power watching dozens of you programs for 2 or 3 days now. My gosh my man, so good. You're just great -- keep it up!

  • @kerzwhile
    @kerzwhile3 жыл бұрын

    This is historical internet Gold!! Great work!

  • @jamesslick4790
    @jamesslick47903 жыл бұрын

    22:30 Ad for the Sears C131. A peeve of mine: When discussing home movie cameras: People who call 8mm or 16mm FILM cameras "video cameras" or "camcorders".(not uncommon on Craigslist and eBay, LOL!) UGHH. "Video" is an ELECTRONIC form of motion picture. Film cameras do NOT make "video". While it IS perfectly OK to call a film camera or an analog (or digital) video camera or camcorder a "movie" camera, (as "movie" is slang for "motion picture") it's NOT ok to call a film camera a video camera.

  • @jarekjagielski366
    @jarekjagielski3663 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video, thanks for making it! Nice to see yet another person on YT sharing the interest in vintage video equipment. I knew most of the stuff you mentioned, but it was still a pleasure to watch. Never heard of the Videofreex - definitely a topic I have to dive into.

  • @mattsword41
    @mattsword413 жыл бұрын

    Love how densely packed this video is and the pace maintained throughout. Never gets dull or waffley!

  • @LowellMorgan
    @LowellMorgan3 жыл бұрын

    It’s like you’ve discovered a lost civilization

  • @LaskyLabs
    @LaskyLabs3 жыл бұрын

    "Great sound too~" Keep it in your pants mate.

  • @hunterdawson7718
    @hunterdawson77183 жыл бұрын

    This channel is criminally underrated, your content is top tier man

  • @AuntBibby
    @AuntBibby3 жыл бұрын

    love seeing those acid-inspired diagrams. im sure they seemed at the time like they needed to be communicated to others!!! reminds me of the mspaint scribbles in jordan peterson’s “maps of meaning” LOL

  • @altastral
    @altastral3 жыл бұрын

    anything else? any other,, details? really though, great story, thanks for telling it!

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    ANYTHING ELSE??? ANY OTHER < < < DETAILS ?

  • @RabbitEarsCh
    @RabbitEarsCh3 жыл бұрын

    This video is an absolute blessing and I had no idea about almost any of the camcorder history, as my family was mostly involved in production broadcasting so I only really knew the professional side until my uncle showed up with his fancy VHS camcorder many years later. Very well put together and very worth it. However, I have one thing to add to the timeline, and I don't fault you for not including it as I only found out about it through a series of strange coincidences. The first home video cassette format, i.e. something actually aimed at consumers and not U-matic, was made by an American company, the format called Cartrivision, released in 1972. This system allowed not only for timeshifting on a cassette-based system, but also allowed for home movie recording (provided it happened within your home, as you needed to plug the camera into the unit). The problem, and why you've never heard of it, is that it was only sold integrated into certain television sets, which were really expensive, and most of the tapes were rentals with a "rental-only" switch on them, a historical predecessor of the self-erasing DVDs the MPAA tried to push for in the early 2000s. I personally found out about it via the fact that the only taping of the last time the New York Knicks won the championship was on a home-recorded Cartrivision tape, as the broadcast videotape had turned to mush. Here's a source on the Knicks: www.creativecontentwire.com/duart-relies-on-nucoda-to-get-lost-and-found/ And here's videolabguy's transfers of original Cartrivision material, including a video "manual" for the device: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lHegrJNrlqvSZaQ.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/oox5y6xqlZmvoc4.html His website is quite informative on the development of the device as well: www.labguysworld.com/Museum017.htm (his site is also full of references to some of the VTRs you noted!) On a final note - really, U-matic came out in 1969? My dad had some archive videotape from a live performance that went on TV in 1984 that was recorded on U-Matic, and a couple other U-Matic broadcast tapes from that time...that's quite a lifetime for that technology; they were still using it very actively for archive work in Venezuelan TV through the 80s.

  • @BravoCharleses
    @BravoCharleses6 ай бұрын

    This is my favorite video on KZread. Thank you, Gravis, for making it.

  • @gammaboost
    @gammaboost2 жыл бұрын

    Kind of dissapointed that it was all from a North American perspective, no V2000 and "VCR" formats, but the video was still very informative.

  • @kilovoltamp
    @kilovoltamp3 жыл бұрын

    I'm always glad to see an update from you and this one is incredible, especially packed in to only 30 minutes.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    thank you! i worked REALLY hard to pack it into 30 minutes without sounding *completely* rushed and I'm surprised everyone else is actually keeping up with it - to my ears it sounds like a maddening flurry of information far too fast to digest, but my test audience all said it was perfect as-is so I stopped fighting with myself and released it.

  • @benedwards1047
    @benedwards10473 жыл бұрын

    Great video - I really do appreciate all the work that you must have put into editing this - not to mention the research - top notch! It just shows that great TV programs can be made completely independently. I have a few 80s JVC cameras, also really into the Panasonic switchers - its a great hobby as stuff can picked up so cheap on ebay still. Keep it up!

  • @ivanhostiuk9398
    @ivanhostiuk93982 жыл бұрын

    This was the first video I watched from you, and I'm still keeping up with all your uploads. Fascinating video, and great work (this is applicable to pretty much all of them).

  • @jimmyguy428
    @jimmyguy4282 жыл бұрын

    I'm re-watching this again in January 2022. Your videos are always great quality, and keeps me glued to the monitor the whole time. Please keep up the good work! Your channel is vastly underrated!

  • @Paraphen
    @Paraphen3 жыл бұрын

    Been following you on twitter for a while and I've always enjoyed when you'd post about some weird thing you noticed, dug into and found all these unseen details of, so it's great to see that but with a little more polish. Hope you'll have time to make something like this again

  • @ospididious
    @ospididious2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for filling in the gaps that most had forgotten. I, being in my middle aged times, knew about a lot of this but even I learned something today. Keep up the great work.

  • @Johnnyversetti6969
    @Johnnyversetti69693 жыл бұрын

    Love this channel, I know the absolute slighest on most of this, but I still geek at being able to pinpoint exact moments in technologic history. Thanks a ton!

  • @kevins5016
    @kevins50162 жыл бұрын

    Not sure how I stumbled onto your channel but I have spent the past 2 hours watching your work. It's obvious you have a strong passion for what you do, and a awesome ability to tell stories about it in a well thought out way. Your doing a superb job and earned another subscriber. Keep it up.

  • @jupo42
    @jupo422 жыл бұрын

    My dad started an editing studio out of our house in 1990, when I was 10, so I grew up around prosumer grade equipment... Hi-8 camcorders, big SVHS and 3/4"SP decks, Toaster/Flyer, and so on... but it blew my mind when I saw corporate video footage being recorded circa 1995 at my mom's workplace with a portapak-style betacam setup. Even that late in the game, footage was still being captured with discrete video cameras and battery-powered VTRs. Any time since that I've seen equipment like this, I always assumed it was high end studio gear, so It's remarkable that it was a consumer-oriented technology that far back. Thanks for presenting this history of it here.

  • @hxdmain
    @hxdmain3 жыл бұрын

    my parents have been recording weddings since the 70's. They had a recorder, or a battery pack and audio set up, in a messenger bag well into the early 00's. Nice to learn about the predecessors.

  • @VideoCityLimits
    @VideoCityLimits3 жыл бұрын

    I'm so glad you took the time and care to do this, I had always had this kind of nebulous idea that there had been home movie cameras with separate recorders, but I had never followed up on, or imagined, that the market was so competitive and innovative up until the first camcorders.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Yeah, this is something that I think we could arrive on by thinking real hard about it, but nobody ever seems to (including myself) until it's right in front of them. I felt I had a duty to help!

  • @wedusk
    @wedusk3 жыл бұрын

    I hope you continue to make such amazing content. Loved the retro title/audio.

  • @johndododoe1411
    @johndododoe14113 жыл бұрын

    Around 1980-1981 I recall a family acquaintance that had the portable Betamax system consisting of camera, shoulder carried recorder and a same size electronics box that handled some signal conversion stuff (maybe tuner/modulator for TV hookup and time shifting). Oh, and this is in Europe, with no commercial networks needing the 2/3 hour timezone shift used in the US, anything broadcast Europe-wide was actual live events through the Eurovision collaboration network, such as their song contest. Their logo was a stylized microwave relay network like the one assembled on each occasion from state broadcast network infrastructure. Oh, and at school, educational videos were sometimes played from the schools movable U-matic machine getting rolled into class with a TV on top, they had an identical rig with VHS, all under lock and key.

  • @GataZGinkgo
    @GataZGinkgo3 жыл бұрын

    so well done! big thanks for crediting all of your sources, this is a goldmine of research that was as entertaining as it was intensely interesting to watch! also gotta appreciate the network shoutout, one of my favorite movies.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @Meguminimal
    @Meguminimal3 жыл бұрын

    This was an excellent timeline that produced a fair bit of fodder for chatter for me and my friends, and it's information I can keep tucked in my pocket as I dig through the myriad bygone junk my father has collected over his long life. Still, excellent framing of the video and good job keeping it interesting and moving forward throughout the whole length. I really do miss this era, when technology was something you could see and touch.

  • @adampettus
    @adampettus3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your hard work. I enjoy your thoroughness and quality editing.

  • @GameCrazed45
    @GameCrazed453 жыл бұрын

    This channel is a hidden gem and I will share and promote your content as it deserves more eyes on it.

  • @meowcula
    @meowcula3 жыл бұрын

    Excellent episode. I just discovered your channel and you're making some great content. I'm a big fan of both Techmoan and Technology Connections, and you distinguish yourself with this wonderful, original research and your own unique style and humour. It's a pleasure to share your fascination with old tech. Love it.

  • @WSNO
    @WSNO2 жыл бұрын

    My absolute hero. You always find the coolest freaking stuff and I love the way you share it. Thank you so much!!!

  • @GamingPsychologist
    @GamingPsychologist3 жыл бұрын

    Really loving the style of this content you are producing. Good solid documentary / educational. You have a great speaking voice and good cadence.

  • @robmcleod2876
    @robmcleod28763 жыл бұрын

    Your videos are a goldmine. Definitely on the same level of the other youtubers you mention and just as informative. Thanks for the effort that was obviously put in to trying to complete this video in particular.

  • @brhfl2812
    @brhfl28123 жыл бұрын

    Wonderfully comprehensive history. Quite a bit of this was familiar to me via working with broadcast equipment and rummaging through miscellaneous electronic artifacts at amateur radio festivals, but I've never seen such a thorough & comprehensive retrospective. Bizarre to me that the EIAJWTF cable didn't even get a seat at the Wikipedia table, and the preservationist in me continues to wonder what obsolete tech knowledge is still a gap in this internet that we tend to think Has It All.

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    the internet does not have all the answers! in fact, it almost DENIES you the answers! when you try to search for this stuff, google tends to prefer results about newer, more popular stuff, so it implicitly, unintentionally erases this history. if people were to spread this knowledge around, google et al would sprinkle in a few more results about older tech!

  • @ryandary
    @ryandary3 жыл бұрын

    That was an insanely great rundown of video history, and I loved that revolutionaries got some coverage, too.

  • @jonnystiztv
    @jonnystiztv3 жыл бұрын

    You put an insane amount of effort into these videos I really appreciate that man, nice stuff

  • @happens4656
    @happens46563 жыл бұрын

    Just found your channel and it's epic!! Excited to see more

  • @kinotechnika241
    @kinotechnika2413 жыл бұрын

    Omg! One of the best content about home video history I’ve ever seen on KZread! Nice work! Thank you!

  • @MichaelGisiger
    @MichaelGisiger3 жыл бұрын

    Dude, this is great! You really deserve a bigger audience.

  • @SixArmedSweater
    @SixArmedSweater2 жыл бұрын

    You have opened my eyes to entire new realms of history here. Spectacularly done!

  • @JennyLeigh2001
    @JennyLeigh20013 жыл бұрын

    This was great! You clearly have a fantastic talent in research and a great knowledge in electronics. Thank you for making such an interesting and cool video about this. Cant wait to watch more!

  • @casbrin9373
    @casbrin93733 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you released this against the odds.

  • @StevenStaton
    @StevenStaton3 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating! Enjoy the reference to Tech Connections. Kudos for finding the early video news advocates. The offbeat uses of technology are often the forgotten starts for later trends and you stitched that together wonderfully.

  • @alexannal
    @alexannal3 жыл бұрын

    This is the second thing I have seen on your channel. I have enjoyed both quite a lot. Good still, information and entertaining. Keep up the good work and I hope you have a lot of success.

  • @littlewashu88
    @littlewashu883 жыл бұрын

    This was absolutely fascinating! Great job with the research and presenting it all in an engaging way. I've seen Techmoan and Technology Connections video related content but this really fleshed out a much bigger picture. Great work!

  • @GadgetGurusGlobal
    @GadgetGurusGlobal3 жыл бұрын

    I love your content because I always learn somethings, feel a sense of amazement and it surprises me to when I can watch something for 30 minutes and be completely engaged. Thank you and please keep up the awesome work 💜🙏

  • @timrb
    @timrb3 жыл бұрын

    Finally got time to watch the whole thing. Subscribed and hit the bell. Lots of interesting stuff in here. Thanks for making this!

  • @CathodeRayDude

    @CathodeRayDude

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for subscribing!!!

  • @migueldoliveiracomposer
    @migueldoliveiracomposer3 жыл бұрын

    This is the kind of content I'm here for. Brilliant job. Subbed immediately.

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