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The JVC GR-C1 was a camcorder released in March 1984 by JVC and was notable as the first all-in-one VHS camcorder, as opposed to earlier portable systems where the camera and recorder were separate units linked by cable.
It used a 30-minute analogue VHS-C video tape, which could be played back in a standard VHS VCR using an adapter. The camera was also capable of playback in the viewfinder or through a composite video cable. A separate RF modulator was available to enable connection to the aerial socket of domestic televisions. By comparison, the camera's nearest competitor at the time, Sony's Betamovie, could record but not play back. JVC invented the VHS format and released the first VCR of that type, the JVC HR-3300, in 1976.
Unlike later CCD-based camcorders, the GR-C1's image sensor was still based on the older (and less sensitive) video camera tube technology.
Trivia
The JVC GR-C1 was famous as Marty McFly's video camera in the film Back to the Future.
It was voted one of the top 100 gadgets of all time.
It was also released under licence and in a black finish by German company Telefunken as the 890 Movie.