Video 2000

Technological innovations

At the time of its launch Video 2000 offered several innovative features unmatched by the competing formats VHS and Betamax:

Thanks to DTF, V2000 is able to play both fields of the image in still frame mode, providing full vertical resolution whereas VHS and Betamax could only reproduce one field, giving only half of the normal vertical resolution. A real advantage of DTF on all but the very first V2000 models is the ability to provide picture search without noise bars across the screen, a feature domestic VHS or Betamax machines were only ever able to approach by introducing complex multi-head drums.

Although Philips and Grundig agreed on a common tape format, they came up with machines that were radically different mechanically. Building on its experience with VCR, Grundig machines featured a Betamax-style loading ring to gently pull the tape around the video heads in a 'U-wrap', while Philips used an 'M-wrap' similar to that in VHS machines. Curiously, when Philips launched its second generation home-grown VHS recorders (VR6467, VR6760, etc) they again used an 'U-wrap' layout. This U-wrap style "Charly" deck was used in many Philips-built VHS recorders well into the first half of the 1990s. Grundig also used U-wrap in its own VHS decks for a short while before reverting to Panasonic-manufactured decks.

Not long before the end of production Philips introduced a half-speed mode, the V2000 XL or eXtra Long, doubling capacity and making it possible to store 16 hours (eight hours per side) on one single tape. This was featured in Philips VR2840 and Grundig's Video 2x8 machines.

Though linear stereo sound was available on some models, both VHS and Betamax were offering hifi stereo sound with near-CD quality by the mid 1980s.

Construction of the Video Compact Cassette

Despite the name, VCCs are marginally larger than VHS cassettes — 5mm shorter, but a millimeter thicker and 6mm deeper. They have two co-planar reels containing half-inch (12.5mm) wide chromium dioxide magnetic tape. The format utilised only a quarter-inch (6.25mm) of the half-inch tape on a given 'side', and so it is occasionally referred to erroneously as a quarter-inch tape format despite its physical tape width.

While VHS and Beta tapes have a break-off tab to protect recordings from erasure (as in audio Compact Cassettes and, once broken, the cavity left by the missing tab must be covered or filled before the tape can be reused), VCCs employ a reversible solution: a switch on the tape edge can be turned to red/orange to protect the recordings, and back to black/brown (depending on the colour of the cassette housing) to re-record. The switch covers/uncovers a hole along the tape edge which is detected by a sensor in the machine.

The tape edge features six such holes along each side of the tape, detected by sensors on the cassette's underside. The left-hand cluster includes the write-protection hole. The right-hand cluster of three is used (by various permutations of open/closed status) to tell the machine the total tape running time. This was employed in second generation machines such as Grundig's Video 2x4 Super to provide a real-time tape counter: upon insertion of the tape the machine moves the tape forward and then backward by a small amount and monitors the comparative angular speed of the reels. This is looked up in a data table for the known total tape length and the hours and minutes used are then displayed. A similar technique was later used on Video8, MiniDV and MicroMV cassettes. Some later VHS machines also featured this ability although it did not work with VHS-C cassettes. NOTE: When Grundig began marketing VHS recorders, its VS2XX series machines employed a similar system, whereby barcoded stickers attached to the tape edge indicated the total tape length to the machine so that it could calculate the time used.

A hole between the two spools enables a pin in the VCR to pass right through the cassette. This pin releases ratchets within the cassette that prevent the tape accidentally becoming slack in transit. The VCR's eject function includes a tape tensioning action prior to the cassette being ejected.

Machines

Recorders in the format were manufactured by Philips and Grundig and marketed additionally by Pye, Bang and Olufsen and ITT in the UK, with Aristona, Erres, Radiola, Siera and Siemens in Europe.

Intended developments

Philips and Grundig intended Video 2000 to improve on the perceived failings of the VHS and Betamax formats whilst providing the potential for further developments. However, the format was withdrawn before many of these possibilities appeared on the market.

The prototype Video Mini Cassette was a compact version of the VCC (analogous to VHS-C) that was playable in existing machines using a full-sized cassette adaptor. Published photos clearly show the nomenclature VMC120, suggesting that 60 minutes per side were possible, but Philips retired Video 2000 before the development was ready for market.

Hifi sound was never marketed although rumours persisted shortly before the format's demise of a hifi machine which utilised the data track. This would have offered the format another advantage over VHS/Beta as the hifi track would be independent of the visuals, and so could be re-recorded or dubbed as became possible later with Video8.

Rumours also circulated in the press of an auto-reverse machine shortly before the format was retired. Technically this would have been a major challenge to enable a single head drum to scan both 'sides' of the tape at the correct angle.

Alongside the write-protect hole were two that were never used. One was slated to indicate the tape formulation as higher coercivity tapes were to be introduced for the 'Super 2000' hi-band version of the format. The flexibility of this system also allowed for metal tape to be introduced for the digital version 'Digital 2000', also in the early stages of development as the format was canceled. Internal documents suggested the cassette abbreviations VSC and VDC to be used, respectively, for the two developments.

Video 2000 and the videotape format war

Philips released the first Video 2000 VCR, the VR2020, in the UK in 1979. Philips models were re-badged as Pye, amongst others, and even re-skinned as Bang & Olufsen, whilst Grundig models were re-badged as ITT. Notably, whilst Siemens had re-badged Grundig VCR machines, for Video 2000 it adopted those from Philips.

A key intention of the V2000 format, particularly those sporting the DTF feature, was tape compatibility. A tape from any machine should play perfectly on any other machine. Unfortunately, when the VR2020 reached the shops it was discovered that its audio head was 2.5mm out of position compared to that on Grundig's Video 2x4. This meant that the sound would be out of sync with the picture when played back on the other type of machine. Both manufacturers' production lines hastily moved the audio head 1.25mm to a common position, but compatibility issues remained for recordings made on the first generation of machines. Furthermore, the required close tolerances and fragility of the DTF system resulted in significant inter-machine compatibility issues which were never fully resolved.

In 1986 Philips announced that it would discontinue manufacturing of Video 2000 recorders, focusing instead on VHS exclusively.

Although Video 2000 was technologically superior to the competition in several ways, it could not compete with VHS and Betamax's key advantages: