Originally Open Reel
In the early days of video, VTR referred to an open reel tape deck in which the tape from the supply reel was manually threaded onto the takeup reel. Ampex introduced the first VTR in 1956. Up until then, all TV, since its inception in 1941, was broadcast live because there was no way to store the video data for playback later. In fact, the main motivation for developing videotape was to be able to air TV shows at the same time of day in different time zones throughout the country.
Open Reel to Videocassette
After videocassette recorders (VCRs) were introduced in the mid-1970s, the VTR still implied an open reel, professional tape recorder in contrast to the consumer Betamax and VHS formats. Later, VTR referred to professional Betacam videocassette machines, and subsequently, to other videocassette products, both professional, prosumer and consumer. See Ampex and VCR.
The First Video Was on Disk
The first video recordings were actually made in 1928 by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird. Resembling 78 RPM records, 10 inches in diameter, Baird's Phonovision discs recorded images from his scanning disc camera. Baird had great difficulty playing back the images, and Phonovision died along with the entire electromechanical approach to TV systems (see NTSC).
![]() | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- TCode 4.2 (Mac)
- TCode was built to assist production assistants and transcription houses who use timecode in their workflow. Requiring only sound card and a VTR, MP3 file, or Time Code Generator, TCode allows you to notate frame accurate data without having to memorize and type it in yourself.
- Software downloads 2009-10-30
- Contour Shuttle 2.1.4 (Mac)
- Contour Design ShuttlePRO V2, ShuttleXpress, and ShuttlePRO driver. Featuring KeyComposer, and new Final Cut Pro/Express settings for the ShuttlePRO V2. Access Multiple Keystroke Combinations with One Touch with Key Composer, Macintosh audio/video application users can now assign multiple keystroke combinations, or macros, to execute from a single button on the...
- Software downloads 2009-04-07
- FCP Manager 1.5.2 (Mac)
- FCP Manager is a software tool designed to allow users to organize their Final Cut Pro preference settings. By using the easy to use FCP Manager interface and saving established preference settings as presets, users can immediately revert back to previously known, stable environments if ever their Final Cut Pro...
- Software downloads 2008-10-15
- Blue Security attack linked to blog crashes
- Blue Security attack linked to blog crashesBlue Security attack linked to blog crashesThey were only blogs, its not like they were missed while the site was down.Blue Security....a good thing!I am so sick of all the spam I get, even my ISP and Norton on my computer doesn't trap it...
- Discussion threads 2006-05-04
- HD camera madness
- HD camera madnessGASP!Zombie films? A man after my own heart! I know this is way off topic but you don't see many people around who particularly like that Genre. And I personally do. I still think that the Zombies in the Ice Rink on The orginal Dawn...
- Discussion threads 2006-04-10
- 9 pin RS422 OCX Controller 1.5.0 (Windows)
- 9 pin RS 422 VTR controller ocx component, allows you to have control over a remote controllable VCR or DDR with sony protocol RS 422, any 9 pin video device can be controlled by this interface, from your Visual Basic application it also can be used in Visual C, HTML...
- Software downloads 2005-06-06
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