U-Matic World's First VCR [Sony's Video Cassette Recorder]

‪@WaybackRewind‬ U-Matic was the World's First Video Cassette Recorder (VCR). Created for the home market in 1971 it was a dismal failure. Sony immediately started development of Betamax which met with much more initial success.

But U-Matic would re-invent itself as a professional format for industry and broadcast television. It was a dramatic improvement over 2 inch quad in terms of size and usability. The addition of a smaller cassette for electronic news gathering even further solidified it's domination of the TV market for 3 decades. Working players are no longer in TV stations and it is now one of the more obscure formats. But enjoy this trip back to the 70s.
#video #television #tv #tech #technology