The last VHS camcorder

[DVtyro]

I got interested, which VHS camcorder was the last one, and who made it?

LGR has an unboxing video of a never used 2003 VHS-C camcorder, but was it the last year a VHS - full-size or compact - camcorder was produced and sold?

I figured that JVC and Panasonic would be the two prime suspects and googled around a bit. I see VHS-C camcorders in the JVC 2005 and 2006 product catalogues. I could not find 2007 and 2008 catalogues, and there are no VHS camcorders in the 2009 catalogue.

I also checked ads in magazines like Popular Photography, and I checked Amazon website, which already existed at that time.

It all points out that 2006 was the last year, but maybe someone has different info. In the meantime I made a short video about the 2006 (well, actually 2005, but it is exactly the same) JVC SVHS-C camcorder, which I consider the last one ever sold, at least in the U.S.

[Electronic M]

I don't have the answer, but this has brought a possible extension of the question to mind. As I understand it the broadcast tape format M (later generations got named M2, M3, M5) was basically a VHS cassette shell usually with higher grade tape stock spooled in. (Basically what Betacam was to Betamax only with oversites like newer gens not being backwards compatible.) Later generations of it supported HD. If you consider the M formats VHS because of the shared cassette shell it's possible a M family broadcast camcorder may have been the last new camcorder to have used a VHS designed tape shell.

[DVtyro]

M was from 1981 to about 1986. Then there was M2 until about 1992. Then D3. There were also W-VHS and D-VHS. I don't consider any of these formats to be some variant of VHS, just like I don't consider Betacam to be a variant of Betamax, or HDV to be a variant of DV just because they use the same cassettes and transport.

In any case, M and M2 died long before VHS died, I actually have a video on the topic, I think I posted the link before, so I am not going to spam here.

OTOH, I consider SVHS to be a variant of VHS. They are similar enough, despite that SVHS tapes would not play correctly on a regular VHS VCR. They would play on an SQPB VCR, and it looks like there are more compatible VCRs than I thought: it seems that only Panasonic used "SQPB" label, other brands simply specified somewhere in the specs that this or that VCR is capable to play SVHS tapes albeit at VHS quality.

I am wondering maybe there was a pro VHS model that was produced past 2006? It seems unlikely though, because camcorders are not directly linked to distribution formats, so camcorder formats can change much quicker without affecting the distrubution. Analog video formats, in particular Betacam SP, but also Hi8, were still used in the late 1990s, but it seems that starting with 2000s everyone has switched to digital for acquisition.

Then again, I only checked the American market. I bet that there were lots of interesting camcorders on the Japanese market that I haven't even heard of.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by DVtyro

M was from 1981 to about 1986. Then there was M2 until about 1992. Then D3. There were also W-VHS and D-VHS. I don't consider any of these formats to be some variant of VHS, just like I don't consider Betacam to be a variant of Betamax, or HDV to be a variant of DV just because they use the same cassettes and transport.



OTOH, I consider SVHS to be a variant of VHS. They are similar enough, despite that SVHS tapes would not play correctly on a regular VHS VCR. They would play on an SQPB VCR, and it looks like there are more compatible VCRs than I thought: it seems that only Panasonic used "SQPB" label, other brands simply specified somewhere in the specs that this or that VCR is capable to play SVHS tapes albeit at VHS quality.

Could have sworn I heard about a broadcast format based on the VHS shell that could do HD.
I probably haven't seen any of your videos....I almost never watch any videos posted on the forums because usually I don't have enough time to watch a video while reading on here.

I've seen SQPB badging on a number of other brands of deck other than Panasonic. I own a mid 90s sharp that boldly says on the tape door S-VHS Quasi-Playback. The others I've seen I didn't buy because back then the thrifts were flooded with decks to the point I only grabbed S-VHS and Betamax machines as I didn't have room to be less picky.

[DVtyro]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I probably haven't seen any of your videos....I almost never watch any videos posted on the forums because usually I don't have enough time to watch a video while reading on here.

I think I've already posted a link to it, but just in case here it is: The format war that Beta has won. It describes the origins and the competition between M / MII on the one side, and Betacam / Betacam SP on the other side, with a couple of other contemporary formats mentioned.

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Could have sworn I heard about a broadcast format based on the VHS shell that could do HD.

Only the original M used real VHS cassette and tape. MII introduced a smaller cassette - so two cassettes total, small and medium - and switched to metal tape, and added extra grooves on the shell, so no VHS anymore. D3 introduced a third cassette size, so small, medium and large. D5 and D5 HD were the development of D3. JVC had D9 and Digital-S, I think their cassette was closer to the original VHS, fewer extra grooves, and I think their machines accepted standard VHS cassettes to play standard VHS off of them, but I don't know for sure.