[Penthode]

The interesting thing I found after I got it to play SP tapes was it would not play the LP tapes I had. It played LP tapes too fast.

What I found was Panasonic made the VBT-200 not long after JVC established the format. Panasonic on it's own without consulting JVC added the LP mode which is it would record/play half speed so a 2 hour SP tape would record 4 hours.

JVC was not happy and refused to adopt the Panasonic LP and instead put into their standard their own LP mode which was one third speed so a 2 hour SP tape would run 6 hours. JVC insisted other VHS makers as part of their licence agreement only use their LP mode (initially called Extra Long Play or ELP mode). JVC did however concede that licenced VHS machines would play the Panasonic LP mode tapes only.

Because all other VHS makers were on board with the licenced JVc long play mode, Panasonic was the one man out of step. Panasonic quietly dropped their LP mode in the mid 1980s although from 1980 to 1985 I believe they may have included the three record speeds eg SP, LP and ELP. I have a 1994 Panasonic VHS machine with an LP switch which is in actuality an ELP speed switch. It is however labelled LP!

So the VBT-200 records half speed which suggests higher quality and the VBT-200 LP tapes will play on all later VHS machines including machines that cannot themselves record the half speed format!