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Video Cassette Recording

Video Cassette Recording (VCR) is an early domestic
analog recording format designed by Philips. It was the first Video Cassette Recording
successful consumer-level home videocassette recorder
(VCR) system. Later variants included the VCR-LP and
Super Video (SVR) formats.

The VCR format was introduced in 1972, just after the Sony
U-matic format in 1971. Although at first glance the two
might appear to have been competing formats, they were
aimed at very different markets. After failing as a consumer Media type Video recording
format,[1] U-matic was marketed as a professional television media
production format, whilst VCR was targeted particularly at Developed by Philips
educational but also domestic users. Unlike some other Usage Home video,
early formats such as Cartrivision, the VCR format does
Educational use
record a high-quality video signal without resorting to Skip
field. Released 1972

Home video systems had previously been available,

but they were open-reel systems (such as the Sony
CV-2000) and were expensive to both buy and
operate. They were also unreliable and often only
recorded in black and white such as the EIAJ-1. The
VCR system was easy to use and recorded in colour
but was still expensive: when it was introduced in
1972 the N1500 recorder cost nearly £600
(equivalent to £8,400 in 2021). By comparison, a
An N1500 video recorder, with wooden
small car (the Morris Mini) could be purchased for
cabinet.
just over £600.

The VCR format used large square cassettes with 2

co-axial reels, one on top of the other, containing
half inch (12.7 mm) wide chrome dioxide magnetic
tape. Three playing times were available: 30, 45 and
60 minutes. The 60-minute videocassettes proved
very unreliable, suffering numerous snags and
breakages due to the very thin 17μm video tape.
Tapes of 45 minutes or less contained 20 μm
thickness tape. The mechanically complicated
recorders themselves also proved somewhat VCR-format video cassettes with one inside
unreliable. One particularly common failing a case (left) and the other on its own
occurred should tape slack develop within the (right). A CD is shown for scale.
cassette; the tape from the top (takeup) spool may
droop into the path of the bottom (supply) spool and
become entangled in it if rewind was selected. The cassette would then completely jam and
require dismantling to clear the problem, and the tape would then be creased and damaged.

The system predated the development of the slant azimuth technique to prevent crosstalk
between adjacent video tracks, so it had to use an unrecorded guard band between tracks. This

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required the system to run at a high tape speed of 11.26[2] inches per second.

The Philips VCR system brought together many advances in video recording technology to
produce the first truly practical home video cassette system. The very first Philips N1500 model
included all the essential elements of a domestic video cassette recorder:

▪ Simple loading of cassette and simple operation using "Piano Key" controls, with full
auto-stop at tape ends.
▪ A tuner for recording off-air television programmes.
▪ A clock with timer for unattended recordings.
▪ A modulator to allow connection to a normal (for the time) television receiver without
audio and video input connectors.

The Philips VCR system was marketed only in the U.K., mainland Europe, Australia and South
Africa. In mid-1977, Philips announced they were considering distribution of the format in
North America, and it was test marketed for several months. Because the format was initially
designed only for use with the 625-line 50 Hz PAL system, VCR units had to be modified in
order to work with the 60 Hz NTSC system. Unfortunately, for mechanical and electronic
reasons, the tape speed had to be increased by 20%, which resulted in a 60-minute PAL tape
running for 50 minutes in a NTSC machine. DuPont announced a thinner videotape
formulation that would allow a 60-minute NTSC VCR tape (and roughly 70 minutes in PAL),
but the tape was even less reliable than previous formulations. Ultimately, Philips abandoned
any hope of trying to sell their VCR format in North America, partly because of the reliability
issues, and partly because of the introduction of VHS that same year.

Contents
Variants
Cassette playing times
Models
N1500 (1972)
N1460 (Released 1973)
N1501 (Released 1974)
N1502 (Released 1976)
N1512 (Released 1976)
N1700 (Released 1977)
N1702 (Released 1979)
Grundig models

Replacement
References
External links

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Variants
VCR later evolved into a related format known as VCR-LP.
This exploited slant azimuth to greatly increase the
recording time. Although both formats used identical VCR
cassettes, the recordings were incompatible between the two
systems, and few if any dual-format recorders existed.
Philips N1700, released in 1977, supported the VCR-LP
format.

A later even longer-playing variant, Super Video (SVR)

was manufactured by Grundig exclusively. SVR was Philips N1702. A VCR-LP recorder.
designed to exclusively use BASF- and Agfa-manufactured
chrome-dioxide tape in cassettes that were identical to the
earlier Philips ones, with the exception of a small actuator
added to the bottom of the cassette. This meant that only the
BASF/Agfa tapes would work in SVR machines, but that
such tapes could also be used in the older VCR and VCR-LP
machines. Just as VCR-LP recordings are incompatible with
VCR, so SVR recordings are incompatible with both VCR
and VCR-LP. The only model to be built was the Grundig
The rare Grundig SVR4004
SVR4004, with a few detail variations such as optional machine.
audio/video connectors, plus a rebadged ITT 240.

Cassette playing times

This chart provides an overview of playing times (in
minutes) for the most common cassettes released for
standard VCR, VCR-LP and SVR.

VC cassettes were originally developed for standard VCR.

LVC cassettes were developed for VCR-LP, but are
physically identical to VC cassettes. SVC cassettes were
specifically developed for SVR.

Front view of a Philips VC60

cassette.

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Playing time
Tape label
VCR VCR-LP SVR

VC 30 30 65 -**

VC 45 45 97 -

VC 60 60 130 -

LVC 60 27 60 -

LVC 90 41 90 -

LVC 120 55 120 -

LVC 150 69 150 - Rear view of the Philips VC60

cassette with the tape exposed
LVC 180 83* 180 -

SVC 2 30 70 120

SVC 3 50 105 180

SVC 4 65 145 240

*) LVC 180 was not recommended for use in a standard VCR

machine due to a thin tape base.[3]

**) VC and LVC cassettes do not work in a SVR machine.

However, SVC cassettes may be used in VCR and VCR-LP
machines.

Models

N1500 (1972) SVR-compatible cassette (with

running times marked for SVR,
The first Philips machine was model number N1500, after standard VCR and VCR-LP usage)
which the format is also known. This had "first generation"
mechanics including magnetic braking servo systems
applied to relatively large mains voltage induction motors. The outer edge of the cabinet was
wooden. The power cable was detachable, but used an obscure connector for which
replacements are not readily available. The N1520 was a N1500 without TV tuner and timer, but
with editing functions assemble and insert (using four video heads), 2 track linear audio (not
stereo but independent mono channels) and direct AV in/out connections.

N1460 (Released 1973)

Often found in schools and colleges where a few master VCR recorders made off-air recordings
and the cheaper N1460s were used for playback. In Poland, a slightly modified version was
made under the name Unitra magnetowid kasetowy MTV-20.

N1501 (Released 1974)

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AC Mains present all over the place inside: mains motors,

mains clock etc. Slightly improved colour circuitry compared
to the original N1500, also modified field blanking to reduce
flyback interference on some televisions. Cosmetic
variations on the N1500, with black replacing the silver
frontage and black plastic surround rather than wood.
N1501 and VCR video cassettes
N1502 (Released 1976)

The later model N1502 had a totally different mechanism using DC motors and more advanced
electronics, and was somewhat more reliable. A later version again was still called N1502 but
had further significant mechanical and electronic advances, and in particular had a worm drive
for operation of the loading mechanism rather than a fragile plastic gearbox assembly. Earlier
machines had a hardwired mains cable, later ones were fitted with a standard "Figure-8" C7
power socket.

N1512 (Released 1976)

The N1512 model offered composite video input and output connectors, but was otherwise the
same as the N1502. The VCR-LP model N1700 was closely related to the later N1502 variant.
Other, rarer Philips models included stereo sound and editing capabilities. Circuitry and
internal layout was much more modular than the first generation Philips VCRs. Used quiet DC
motors (First generation VCR's used hefty synchronous AC mains motors). Basically this model
was the same as the Philips N1502 with an extra board for video in / out. Channel button 8
selected video in.

N1700 (Released 1977)

Superficially similar to the Philips N1502 both externally and internally. Some components
were interchangeable between the two models. Slower tape-speed and a slant-azimuth
recording technique (to almost eliminate cross-talk between video tracks without using tape-
wasting guard-bands) made possible the longer playing time without a noticeable loss in picture
quality. The mains lead was hard-wired into the machine however later releases of the N1700
had a removable lead - this would become standard on the N1702 model. Also on later models,
presumably as the company had already started production of the N1702, the internal Video
Head is also sometimes labelled as N1702 instead of N1700. The price in the UK was around
£700 which would be over £4000 in 2017. A Skantic branded clone model VCR 1209281 had
the silver top design of the later N1702 model.

Denis Norden promoted this model in the industrial video "The Philips Time Machine".[4]

N1702 (Released 1979)

Similar to the Philips model N1700, the N1702 had a lighter coloured top cover (N1702 was
silver and black whilst the N1700 was grey). A 4-digit counter, a 9-day timer, separate mains
lead (not hardwired in), and a test-pattern generator to aid TV tuning. Tape transport legends in
slightly different position on later N1702's.

Grundig models

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Grundig built a VCR4000 VCR-LP model which had microprocessor control and so treated the
tapes more gently than the purely mechanical decks, and the SVR4004 (longer running SVR
format) model was very similar. Other Grundig models included the VCR3000 (believed to be
VCR format) and VCR5000AV (believed to be the only dual format VCR and VCR-LP machine).

Replacement
In the late 1970s, the VCR formats were superseded altogether by Video 2000 (also known as
'Video Compact Cassette' or VCC). Due to the similar initialisms, and the fact that both were
designed by Philips, the 'VCC' and 'VCR' formats are often confused. However, the two systems
are incompatible, and there are significant differences between them. Some Video 2000
machines carry a modified version of the "VCR" logo,[5] (such as had appeared on the N1500
and N1700[6] machines), adding further to this confusion.

References
1. The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide For the Digital Age, by Steven
Ascher & Edward Pincus (https://books.google.com/books?id=JBKTF9PdgFMC&pg=PT5
6&lpg=PT56&dq=umatic+a+consumer+format&source=bl&ots=uNRPC3O7E2&sig=PhR
p7iMTi-q_-jXP4x8e4z3PTNM&hl=en&ei=3pt9ToC_LdPegQfYwvxF&sa=X&oi=book_result
&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false)
2. N1500 Service Manual published by Philips
3. "Untitled" (http://troysvintagevideo.0catch.com/philipsvcr.html).
troysvintagevideo.0catch.com. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
4. The Philips Time Machine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gPCW1NZDbw) on
YouTube
5. "Memorias de mi Vídeo 2000" (http://noesundesfile.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/memorias-
de-mi-video-2000.html). Retrieved 17 July 2013. (Advert clickable for full-scale scan
showing use of modified "VCR" logo)
6. http://www.betamax-video.de/bilder/systeme/vcr/n1700%20uhr.jpg

External links
▪ Total Rewind - The Virtual Museum of Vintage VCRs (http://www.totalrewind.org)
▪ Mikey's Vintage VTR Page - N1500/'VCR' (http://www.oldtechnology.net/detailsn1500.ht
ml)
▪ Yahoo group dedicated to N1500, N1700 and SVR format machines (http://tech.groups.
yahoo.com/group/philips_vcr/)
▪ Detailed look at N1500, N1700 and SVR format tapes and machines on YouTube (http
s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC_CLEQnM8w)
▪ Video Cassette Recording (VCR) (https://obsoletemedia.org/vcr/) and Video Cassette
Recording Long-Play (VCR-LP) (https://obsoletemedia.org/vcr-lp/) at the Museum of
Obsolete Media

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