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Revised: May 10, 2009
Video 2000 (or
V2000; also known as Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) was a consumer VCR
system and videotape standard developed by Philips and Grundig to
compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video technologies.
Distribution of Video 2000 products began in 1979 and ended in 1988;
they were marketed exclusively in Europe and Argentina.
Philips originally named the videotape standard Video Compact Cassette (VCC)
to complement their landmark Audio Compact Cassette format introduced in
1963. However Philips chiefly marketed the system under the trademark
Video 2000, while Grundig initially used the name 2x4, reflecting the
maximum recording capacity of 2 x 4 hours. VCC/V2000/2x4 succeeded
Philips's earlier VCR, VCR-LP and Grundig's SVR formats.
Video 2000 offered several innovative features unmatched by the
competing standards, VHS and Betamax:
All Video Compact Cassettes store video and audio on one side of the
tape.
The V2000 scans half the
tape, and by flipping the tape it scans the other half of the tape, thus
doubling playing time.
Because of its Dynamic Track Following (DTF) technology (involving an
advanced, movable video head tip),
V2000 did not require
video tracking control. Note that a few V2000 models lacked DTF.
All V2000 VCRs sported an auto-rewind function (later matched by VHS and
Betamax)
Superior dynamic noise (tape hiss) reduction
Inclusion of a data track alongside the video track
Thanks to DTF, V2000 was able to play both fields of the image in still
frame mode, allowing full vertical resolution, whereas VHS and Betamax
could only reproduce one field, giving only half of the normal vertical
resolution. This was actually more an annoyance than an advantage, as
for non-film material fields are spaced in time and displaying them
together (without modern digital correction) causes flicker. A real
advantage of DTF on many V2000 models was the ability to carry out
picture search without mistracking lines across the screen, a feature
which no domestic VHS or Betamax machine was ever able to completely
match.
Significantly, Philips and Grundig, having agreed on a common tape
format, came up with machines that were radically different
mechanically. The first Grundig machine featured a Betamax-style loading
ring to rotate the tape around the video heads, while Philips utilised
an "M-wrap" similar to that used in VHS machines.
Not long before the end of Video 2000 production, Philips introduced a
long-play cassette, the V2000 XL, with a capacity of eight hours per
side. Philips also created a prototype of a more compact V2000 cassette
(analogous to VHS-C) that was playable in existing units using a
full-sized cassette adaptor, but Philips retired Video 2000 before the
development was ready for market.
Though linear stereo sound was available on some models, Hifi sound was
never marketed. Both VHS and Betamax offered HiFi stereo sound with
near-CD sound quality by the mid 1980s.
Construction of the Video Compact Cassette
Despite the name, VCCs were marginally larger than VHS cassettes—5 mm
narrower, but a millimeter taller and 6 mm deeper.[1][2] They had two
reels containing half-inch (12.5 mm) wide chrome dioxide magnetic tape.
The format utilized only a quarter-inch (6.25 mm) of the half-inch tape
on a given side, and so it is occasionally referred to as a quarter-inch
tape format despite its physical width.
VHS and Beta tapes allow the user to break off a tab on the cassette so
that recordings cannot be erased or overwritten. Once broken, the cavity
left by the missing tab must be covered or filled before the tape can be
reused. VCCs were more flexible; instead of a tab VCCs had a switch to
indicate the length of time a recording should be kept, a technique
later used on Video8, MiniDV and MicroMV cassettes.
Video 2000 and the videocassette format war
Philips released the first Video 2000 VCR, the VR2000, in 1979. Several
other models distributed by Philips, Grundig and Bang & Olufsen
followed, but manufacturing ceased in 1988. Video 2000 eventually lost
the videotape format war, and Betamax followed soon after.
V2000's failure may be partially attributable to its late entrance to
market (slowed by problems in the development of the DTF system). Also,
although it was technologically superior to the competition in several
ways, it could not compete with VHS and Betamax's key advantages:
VHS and Betamax already had established market share and ample
prerecorded video libraries
VHS and Betamax sported slightly better display resolution
VHS and Betamax VCRs were reputedly more reliable.
Betamax camcorders arrived at market first
VHS and Betamax enjoyed international distribution
A key intention of the V2000 format, particularly those sporting the DTF
feature, was to have been tape compatibility: A tape from any machine
should play perfectly on any other machine. Unfortunately, when the
first Philips machine - the VR2020 - reached the shops, it was
discovered that its audio head was 2.5 mm out of position compared to
that on Grundig's 2x4 VCR, which had already been on sale for a year.
Subsequent models from both manufacturers moved the audio head 1.25 mm
to a common position, but compatibility issues remained for recordings
made on the first generation of machines.[3] Furthermore, the required
close tolerances and fragility of the DTF system resulted in significant
inter-machine compatibility issues which were never fully resolved.
By the latter half of the 1980s, Philips had already begun producing
their own VHS-compatible VCRs
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