The VHS cassette is the most widely used home entertainment product. It started with BATA and then upgraded itself into the VHS. It is also the longest lasting home video product. Video rental and purchase is multi-million dollar industry, and so the quality has improved dramatically as well as the use of modern technology to create VHS cassettes. (1) The use of magnetic tape for capturing motion pictures by sliding the tape through electrodes and projecting it in video format has revolutionized home video entertainment. (2) Invented by JVC, the VHS cassette has certain advantages that more modern video displays systems lack, and the efficiency level is still at a very high quality with the durability lasting longer than ever before. It is still only home system that allows you to copy video format, it allows you to record whatever is on television and by using two VHS cassette recorders you can record the contents of one video onto another. Though the quality of the picture is less sharp, it is able to record over an existing picture. In other words one cassette can be used for recording over and over again. The VHS cassette is displayed on a television by the use of a VHS cassette recorder or what is more commonly known as a VCR. The VCR rotates the wheels on the VHS cassette causing the magnetic tape to slide past the projector at a certain speed to generate the picture in video format on a television.

The following technical data is based on Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., and is obtained by Tape Technology International, Inc.:

(3) Technical Data:

1. YIELD STRENGTH: Yield strength is measured on the tensile strength tester. One end of the tape of 200mm in length shall be fixed. The other end shall be pulled at the speed of 100mm per minute. The yield strength is defined as the force necessary to produce 5%elongation of the tape.
2. RESIDUAL ELONGATION: Loads of 1.2kg and 20 shall be applied to a test piece of 1 m in length for 10 minutes. Next, the 1.2kg load shall be removed, leaving the 20g load. The residual elongation shall be measured after 10 minutes under the residual load of 20g.
3. SURFACE RESISTIVITY: Two metal electrodes, each section one forth of a circle of about 1cm in radius, shall be set 12.7mm apart. A tape shall be set across the electrodes which are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape and in contact with the magnetic coating side of the tape. Each load of 160g shall be hung down at both ends of the tape. The surface resistivity is defined as the electrical resistance per a half- inch in length and a half inch in width when DC voltage of 500+ 50V is applied between these electrodes. The electrical resistance shall be measured with a meter.
4. TRANSPARENCY: Transparency shall be less than 0.8% measuring with the new method, which has been defined by JVC (VHS licensor) using the VT-1M optical tape tester (manufactured by JVC) or equivalent measuring instrument.
5. OPTIMUM RECORDING CURRENT: Video RF optimum recording current is defined as the RF recording current necessary to obtain the maximum playback output level from the test tape on which a signal of 4.0Mhzis recorded. It is expressed as the ratio relative to the RF reference recording current.
6. RF PLAYBACK OUTPUT: The playback output level obtained from the test tape on which a signal of 4.0 MHz is recorded at the reference recording current shall be measured. Video RF sensitivity is defined as a ratio, expressed in dB, of the playback output level obtained from the test tape to the RF reference output level.
7. VIDEO SIN RATIO: A 50% gray signal shall be recorded at the reference tape’s optimum recording current and played back, and the video S/N (B/W) measured by a noise meter; then, the difference between the meter level will be compared with the measured value for the reference tape.
8. CHROMINANCE SIGNAL OUTPUT: This shall be determined by the difference between the playback level of color bar signal recorded on the reference tape and the test tape.
9. CHROMINANCE SIN RATIO: A red field signal from the color video noise test unit shall be recorded at the reference tape’s optimum recording current level and the AM noise components measured on the noise meter, then compared with the reference tape’s measurement value.
10. DROPOUT: A gray scale signal is recorded on the test tape and played back on the monitor. A visual count is done on the monitor of dropouts over 1/3H. A dropout counter, which has been adjusted to count in the same way as a human visual count, may be used.
11. AUDIO OPERATING BIAS CURRENT: A 1kHz signal is recorded on the test tape while increasing the bias current. Then, the bias current providing the maximum output is determined and compared to that of the reference tape. The input level is 10 dB lower than the standard input level.
12. AUDIO SENSITIVITY: The playback output level obtained from the test tape on which a signal of 1kHz is recorded at the reference recording level shall be measured at the reference bias current. Audio sensitivity is defined as the ratio, expressed in dB, of the playback output level at 1 kHz from the test tape to that from the reference tape.
13. AUDIO OUTPUT LEVEL VARIATION: In the measurement of audio output uniformity, signals of 1 kHz shall be recorded over the entire length of the tape under the same condition as in the measurement of the sensitivity. The audio output uniformity is expressed as the ratio in dB of the highest to the lowest playback output level measured over the entire length of the tape.
14. ERASABILITY: A signal of 1 kHz shall be recorded on the test tape at the reference bias current and at a recording level of 10 dB higher than the reference recording level without AGC amplifier function. The erasing current used in the erasability measurement shall be 20% larger than the erasing current necessary to obtain an erasability is expressed as the ratio in dB of the playback output level of the non-erase portion to the residual playback output level of the erased portion.

(5) The VHS cassette recorder has revolutionized in the same manner as the cassette. The quality and efficiency levels have improved dramatically. (4) Using digital technology the VCR has AV tracking to produce steady high quality pictures. The features on modern VCR’s are countless and now the VCR is commonly referred to as the hardest thing to program. The number of features and options can make modern VCR’s quite complicated but is usually usable by anyone familiar with the VHS system.

The following features are from the JVC HR-S9500U S-VHS videocassette recorder:

(6) Features:

-Super VHS with digital live circuitry

-Time scan dynamic drum system with slow-pro

-Hi-Fi stereo with built-in MTS decoder

-Plug and play: Just plug in the VCR and the time and channels are programmed automatically

-Pro-cision 19u EP heads for near SP quality in EP speed

-Movie advance

-Pro-touch jog/shuttle on VCR

-Digipure system with TBC and 4MB frame memory

-Prostyle editing capabilities:Flying erase head, insert editing, audio dubbing, gold-plated AV inputs, S-VHS output/input, jog-shuttle on VCR

-VCR-plus+ with cable eye cable box controller

-Ultra spec drive with jitter reduction circuit

-Shuttle bus

-Rec link

-Child lock

-Auto SP/EP timer recording

-Express programming

-Surge protection

-Gold-plated front AV inputs

-Active video calibration

-Trilangual English / French / Spanish On screen color menu with button on VCR

-Multibrand TV/Cable box/DBS illumi-guide remote control

-AV COMPULINK for integrated operation with compatible JVC TV’s and audio components
–Atuo daylight saving time for accurate auto clock setting

-Instant review

-JLIP terminal

-Digital AV tracking

-On-screen tape potion indicator

-Variable slow motion
–181-channel cable compatible frequency-synthesized tuner

-1-year/8-event programmable timer

-HQ system circuitry for excellent VHS picture quality

-Color on screen display

-10-minute power backup
–Multi speed search (19-step SP/21-step EP) including 5-speed slow motion

-Repeat playback (up to 50 times)

-Next function memory