When the VHS was making it big in the 80s and 90s, it took a small newcomer to make an even bigger impact on the home video industry – the VHS-C.
The VHS-C and VHS, while they physically looked much different, particularly in physical size, they actually shared the same type of magnetic recording tape, providing much of the same resolution and tech specifics.
So if it was primarily the same tech, why produce the VHS-C in the first place?
Well, part of the reason was because VHS-C manufacturers wanted consumers to be able to record home videos on a camcorder that required a much smaller and more portable tape, but also give them the ability to play that smaller tape directly in their current VCR. There were already smaller camcorder tape formats hitting store shelves and the VHS-C was a way to stay competitive in the home video market.
So how’d it work?
To play a VHS-C tape, consumers just needed a VHS-C adapter that would house the compact tape and guide it through the VCR, essentially operating just like a normal VHS tape would. And for dads everywhere set on recording family vacations or their kid’s little league games, not having to carry around a bulky and cumbersome full-sized VHS camcorder made the VHS-C a home video home run.
Sizing up the competition
If it’s not clear by now what the main difference between VHS and VHS-C was, here’s a hint – the “C” in VHS-C stood for compact. So the biggest difference was the sleek size of the VHS-C, which measured in at about ⅓ of the size of a normal VHS tape. This smaller more portable size helped it compete with the smaller Video 8 format tapes (i.e. Video8 and Hi8) that were gaining popularity among home video enthusiasts.
Running out of time
If there was one big drawback of the VHS-C it was the fact that it’s recording capacity was incredibly limited when compared to the Video 8 formats and traditional VHS tapes. Video8 and Hi8 could reach over 2 hours of recording time, whereas the VHS-C clocked in at 30 minutes (for standard runtime) and topped out at 60 minutes (for longer runtime).
The VHS-C also lacked some of the technical prowess of the Hi8 tapes, as their audio could be recorded digitally. But even though the VHS-C was a little overpowered and offered drastically less recording time, it still gained popularity among the public simply due to the ease of playback ability and copying process. You see, Video8 and Hi8 required a jumbling of special cables and a camcorder to play back footage on a TV screen. This made watching footage a bit more of a hassle, while the VHS-C just required an adapter tape and a VCR, which nearly every family already owned. It’s a classic example of how far convenience and ease of use can take an overall inferior product.
By now, VHS and VHS-C tapes have been out of production for years, but you may still have some old tapes lying around the house. And since you’re probably missing the actual VHS-C adapter – and an actual VCR for that matter – your best option to save those VHS and VHS-C memories is to have them digitized. Good news is, we can help!
So dust off those VHS and VHS-C tapes and send them in for a digital makeover.
