VIDEO-8 RECORDERS AND DEVICES | video8 + hi8 infos

12. The First SONY V8 VCR Generation

This chapter explores the various V8 VCRs and related devices, such as players and camcorders. It is important to remember that a classic VCR should be capable of three main functions: 1) recording an audio-visual (AV) signal from a built-in tuner, camera, or other AV source, 2) playing it back on a TV or monitor, and 3) recording according to a programmed timer setting. A less capable class of VCRs, designed primarily for home video editing and professional video studio use, lacks the timer and tuner. The most basic class of video devices consists of video players, as they do not offer recording functionality.

Over the 20 years when V8 equipment was marketed, Sony engineers introduced three major updates to the V8 line: in 1984, 1989, and 1995, for both color systems PAL and NTSC. In the first generation (1984), models for both color systems shared the same names and numbers. Due to upcoming confusions, this was changed in the subsequent 1989 and 1995 updates, with different model numbers for each color system.

The first generation (1984) of Sony V8 VCRs and camcorders was built in solid-state technology (thicker metal, standard electronic boards, hand made head drums), offering similar stability and performance to the existing Betamax models. All of these devices were equipped with the "O"-drive, a miniaturized version of the Betamax drive. This same drive later became a key feature of professional V8 VCRs developed for video studio applications (see chapter 43 and 49).
In the earlier chapters of "The Video-8 System" two smaller V8 devices, EV-C8 and EV-P10 are already presented, as they are an essential part of the mobile devices.
In this report I give a blue background to the first generation of VCRs, a green background to the second, and the third generation has a purple background. Special subjects have a red background.

13. The “O” Drive

For more than 10 years, the “O” drive has been a masterpiece of Sony engineering. It was a key feature in all Sony video cassette systems, including U-Matic, Betacam, and Betamax. The drive works by using a pin (specifically, Guide No. 6 in the third drawing) to pull the tape out of the cassette. The tape then loops counterclockwise around the rotating head drum. The drive is called the “O” drive because, during tape loading, the pin and tape form an "O" shape around the head drum.
The first two drawings are from a rare operation manual for the professional V8 VCR (EVO-1000, see Chapter 44). The third photo shows the tape path guides as depicted in the service manuals for all VCRs with this drive. The final photo demonstrates a simple yet effective test using two rubber bands and a cover over the tape-end sensor. This test allows the drive’s functionality to be checked without inserting a cassette.

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14. EV-A200

A simple mono VCR capable of all the V8 standard advantages with a special connection plug for video editing. It entered the market in 1987, a year after the superior EV-A300. The reason of the lower number in EV-A200 was the fact that the EV-A300 had an additional connector for an optional PCM stereo processor.

14. a) PCM + Multi PCM

The digital PCM audio format originates from the professional sector and may still be encountered occasionally, for example, when selecting the audio transmission method on TVs. PCM was the first digital recording and post-production system, enabling digital mixing and compilation of CDs. Even before digital tape decks became available, PCM processors in the 1970s allowed users to convert a basic mono VHS recorder into a digital tape deck, capable of storing HiFi stereo digital audio on VHS tapes. In professional audio studios, this approach was executed more efficiently using U-matic tape machines in conjunction with PCM processors.

The composite video signal bandwidth utilized by the PCM processor was sufficiently wide to withstand minor tape errors, making the digital audio recording process highly reliable. Similarly, the Video8 format offered enough available bandwidth to incorporate PCM audio recording and dubbing as an additional option alongside FM audio recording. This feature was explicitly included in the Video8 standardization process.

Later, the so-called Multi PCM recorders (EV-S600, EV-S700, EV-S650, EV-S850) expanded on this concept by dividing the video track into six audio tracks. This allowed for a total of six PCM audio channels to be recorded. On a 90-minute PAL cassette, this configuration could store up to 18 hours of noise-free HiFi stereo digital audio (six tracks, each with three hours of content). The four DAV (Digital Audio Video) Multi PCM recorders developed for this purpose became popular in the 1980s for tasks like endless music playback. They were also used in other applications, including audio backups for radio stations.
In the professional sector, Sony initially advanced the Multi PCM system, later followed by Tascam, though development was limited to the NTSC 120V series. These devices also utilized Video8 or Hi8 cassettes but operated at slightly higher speeds to provide additional bandwidth for two extra tracks. Unlike the consumer-grade Sony devices, the professional equipment featured independent level adjustment for all eight channels.

15. EV-A300 + PCM-EV10: the Digital Audio Tape Recorder

The standard mono VCR, but due to a special connector capable of PCM stereo sound with dubbing function. A special PCM-processor PCM-EV10 could be connected to that VCR, making it a digital-audio-tape-recorder in professional PCM quality. The special blue plug for that modification looked similar to the Euro-Scart, but would not fit in such a plug. With that combination Sony opened a playground for enthusiasts of digitizing their own music. Of course that way also other sources of music could be recorded. Digital-rights- management was not invented yet. That is one of the reasons why a year after its appearance on the consumer market the AV-A300 was replaced by the EV-A200.

16. EV-S600 and EV-S700, Multi-PCM in a Compact Design

Both recorders have the same professional design. Sony just had to give them different names because of changes in European cable tuner design. It is a stereo VCR for audio- dubbing and by a simple switch it will be changed to a 6-track digital audio tape deck. In 1986 such machines were a novelty - Sony named them DAV, Digital-Audio-Video-recorder. Actually a 90 Min Cassette with such a VCR could store 6 x 3hours = 18h of digital-audio. No wonder, they were sold just for 4 years. When a new set of digital- audio-tape (DAT) decks was established around a smaller cassette. Also those DAT-recorders had Digital-Rights-Management. The first 3 photos are from an EV-S700. All others from EV-S600. The repair photos show the dismounting of front cover and cassette lift. The rubber band test is a nice help after repair work at the drive. That way the drive can be tested in all directions and functions without inserting a cassette.

17. EV-S650, Made for Video and Multi-PCM Digital Audio

Both VCRs the S650 and the S850 had an engineer's dream of a cassette-lift, the linear-skate-loading mechanism, which gently lifts the cassette in the drive. It seems as if the cassette is dropped by gravity in the drive. It is comparatively complicated in its mechanics and was never seen again in a following model, although it is fun to repair! A specialty of the S650 are the 6 number keys at the right side of the VCR. In digital-audio mode this way the 6 channels were directly accessible. All the other 3 DAV VCRs could either count them up or down, but you could not directly go from channel 1 to e.g. 4. You had to go either via 2 and 3 or via 6 and 5. Those keys could not be integrated in the RC, as there would be a conflict with the TV channels.

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18. EV-S850, Made for Video Editing and Multi-PCM Digital Audio

This machine is considered the best of all of the 4 multi-PCM VCRs. Primarily to be seen at the right side of the VCR where the metal jog-wheel was attached. Because of its weight the wheel is very easy to rotate and has a wonderful technical makeup, a photo-optical contact-free high-end design. Actually the same design was also chosen for the jog-shuttle of the RC. That RC was taken from Sony's best Betamax VCR, the SL-HF950 with a slightly different design. Although both models EV-S650 and S850 have the same high class 2 twin-head drum, only the S850 can do a perfect slow-motion. Both VCRs, however, have 2x-playback. So my guess is: slowmo is shut off electronically in the S650 to keep the marketing distance. For those interested in the 2 other DAV recorders, EV-S600 and S700 both can do slowmo and 2xplayback. They are, however utilizing the standard head drum of that time, which is a 2-head system. Those heads were used in almost any V8 VCR and camcorder until 1988. That is why the distortion stripes during faster playback are wider and more annoying that with the twin heads of S650 and S850.

19. RM-E100, the First Video8 Editing Computer

With such a device analog editing could be performed. Later Sony added another model with 2 Jog Shuttles, the RM-E300. Such an editing computer just had to be connected with the camcorder and a VCR in 2 ways. One line connected the controllers of the drive of VCR and camcorder and the other connected the AV-out of the camcorder with the AV-in of the VCR. In a first step you would have to set the start and stop of the interesting scenes, the cut-in and -outs. The computer could store the times of up to 8 of such scenes. Next you would let the computer record the automatic cuts with the VCR on a new tape. You would continue with the next 8 cuts, etc. Later you could do a similar run with the sound by e.g. mixing music or narratives to the original sound. The drawback was the loss of video quality due to the fact that you would end up with a lower quality copy of the original. When I saw my first edited videos on a larger TV screen around 1987, I decided to forget about this and better start to cut my videos during the take, leave some space for later adding maps, intros, photographs, etc.. At that time there existed already expensive semi-professional digital editing systems, like Casablanca, which created a copy of a video of the same quality and resolution on a computer hard disk. Editing of that video would also take place on the PC without any loss in quality.
There were 2 other drawbacks: 1) The time code on the tape was not very precise, counting down to Seconds but ignoring the 24 frames within a Second. With the next V8 generation the time code became more precise, by adding the single frames. It was the so called Consumer RTC (Real Time Code). Criticizers then asked why this could not be the same as the Professional TC. 2) The 8 programmed cut-in and cut-out steps could not be stored. The professional VCRs had a method of storing the cuts on a separate tape. When continuing interrupted edit work, the person would first load the tape with the programmed cuts and then load the master tape at point zero.

20. EV-DT1: TV + VCR -> Combo to Go

In its design the V8 Combo followed consequently the small size of the cassette. Everything had to shrink until it was transportable. So the first 5” Trinitron luxury color TV with a built in programmable VCR was born. It could be taken away to camping, boat, garden, trucks, whatever. It just needed a 12/24V or 230V connector. There was even a fancy RC and a video editing plug. It was designed so professional, that one could mute sound and video while connecting it to another TV or monitor. In the 90ies this combo opened the road to a new line of really small V8 combos: the Video-Walkman family, the GV series of portable VCRs. The repair photos show the way the different parts of the combo are connected. It is important to test the drive after a repair without the surrounding parts "naked" on the table. As reassembling it is time consuming and tricky.

21. Professional V8 Combos EVM-9010 and EVM-1410

Sony developed 2 larger professional V8 combos, a 9” EVM-9010 and a 14” EVM-1410 (last two photos). They were designed for parallel recording of footage and end-of-a-scene viewing, or as a presenting-monitor in shops or fairs. The 9” combo was also battery operable. Certainly the 5” tube of the before mentioned EV-DT1 (chapter 20) was limited for such professional applications.

22. The 2nd Generation of V8 Sets New Standards with the Hi Band (Hi8), the “U” Drive and FM Stereo

In 1989, Sony introduced the Hi-Band system, known as Hi8, into the Video8 market, as a counterpart to S-VHS. To complement the new Hi8 camcorders, Sony had to develop stationary devices suitable for post-production editing. Simultaneously, a simpler stereo system was needed for the new camcorders. The semi-professional PCM stereo system of the first generation was deemed too complex (see special PCM chapter after chapter 14). Sony opted for a polarized FM stereo signal, which—similar to FM radio broadcasting—was separated into two audio channels during playback. With a toggle switch, the system supported both stereo sound and the two-channel audio format required for TV broadcasts.

For many years, the EV-S1000 set the standard as the best Hi8 recorder, only to be replaced in 1995 by the EV-S9000 (chapter 38). The Hi8 format distinguished itself from Video8 through improved resolution and color reproduction. Similar to S-VHS, Hi8 processed color and brightness signals separately, achieving superior image quality with 625 lines of resolution.

Various technical magazines compared S-VHS and Hi8 at the time, with Hi8 often emerging as slightly superior. Even today, the Hi8 standard is recognized as an outstanding video processing system that, depending on the standard and compression methods, frequently outperforms digital media.

Important usage notes for Hi8 cassettes (also valid for S-VHS):
Hi8 cassettes should only be used in Hi8 devices. Playback of cassettes recorded in Hi8 is only possible with Hi8-compatible devices; otherwise, only severely distorted and garbled images will appear. However, the audio typically remains unaffected.
A special development in the production of Hi8 tapes was the Metal Evaporation Process, the tapes of which were named "Hi8 ME" or "HME". In the first production years such tapes sometimes had severe stability problems, resulting some years later in huge playback problems, where also a TBC would not help. Some years later Hi8 tapes were also produced via the conventional Metal-Particle Process "MP", which was also used for normal V8 tapes. Because of head clogging ME tapes should not be used in V8 VCRs, especially those of the 1. generation. The ME process was developed by Sony. In the first years other brands did not exist. All ME cassettes that were sold as other brands were made by Sony. In the beginning a HME cassette would cost around 20€. Around 1992 Fuji was the first to sell its own HME cassettes.

23. “U” drive, Tape Loading Made Easy

That drive pushed the tape during loading parallel from 2 sides around the head drum, so that during loading the tape would form an “U” around the head drum. It was the common tape loading mechanism of many VHS drives of several brands. The drawings are from the Service Manual of model EV-S1000. The tape guides no. 3 and 5 will take the tape from 2 sides out of the cassette and load it around the head-drum. The loading ends on top of the two tracks at each side of the drum. This makes the tape form the shape of an "U". In the drawings the cassette lift is dismounted.

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24. EV-C3, a Compact VCR that Fits to the Size of the Cassette

Of course besides the new and expensive Hi market the ongoing standard V8 market with a lot of Sony and other branded camcorders needed reliable players and VCRs with a simple technology. The EV-C3 was probably one of Sony's best selling V8 VCRs. It needed little space and had all the important features, like an RC, a counter, a Euro Scart connector and cinch in and out and a video editing plug.

25. EV-C45, Another Compact VCR in V8 Stereo

The EV-C45 had more to offer than the EV-C3, as it could also had stereo audio. But it entered the market some time later. So many potential consumers had invested already into the EV-C3. Consumers soon learned the difference between mono and stereo was not as dramatic as the sound recording of camcorder videos often was in a miserable situation. The new added jog-shuttle was not really necessary, unless you were into video editing.

26. EV-C500, the First Compact VCR in Hi8 Stereo

That compact Hi8 VCR is still a good selling device – also if it was second hand - for those who want to digitize their Hi8 cassettes. It has a nice design and is the smallest Hi8 VCR in the market.

27. EV-P25 and EV-P300, a V8 and a Hi8 Player in Another Compact Design

Those VCRs were made for those who wanted to save money. So there is no counter and no real display. But the drive and the electronics were designed without compromise. The size would fit in a video rack. The NTSC look-alike EV-PR2 also offered a counter with a green display.

28. EV-S550, a PCM V8 VCR with a Lot of Extras

The design of the S550 was similar to that of the S1000, but just not made for Hi8! With the PCM sound and some other specials it was made for the enthusiasts of the early and semiprofessional V8 generation of the 80ies. A special item was the built in power connector at the front for connecting a camcorder.

29. EV-S880, the First Hi8 VCR with a TBC but no PCM

“The wolf in sheep fur” was the nickname of this first model designed to get more out of the small tape. Actually having a time base corrector in a consumer VCR was not common in 1993. Many V8 consumers, however, had noticed that 8mm tapes also could run into mechanical problems. That was typical at the start and end of a tape, sometimes mechanical problems of V8 tapes occurred under extreme temperatures or very dusty conditions. Also frequent re-recordings and playbacks of the same cassette could end with poor performance. The small tape created comparatively large distortion stripes compared to VHS or Beta tapes. A good TBC would be able to correct such distortions during playback. The EV-S880 was intended to be used for daily recordings and was originally positioned against S-VHS VCRs, a high end video market at that time. The sales figures of that model, however, indicated, that goal could not be reached, although Hi8 often was tested slightly superior to S-VHS.

30. EV-S1000, the First and Best PCM Hi8 VCR for Many Years

This was Sony's first and probably best-selling Hi8 VCR for video enthusiasts as early as 1989. Sony launched the EV-S1000, a high-end and very popular device, built with exceptional solidity. Featuring an aluminum front panel and wooden side panels, the EV-S1000 was also a visual standout. Naturally, it supported PCM and FM audio and included a menu-integrated Picture-in-Picture (PIP) function for analog editing. The device could store up to 38 edit points. Additionally, the built-in PCM processor allowed the EV-S1000 to be transformed into a digital HiFi tape deck. It had some features taken from studio VCRs: Digital PCM Audio and an integrated computer controlled editing function for the analog video cut. In a picture in picture screen the incoming picture and the last picture on tape where the next input should be added was to be seen on TV (SCART). All this could be controlled with the Jog Shuttle. The “monitor” line out did not show the counter. Like in a studio VCR, there were 3 line outs for monitor, additional outputs and for TV. Some video magazines blamed Sony for not having enabled the precise RTC code to the EV-S1000, as cutting was only possible with the built in h:m:sec counter, forgetting about the 24 frames per Second.

31. The Battle of the VCR Systems

In 1988, the battle of video formats was in full swing. With this charming advertisement, Sony decided to offer VHS video recorders to European PAL consumers as well. As each of the three outfits dresses the model, ...”consumers can now buy all three video cassette systems from Sony. The consumer now has a free choice between Betamax, Video8 and VHS, all offered by Sony in the best quality.” It is said that parts of the first VHS video recorders were originally manufactured by a major Japanese competitor. However, due to a change in European tax laws, Sony later set up its own factory in France. There were also rumors that Sony had an agreement with Panasonic and JVC not to offer S-VHS video recorders in PAL consumer markets. The competitors, on the other hand, had agreed not to intervene in the Pal Hi8 market. Sony's decision for VHS was the beginning of the end of Betamax. While the other Beta producers Fisher, NEC, Sanyo, Toshiba and Wega faded their production in 1986, SONY ended the production of the last NTSC VCRs in 2002. The production of Betamax cassettes ended in 2015.

Down in the advertisement you see these VCR models (from top):

VHS SLV-802

Video8 EV-S850

Beta SL-HF150

32. Boom in Camcorders

In the 90s camcorders were the option for creating your own videos. Technically, depending on the system, they could produce videos about as good as an average cell phone can do since the 2010s. At the beginning of the 90s there was quite a competition among the different brands. Per year 1 to 2 new VHS-C and Video8 models and just as many higher resolution S-VHS-C and Hi8 Cams were launched by one company. There were around 45 brands on the European market. From 1985 to 2003 Sony marketed more than 130 analog (V8 + Hi8) and 93 digital cams. Of the digital cams, 50 were in MiniDV format, 38 in D8 and 5 in the little-known MicroMV format, which existed only for 3 years. In general, Sony followed 2 lines of cams: the classic one weighing about 1kg and the compact one of about half the weight, the TR series (TRavel). Another trend was the introduction of small screens that Sony first realized in the SC series. For these miniaturized camcorder series devices were developed from around 1992 to '94 with extra small head drums. The boards were extremely miniaturized. A device of this design was hardly immune to fall damage. In addition, Sony used extremely miniaturized capacitors from production approaches which expired after just a few years. Most camcorders from that time 1989 to around '98 are irreparable because circuit boards are etched and corroded. Experts talk about that “cap epidemic”.

The photos are examples of how the Video8 camcorder market developed in the 90s. At that time, the big international electronic leaders showed unbridled performance growth. And Sony was the main leader. The V8 VCRs just held a fraction of that market. That helped promote the cams. The main reason of Sony's importance in that market was the fact that Sony was the no.1 developer of CCD chips, used in any cam. That made them also the leader of professional video equipment. Every consumer could follow this in the daily news, in sports, in social and insider reports, where those heavy professional video-cams could be seen in action. German electronic leaders such as Blaupunkt, Grundig, Loewe, Metz, Saba, Siemens, Telefunken had lost their claims already years ago. They had just 2 choices: either buying branded labels in Asia or giving up entirely.

Much more valuable information about camcorders is available on this German site, although it was never completed: https://www.baugleichliste.de/index.html I tried to contact the owner, however no response. I am afraid the infos were updated until around 1998. The person who worked on it may no longer be available and no one feels responsible.

33. Video Walkman: the GV-Series – a Step Forward to Shrinking the Video8-Combo. The Ultimate Video to Go.

At the end of the 80s the small EV-DT1 Video8-Combo (chapter 20) was Sony's first step towards miniaturizing the combination of a VCR with a TV. At the beginning of the 90s, with the invention of the first electronic color displays, Sony was able to make the devices really small. The GV series was created: General Video (GV) stands for Video Walkman with, without or with a separate display, a built-in speaker, phone and cam socket, AV (in and out), remote control and mains and battery operation. A tuner can also be flanged onto the side of many of them! The tuner - although there is probably no analog broadcast anywhere in the world these days - has turned out to be a real collector's item, as it was rarely sold in the 90ies. For the developers, the motto for GV was similar to that in the audio sector: to build a space-saving drive including electronics and drive around the cassette. The screen was attached behind it at an adjustable angle. The first Video Walkman with an 8cm color screen was born (GV-8, see first 2 photos). Many more, lighter and better models with larger displays were added over the next 10 years. Downgraded analog players from the GV series were often used in the first class for in-flight entertainment (see chapter 60). The corresponding recorders and prerecorded cassettes can occasionally be found in second-hand markets. Until around 1997, GV recorders were severely affected by the electrolytic capacitor epidemic, caused by the rubber seals of the electrolytic capacitors leaking over time and becoming brittle. Electrolytes leaked onto the circuit boards, leading to short circuits, incorrect information on the chips and circuit board corrosion. Only the models with digital technology are free of this. There is a rule of thumb (also valid for camcorders): once the device has Lithium instead of Ni-Cd batteries, there maybe no capacitor problem any more.

33. a) The Digital Video Walkman

Originally, the GV devices were only developed for analog Video8 and Hi8. Later, Mini-DV and D8 were added. With DV and D8, DVi connections (in and out) were also added. The D8 recorders GV-D200 and GV-D800 are still popular today, the PAL versions of which can play analog Video8 and Hi8 as well as NTSC. Like the camcorders of the time, they were equipped with a typical Sony gimmick that was way ahead of its time: an IR interface called Laser Link. You could send video and sound wireless to a TV. However, it had to have a corresponding receiver.

Nobody had imagined smartphones in the 80ies, but the small V8 cassette made dreams of an easy portable, or - as we say today - a wearable video come true. Today smartphones are more powerful than a cheap computer. And technology has already developed smaller devices like wearable watches or under skin chips. A small carry-on device without a display, a display integrated into glasses or a WiFi, Bluetooth, G5 or whatever connection to any public or private screen, all this driven by thoughts, gestures and assisted by AI. Many new options will be developed, eventually much more sophisticated than we may think of in these days in the late 2020ies. Certainly I would think that in the late 2050ies people will not carry smartphones with them, if technology will develop at the same speed as it has done since 30 years. The fate of smartphones will probably be similar to that of fax-machines, VCRs, pagers or PDAs.

34. The 3rd Generation of V8 Sets the Standard to Hi8 with TBC and the “F” Drive; Twin VCRs Try to Push Video8

All 3rd generation VCRs are in the Hi8 format and are driven by the F-drive. With one exemption (EV-C400) they all use a TBC to get the best out of the tape during playback. Also a new type of VCR enters the consumer market: the twin-recorder with 2 drives in one VCR, one for V8 and Hi8 cassettes and one for VHS cassettes.

35. The “F”-Drive is Faster and More Efficient, But a Lot of Plastic

The “F”-drive is a modified “U”-drive. It is faster and uses some special features, like the very fast rewind option (<<<), enabling the tape to rewind without touching the head-drum. Cassette loading also is faster due to a newly developed non-linear gear system. The capstan is more powerful and has twice the diameter of the axis, compared to that of U- and O- drive. The axis is that of a direct driven motor, propelling tape and pinch roller. The drive, however uses a lot of plastic inside, which makes it somewhat sensitive to wrong storage conditions, as the plastic may break easier. 30 years after production such problems sometimes gain importance, while metal drives that were 10 years older still show best performance! Another problem of the U-drive was solved by changing the stability and size of the 2 tape guides which move the tape to the head drum (TG3 and 6). The 2nd photo shows the F-drive of an EV-S9000, the 3rd one is that of an SLV-T2000 (with the dismounted cassette lift on the table) the 4th photo showing the efficient cleaning drum and the upper head drum of an SLV-T2000.

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36. EV-C400, the New Standard

A simple but very efficient Hi8 Recorder. It has the rack size of the 2 other low cost VCRs of the 2nd generation EV-P25 and EV-P300 (chapter 27), but has also recording functionality.

37. EV-C2000, the Workhorse of Modern Hi8 VCRs

That VCR had most anything a good Hi8 would need for editing home videos. A TBC, a real time counter (RTC), a very efficient jog-shuttle with single frame option in both directions. It was the little brother of the EV-S9000. Also it could add the RTC to tapes not recorded that way. This way the user could edit his older tapes or give that option to a camcorder not equipped with RTC.

38. EV-S9000, the Best Ever Hi8 VCR

That VCR became Sony's new Hi-End VCR. It was expected since several years when its predecessor the EV-S1000 (chapter 30) was criticized for not having a TBC and a RTC. Besides that it had a menu driven color and Y/C delay adaptation. A drop-out compensation helped the TBC to really optimize picture quality. The lower motor driven drawer contained a large vacuum fluorescent display and a keyboard - like control and set-up station for most any option. The user has the feeling of working in a video editing studio. Via the SCART output he could see a split screen on a monitor, showing the last incoming picture from a camcorder and the last edited picture he worked with on the tape showing the RTCounter. When the drawer was closed, a smaller LCD display would inform about the most important status of tape and VCR.

That top VCR, however, also was struck by the “cap epidemic” (chapter 32). The power supply and the display driver in the drawer need a lot of capacitor exchange work, especially the cleaning of the boards from the residual electrolytes. In extreme cases repair efforts are in vain, when corrosion has proceeded since several years. Despite its high price of 1500€, Sony achieved good sales figures with the EV-S9000. Even today it is a sought-after VCR for digitizing.

39. Twin VCRs - Two Drives in One

A twin has 2 drives and combines the everyday TV-video work with the production of personal videos. During the end of the 90ies those type of VCRs drew some more attention to the consumer. So other brands of producers also got engaged in them. All of them were designed by the upcoming Korean Electronics Company Goldstar, soon integrated into a joint venture of the 2 giant companies Lucky and Goldstar, abbreviated to LG (chapter 58). In the coming years also other types of drives were combined with a VHS drive, like Mini-DV or DVD.

40. EV-T1 and EV-T2, the High End Twin

Those were the first twin VCRs by Sony. They offered all the options a high end VCR should offer, like a large display, a TBC, a hidden set of keys for special copy and edit work, individually selectable outputs for each drive, a jog-shuttle system which could be set to each drive and a computer for programming the start- and end-points of scenes to be transferred to the other tape. The EV-T1, however, was not capable of audio dubbing, which the EV-T2 could do. That was the only difference of those 2 twin VCRs. That dubbing option became necessary, as at that time competitors (LG, Loewe, Universum) offered that option in their line of Twin VCRs (chapter 58). According to my information, the EV-T2 was never offered to German consumers. It came to my shop mainly from France and Switzerland. Its pricing was just under that of the leading EV-S9000.

41. SLV-T2000, the Last Hi8 VCR Made by SONY

By the end of the 90s Sony develops another Twin, the SLV-T2000. It marks the end of development in stationary V8 VCRs. Its prefix “SLV” indicates that Sony's V8 group evidently was integrated to the VHS group. The head drum actually was taken from the best line of Hi8 Camcorders, while the Video8 electronics were new designed and integrated into an older VHS board. Special emphasis was given to the lightweight steel chassis, designed as a stable box, consisting of 5 sides. The lower lid was fully integrated. That was a real improvement to the older EV-T1 design which was a box just made of the 4 metal sides. It had to carry and stabilize several boards and the 2 drives. The upper and the bottom lid had to be screwed to that. Its stability suffered from shipping and similar handling. Also from its price the SLV-T2000 was less demanding, which made it a good selling and well accepted high-end VCR.

42. Digital8 (D8). Transforming the V8 Cassette into a Digital Format

The Digital8 (D8) format was likely developed to extend the consumer market lifespan of the Video8 (V8) cassette, which was only 13 years old at the time. Considerable effort had been invested over the years to establish and optimize the system. The tape drives had evolved into increasingly refined mechanical versions, incorporated into highly compact camcorders, and the technology had firmly established itself - even in the computer sector for streaming and data storage applications.

The Digital8 format is based on the (Mini-) DV standard but offers the advantage of using the slightly larger, more user-friendly cassette while supporting all tape types, whether MP or ME-based: V8, Hi8, or D8 - everything is compatible. The devices also incorporated Sony’s Trilogic technology, originally developed for its VHS sector. Upon cassette insertion, the system performs a short tape analyzing sequence to assess data density, allowing the camcorder to determine the optimal recording speed and whether LP mode is feasible.

Sony not only ensured extensive compatibility with different cassette formats but also enabled playback of older analog Video8 formats and various color systems. The PAL series was designed for maximum compatibility. Each Digital8 camcorder series included a higher-end model that could not only play back analog Video8 and Hi8 tapes but also automatically recognize NTSC mode. However, these models did not support PCM audio playback from analog tapes, which is understandable given that the standard Digital8 format itself was designed to record and playback PCM audio in two different modes.

All D8 devices featured both standard analog outputs (with optional analog inputs) and a DVI (i-Link / FireWire) port. When Digital8 was introduced in 1998, mainly for camcorders, the era of stationary VCRs had already peaked, which is why no dedicated home VCRs were developed for the format. Instead, Sony introduced two mobile VCR alternatives, the GV-D200 and GV-D800 (see chapter 33). These robust recorders were available in Sony’s product lineup from around 1998 and are still highly sought after today due to their compatibility with analog Hi8 and Video8 tapes. The GV-D200 set a record as the world’s smallest video cassette recorder at the time!

For camcorders (compare chapter 32), D8 competed directly with DV. Mini-DV camcorders, being about half the size, were true lightweight alternatives while offering the same features as their bulkier counterparts. However, they often struggled with stability issues, particularly camera shake, unless equipped with advanced electronic or optical SteadyShot stabilization systems. The last photo shows a typical mini-DV camcorder from 2008 DCR-HC51. That cam weights with battery and cassette 440g. A typical D8 Cam like the CCD-TRV145 from 2003 had more than twice of that weight: 950g.

43. Professional V8-VCRs from the EVO Series

Similar to the VHS VCRs Sony soon also developed a series of Video8 and Hi8 professional VCRs designed for video studios. In the 1980s they were introduced, primarily serving as playback devices for amateur tapes. Most of them were equipped with the “O” drive, the most reliable drive for V8. Often the cassette lift was the small but efficient lift, known only from the EV-DT1. In the 80ies the line of professional V8 VCRs sometimes was deducted from the consumer V8 VCRs, just omitting the tuner, and adding a grounded power supply and an hour meter.

EVO Series Model Overview

Model Format Audio

EVO-1000P | V8 | o pcm*
EVO-510P | V8 | o pcm*
EVO-520P | V8 | o
EVO-720P | V8x2 | o pcm
EVO-1100P | V8 | o pcm

o = FM mono

pcm = PCM stereo

* = PCM available with an optional external processor

44. EVO-1000P

That VCR was based on the EV-A300 (see chapter 15). It was a top loader, however, as the cassette lift of the EV-A300 apparently had too many plastic parts. So the lift of the present camcorder CCD-V8 was selected. Also another opening was added to the upper lid for servicing the drum, e.g. for cleaning it. It is, however a bit narrow to get through that opening with fingers and chamois. For adding more stability to the tape drive, a heavy solid brass plate was added to the upper drum. With a docked PCM processor, the EVO-1000P had PCM digital audio.

45. EVO-510P

Another professional recorder derived from the EV-A300 was the EVO-510. Unlike the EVO-1000, it featured a front-loading mechanism and supported an optional docked PCM processor. It also adopted a professional gray design with the color-coded buttons typical of pro-grade recorders.

46. EVO-520P

For analog duplication, Sony developed the EVO-520, a compact recorder used in large-scale cassette copy setups.

47. EVO-720P

Meanwhile, the EVO-720P was a well-known professional editing recorder, featuring two tape drives to facilitate automated, programmed editing from a player to a recorder. As was standard, multiple edit points could be saved directly onto a Video8 cassette. This model also included a titling keyboard and a studio-grade jog/shuttle control system.

48. EVO-1100P

A step up, the EVO-1100 was equipped with a built-in PCM stereo processor and was designed for copying applications, such as in-flight entertainment distribution (see chapter 60). Interestingly, it was one of the few professional recorders with a U-drive mechanism, bearing similarities to the EV-C45.

49. The Professional Hi8 9000 EVO-Series. The Second Generation of Hi8 Professional Recorders

In the early 1990s, Sony introduced a more advanced series of Hi8 professional recorders, distinguished by their "gray" design and intended for applications such as broadcast studios and medical imaging (EVO-9650) as well as editing technology (EVO-9700). These models featured the "O" tape transport mechanism from the first professional series, along with a cassette-loading system that was otherwise only found in the EV-DT1 combo unit (see chapter 20). Many of them had professional menus for most any setting of the VCR as well as digital meters informing about total hours, as well as total threadings and head hours. Many of them had professional XLR speaker connectors.

Unlike consumer models, these 9000-series recorders had thicker metal chassis and casing, and most were equipped with classic power switches. Two years later, Sony used this series as the basis for the best Hi8 recorder in the consumer market, the EV-S9000 (see chapter 38). With this lineup, SONY arguably developed the finest Hi8 recorders ever made. As was customary for SONY, the 9000-series designation in video recorder systems signified top-tier image and sound quality. Other examples include the SVO-9620 (S-VHS) and VO-9800 (U-matic) (comp. also chapter 11).

When Hi8 was introduced in the early 1990s, this second-generation "O" series was tailored for video studios. However, sales were relatively low, likely because, just four years later, SONY, Panasonic, and JVC co-developed the digital DV cassette system, including highly stable recorders for professional use. Meanwhile, for everyday professional applications, Betacam had firmly established itself and was evolving into DigiBeta at that time.

Despite these shifts, Hi8 EVO recorders, such as the EVO-9800 and EVO-9700, are still in use in studios today. However, Sony's final and most advanced professional model, the EVO-9850, proved problematic. Unfortunately, its miniaturized SMD-based design made it highly susceptible to capacitor failure due to leakage and corrosion.

By the late 1990s, the EVO-9850 had already begun exhibiting reliability issues, and replacement circuit boards remained expensive until around 2005. Today, it is often regarded as a "ghost recorder from another era" - a once-brilliant machine that, unless meticulously maintained, becomes irreparable due to electrolyte leakage.

50. EVO-9500

A standard Hi8 VCR in similar precision as the EV-S1000 in the small rack form. Easy to use and apply e.g. in theaters and similar open performances as a backup.

51. EVO-9650

That VCR was designed with a white plastic front and a special V24 connector for intra web communication especially designed for medical applications like the online tracking and backup in surgery.

52. EVO-9700

This was actually the first twin VCR in Hi8 – the professional predecessor of the EV-T1 (see chapter 40) and the successor of the EVO-720 (chapter 47). Of course it was fit with PCM Stereo and RTC. It features two tape drives to facilitate automated, programmed editing from a player to a recorder. As was standard, multiple edit points could be saved directly onto a Video8 cassette. This model also included a titling keyboard and a studio-grade jog/shuttle control system. All the cutting points could be stored on a V8 cassette. Useful for low budget video studios as in schools. Despite all the other EVO professional VCRs, this editing VCR is equipped with an electronic “standby” switch. The reason of which is the editing functionality. Once both drives are loaded with tapes, the VCR is ready for storing new sets of cut-in and cut-out points of selected scenes. For finding the precise beginning of both tapes, they needed to be completely rewound. Then the VCR would be set to “off” and both drives would “unload” the tape from the head drum. Once the VCR is switched on, both tapes will be loaded around the drum and wait in “playback pause” function for further commands. That way both drives were be in a synchronized “zero” position again.

53. EVO-9800

The standard TBC recorder with best performance - before the follower EVO-9850 was was developed. This VCR had already several options to add audio and video cards.

54. EVO-9850

This best ever professional Hi8 VCR was the ultimate VCR for V8 enthusiasts in the 90ies. That VCR certainly was extremely high priced and fun to work with. It featured many professional standards, like a 4 channel audio system and a bus-based motherboard that allowed for custom signal processing via specialized circuit boards. A second drum setup was added to the upper head drum thus enabling it to handle 2 more audio channels.

55. V-800G-F: the TEAC Hi8 Approach

A very special issue of professional Video8 developments is represented by the well-known reel to reel audio tape developer Teac from Japan. This special NTSC VCR was designed for production, studio, airline and military applications. It is a renown studio-grade Hi8 VCR with PCM and FM-Stereo audio. As for the military application, it can search and detect Event Mark signals recorded by Teac's special Airborne VTR.

56. Developers and Branded V8

Right from the start of V8 Sony gave licenses to most any interested company. Since 1985 many worldwide operating electronic companies were engaged in V8: Hitachi, Kodak, Lucky Goldstar (LG), Polaroid, Samsung, Sharp, Teac, Tascam and Sanyo actively were developing their own devices, mostly camcorders, except for Teac and Tascam (see also PCM chapter after chapter 14), developing specialty and professional VCRs. Canon camcorders are said to have been developed by a special group of Sony engineers. Nikon, Pentax, Kyocera, Olympus, Philips, Pioneer, Yashica sold branded camcorders. In Germany Blaupunkt, Grundig, Fisher, Hanseatic, Loewe, Metz, Universum were engaged in branded Video8 products. A good overlook of the many producers, brands and models of camcorders and VCRs in Germany is given at https://baugleichliste.de/index.html a privat portal edited and updated till the turn of the century. After that it was just renewed, so it may not exist much longer.

57. Pioneer's Short Investigation in V8

Pioneer had two V8 devices in its program: like many of the other above named companies they sold a branded camcorder named „8mm Video Cassette Movie“. It was made by Sony from the CCD-V8. The other V8 was much closer to the traditional line of Pioneer HiFi equipment, the Multi PCM recorder VE-D70 also made by Sony. It was an EV-S600 (see chapter 16) with a different cover and redesigned for a different RC. That was the only Sony V8 VCR ever redesigned for another company.

58. LG Made Twin V8 VCRs

In the 90ies, LG was known as Goldstar. It was the rising Korean consumer electronics company and showed a strong interest in any video developments with its own competitive line of TVs and VHS VCRs. Like many Eastern competitors LG also set up own factories in Europe for coping with the changing customs regulations. Like Hitachi, Samsung Sanyo, and Sharp, LG had a full variety of camcorders. But LG also developed V8/VHS Twin VCRs which gained also importance for two German electronics companies as branded VCRs: Loewe and Universum. At that time their prices were really competitive to those of Sony. The design of the V8 drive, however, was simple compared to Sony. Later they also had a Hi8 model, which, however, was a compromise in video quality as the S-Video signal was downgraded to a composite signal, called Pseudo-Hi8.
The 4 Goldstar photos show a V8 camcorder LC-E80P and the first original V8 / VHS Twin VCR model R-DD15PO, which has the same technology as the Universum model VRP-4335. The last 2 photos show the Hi8 model also made by Goldstar as Loewe's brand OC-2518. Loewe's camcorder models were made by Hitachi.

59. The V8 Cassette in Data Backup

Magnetic tape as a storage media for IT-data has been important since the first computers were developed. It is just the fact, that floppy drives and hard discs as well as SSDs could be accessed faster and easier. For storing huge amounts of data, however, the tape offers several advantages regaining importance these days. Tape based backup systems have a life span of 30 years as compared to 5 years in HDD. They offer absolute security of data also from cyber attacks or malware and their costs are much lower than conventional methods. Government institutions, international organizations and museums apply magnetic tapes in their archives as they offer less risk of physical damage and offer a better disaster recovery.
Two companies were engaged in applying the V8 cassette for data backup applications: From 1987 to about 1999 Exabyte made drives for different V8 tapes at increasing data capacities and transfer rates. The system was called D-Eight (not to confuse with D8; see chapter 42) and the drives were EXB-8200, EXB-8500, -8505, -8505XL, -8700, Eliant-820, EXB-8900 Mammoth, Mammoth-LT, Mammoth-2. Only the Mammoth drives could write on ME tape, they were, however, compatible to the earlier MP tape.
Sony's AIT technology was initiated in 1996, when ME Hi8 processing was obviously improved (comp. chapter 22). AIT (Advanced Intelligent Tape) uses 8mm tape in a cassette similar to Video8. Sony called it the Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) Technology. Since 1996 Sony developed 5 types of high-density HME tapes named AIT-1, -2, -3, -4, -5. Their capacities ranged 1996 from 25GB (AIT-1) to the last AIT-5 generation with 400GB. A new tape generation AIT- 6 was announced with 800GB right before Sony discontinued its AIT line of data storage products. The drives were named like SDX-300V (AIT-1), SDX-400V (AIT-1), SDX-450V (AIT-1), SDX-470V (AIT-1), SDX-500V (AIT-2), SDX-520V (AIT-2), SDX-570V (AIT-2), SDX-700V (AIT-3), SDX-800V (AIT-3ex) (AIT-5), SDX-900V (AIT-4), SDX-1100V (AIT-5). The AIT tape generation a drive was designed for is given in parenthesis. Most drives were able to read older and newer recordings from other AIT tape generations.

60. The V8 Cassette in In-Flight-Entertainment

Certainly the In-Flight-Entertainment market was one of the first to be approached by Sony and other special companies in this market, due to the size of the cassette and possible players to be developed. Some of the early developments were downgraded devices of the GV-series, often used in the first class of airlines. They had a larger screen and were mostly NTSC models just capable of playback. The passenger was given a list of available movies on cassette (comp. also chapter 33.a)). He operated it by himself. During a flight in 2015 I asked the crew of an Airbus carrier about the visible on-board V8 player (see first 2 photos). They said, it is a reliable device, easy to use and evidently the tapes were also easy to produce. When that plane was ordered there was a choice if it should have a V8 or a DVD based Video System. At shorter distances there would be no need for selectable videos. In such cases a simple cassette would be sufficient for welcoming and the necessary safety information.

61. Watchcorder, Time Lapse Recording Made Easy

Sony had already a line of VHS based Time Lapse VCRs. The V8 system actually gave easy access to a more convenient way of getting hold of a better single frame picture stability. A prerequisite of perfect time lapse playback. With a 90 Minute cassette the Watchcorder may have a recording time of 16 days at the longest interval time of 1 frame per 8 Seconds. Of course in those days, the storage space for storing the tapes was also an issue. One VHS cassette would need the space of about six V8 cassettes.

62. The Last Developments in V8 Camcorders and the End of V8

With its final camcorder series in 2005, Sony pushed the system to its limits. The error correction for older analog tapes achieved in this series remained unmatched by any other system. This lineup included just two Video8-based systems:

D8 in stereo (DCR-TRV270 (first 7 photos) and TRV285)

Hi8 in mono (DCR-TRV238 (last 7 photos) and TRV438).

It is quite concerning that, for cost-saving reasons, Sony omitted a microphone and an MPX audio system in this final analog camcorder series.