The Illustrated Guide to Video Formats

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The Illustrated Guide to Video Formats is an easy-to-read exploration of thirty-six popular and forgotten video formats, covering fifty years of video history.

This collection begins with the first major video reel format, 2 Quadruplex video (invented in 1956) and concludes with the Blu-ray disc (introduced in 2006).

In between, this book covers classics like VHS and Betamax, fan favorites Pixelvision and LaserDisc, commercial flops, professional successes, innovative technologies, and rare formats like CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) and V-Cord II. This guide contains 158 detailed illustrations featuring containers, video playback devices (VTRs), camcorders, cases, and more.

Along with basic facts, there are some fun facts about the history of video formats, their context in the larger media production ecosystems, and the how and why behind their inventions. Whether you’re an advanced analog video technician or too young to remember the era before everything went 100% digital, this book is sure to be an interesting, informative journey.

All illustrations and text are extra-large and in black-and-white, so the content of this book can double as posters or coloring pages!