Now and Then
From huge shoulder-mounted camcorders to smartphones; from mega tape-to-tape editing suites to simple computer editing; from VHS distribution to the internet; from streaming video to instant YouTube uploading, video has come a long way!
When Videomaker magazine first hit the newstands in 1986, video cameras were just beginning to make a foothold in consumer’s homes. Our first few issues were full of stories about those darn “Format Wars” – Beta vs. VHS, remember that concern? In fact Beta versus VHS was so prevalent at the time that we devoted full issues to each format, along with VHS-C and 8mm. Although each format was very different, they all shot video using the same physical recording device: videotape.
VHS-C was featured in our June issue 1986 issue and 8mm (Video8) in August, followed by VHS in October 1987. Of the 58 camcorders featured the average price was a whopping $1646. Only one camcorder was priced under $1000, the Zenith VM6150 “Sharpshooter” VHS. Tthe Minolta CR-8000S 8mm camcorder was the only one that topped the $2000 mark at $2186. Imagine that! Today, you can get a pretty beefy camcorder for $1600, and a pro-level cam for $2000!
We featured only 2 Beta format camcorders and we had a sidebar that stated: “Beta camcorders remain a viable option for quality minded video producers. Boasting the highest resolution among consumer-level formats, (until the arrivals of Super-VHS and ED Beta,) and benefiting from excellent format-specific editing capabilities, Beta is especially practical for dubbing to other formats.”
Although Beta was a superior format, VHS eventually won out do to price and availability, although, if you ask me, $1600 in 1986 was a VERY high price for a ‘toy’ for the average household. Not a lot of “Video Memories” were being made back then – not by the average family, at any rate – but that was just the beginning. As soon as the prices started to drop and the cameras became easier to use with better quality, the video genie was out of the bottle and not about to go back. Consider the quality we have now for a sub-$300 camera, it really blows one’s mind!
Since then the omnipresent video of today has surely changed not only the way people keep precious memories of their family’s lives, but has changed the world – as recent events in the Middle East has shown us.
So for a “blast from the past,” let’s take a look at a few numbers to compare how camcorder sales have affected the way people track events around them using video cameras.
In the Early Years – Growth
In the Fall 1987 issue of Videomaker, we wrote: “The Electronic Industries Association reports, ‘in terms of percentage growth, the hottest video hardware product is the camcorder.’ For the first six months of 1987, camcorder sales totaled more than 580,000 units. The statistic reflects a 49 percent jump over the previous year.”
In 1990, Newtek introduced the Video Toaster, considered the first non-linear editing system. It wasn’t long after that that Videomaker began dividing its editing features between tape-to-tape editing and non-linear editing tips. Non-linear was clunky, processor heavy, and expensive; computers were pricey and few people wanted to go that route. The TV station I worked at then was a test market for a lot of industry products and we were one of the first in the country to work on the Toaster. It was the first time I’d touched a computer and it was a bit daunting. Tape-to-tape seemed so much faster, but that changed in time.
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