1975 - Betamax

Sony's Betamax is the 12.7 mm (0.5 inch) home videocassette tape recording format introduced in 1975 and derived from the earlier, professional 19.1 mm (0.75 inch) U-matic video cassette format. Like the video home recording system VHS introduced by JVC in 1976, it had no guard band, and used azimuth recording to reduce cross-talk. The "Betamax" name came from the fact that when the tape ran through the transport it looked like the Greek letter "Beta". Sony introduced the Betamax home video system in 1975 with the LV-1901 Trinitron/Betamax console. The format was most popular in 1983, gaining almost a third of the video recorder market. However, by 1985 the market had turned sharply towards VHS. The world's first camcorders were of the Betamax format and were labelled "Betamovie."

1976 - VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard for video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by JVC (with some of its critical technology under lucrative licensing agreements with Sony) and launched in September 1976. There is a relatively popular belief that VHS officially stands for Video Home System. In fact it initially stood for Vertical Helical Scan, after the relative head/tape scan technique (making the popular version a acronym), some actually believe that it once stood for Video Head Set, due to the way the cassettes magnetic strip is read with a silver read head.

VHS became a standard format for consumer recording and viewing in the 1980s and 1990s after competing in a fierce format war with Sony's Betamax and, to a lesser extent, Philips' Video 2000. VHS initially offered a longer playing time than the Betamax system, and it also had the advantage of a far less complex tape transport mechanism. Early VHS machines could rewind and fast forward the tape considerably faster than a Betamax VCR since they unthreaded the tape from the playback heads before commencing any high-speed winding. Most newer VHS machines do not perform this unthreading step, as head-tape contact is no longer an impediment to fast winding, due to improved engineering.

The week of 15 June 2003 marked the first time the DVD format (which was created in the late 1990s) became more popular than VHS. Although still popular with home recording, the VHS tape has largely been replaced by DVD.

As of July, 2006 most studios have stopped releasing movies in VHS format, opting for DVD-only releases. VHS prerecorded Movies, however, are still popular with many Collectors.

1978 - Laserdisc

The laserdisc (LD) was the first commercial optical disc storage medium, and was used primarily for the presentation of movies. LD had a number of advantages over VHS. It featured a far sharper picture with a horizontal resolution of 400 lines for NTSC and 440 lines for PAL discs, while VHS only featured 250 lines. It could handle analog and digital audio where VHS was analog only, and the NTSC discs could store multiple audio tracks. This allowed for extras like director's commentary tracks and other features to be added on to a film, creating "Special Edition" releases that would not have been possible with VHS. Disc access was random and chapter based, like the DVD format, meaning that one could jump to any point on a given disc very quickly (depending on the player and the disc, within a few seconds at the most). By comparison, VHS would require tedious rewinding and fast-forwarding to get to specific points.

Unfortunately, the format was not without its disadvantages. The discs were 30 cm in diameter, heavy, cumbersome, easier to damage on handling than a VHS cassette, and did not have recording capabilities.

1979 - Video 2000

Video 2000 (or V2000; also known as Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) was a consumer VCR system and videotape standard developed by Philips and Grundig to compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video technologies. Distribution of Video 2000 products began in 1979 and ended in 1988; they were marketed exclusively in Europe. Philips originally named the videotape standard Video Compact Cassette (VCC) to complement their landmark Audio Compact Cassette format introduced in 1963. However, both names proved unpopular, and Philips chiefly marketed the system under the trademark Video 2000.

1982 - VHS-C

VHS-C is the compact VHS format introduced in 1982 mainly used for portable video recorders. VHS-C (Video Home System - Compact), is used in some camcorders. Since VHS-C tapes are based on the same magnetic tape as full size VHS tapes, they can be played back in standard VHS players using a mechanical adapter, without the need of any kind of signal conversion. The magnetic tape on VHS-C cassettes is wound on one main spool and used a sort of a gear wheel which moves the tape forward. It can also be moved by hand and so is the spool. This development hampered the sales of the Betamax system somewhat, because the Betamax cassette geometry prevented a similar development.

VHS-C was one of the pioneering formats of the camcorder market, along with Video8. VHS-C was larger than Video8, but was compatible with VHS tapedecks, making the choice between the two non-obvious, and splitting the market. A higher quality version of VHS-C was released, based on S-VHS, known as S-VHS-C, that competed against Hi8, the higher quality version of Video8.

1985 - Video8 (8mm)

The 8 mm video format refers informally to three related videocassette formats. These are the original Video8 format and its improved successor Hi8 (both analog), as well as a more recent digital format known as Digital8.

Their user-base consisted mainly of amateur camcorder users, although they also saw important use in the professional field.

The format was introduced in 1985, the year that Sony of Japan introduced the Handycam, one of the first Video8 cameras. Much smaller than the competition's VHS and Betamax video cameras, Video8 became very popular in the consumer camcorder market.

The Video8 format later saw various improvements including higher resolution (renamed Hi8), digital stereo PCM sound (for some professional grade equipment) and finally the move to digital (renamed Digital8).

1985 - CD Video

CD Video (also known as CDV, CD-V, or CD+V) was a format introduced in the mid-1980s that combined the technologies of compact disc and laserdisc. CD-V discs were the same size as an audio CD, and contained up to 20 minutes worth of audio information that could be played on any audio CD player. It also contained up to 5 minutes of analog video information, which could be played back on a newer laserdisc player capable of playing CD-V discs. CD Video discs have a distinctive gold color, to differentiate them from regular silver-colored audio CDs. CD Video is not to be confused with the all-digital MPEG-based Video CD format, which came out a few years later in 1993.CD Video lasted only a few short years in the marketplace, disappearing by 1991

1987 - S-VHS

Introduced in Japan in 1987, S-VHS (Super VHS) was an improved version of the VHS standard for consumer video cassette recorders. Nearly all S-VHS VCRs are backward compatible with VHS tapes, meaning S-VHS equipment is fully functional as a legacy VHS record/playback unit. Older VHS VCRs cannot view S-VHS recordings at all. Many newer VHS VCRs offer a feature called S-VHS quasi-playback (SQPB.) SQPB allows VHS players to view (but not record) S-VHS recordings, albeit at VHS quality levels. This feature is useful for viewing S-VHS-C camcorder tapes.
 
Despite its designation as the logical successor to VHS, S-VHS did not come close to replacing VHS. In the home market, S-VHS failed to gain significant market share; for various reasons, timeshifters were not interested in paying more for an improved picture. Likewise, S-VHS rentals and movie sales did very poorly. A few prerecorded movies were released to S-VHS, but poor market acceptance prompted studios to transition their high-end product from S-VHS to Laserdisc.

In the camcorder role, the smaller form (S-VHS-C) camcorder did enjoy limited success among home video users. It was more popular for the amateur video industry, as it allowed for at least second generation copies (necessary for editing) to be made at reasonable quality. Panasonic sold industrial S-VHS decks for amateur and semi-professional production use. Community access television and other low-budget venues made extensive use of the S-VHS format, both for acquisition and subsequent studio editing. But the professional (network) studios largely avoided S-VHS, as the more expensive Betacam format had already become a de facto industry standard. (Quite simply, S-VHS's exhibited numerous technical deficiencies in a studio environment.)

1993 - Video CD

Video CD or VCD, or Compact Disc digital video, is a standard digital format for storing video on a Compact Disc. View CDs, as VCDs are sometimes referred to, are playable in dedicated players, personal computers, and many DVD players. The VCD format allows home computer users to create home movies on CD. Almost all DVD players are capable of playing regular VCDs. However, not all DVD players can read the CD-R media, hence homemade VCDs produced by CD burners (versus those produced by pressing) may not be playable on some DVD players.

VCD is gradually being replaced by DVD, which offers most of the same advantages to Asian buyers as VCD, as well as a much better quality picture (higher resolution with less digital compression artifacts) and sound (often in Dolby Digital and/or DTS), due to its larger storage capacity. VCD does however have a few points in its favor:Like VHS and unlike DVD-Video, the VCD format has no region coding apart from the difference between NTSC and PAL TV systems, which means that discs can be played on any compatible machine worldwide. Some titles available on VCD may not be available on DVD and/or VHS in the prospective buyer's region. They are much cheaper than DVDs. The DVD of a film may cost anywhere from three to nine times as much as the VCD. On the other hand, VCDs do not come with the bonus features like that of DVDs, such as choice of language, (removable) subtitles, chapters, deleted scenes, theatrical and television previews, interviews, outtakes and production notes. VCD is also a very popular format for karaoke in East Asia, where picture quality concern is not paramount.

1995 - Hi8 (8mm)

To counter the introduction of the Super-VHS format, Sony introduced Video Hi8 (short for high-band Video8.) Like SVHS, Hi8 used improved recorder electronics and media-formulation to increase picture detail. In both systems, a higher-grade videotape and recording-heads allowed the placement of the luminance-carrier at a higher frequency, thereby increasing luminance bandwidth. Both Hi8 and SVHS were officially rated at a (luminance) resolution of "400 horizontal TV/lines," a vast improvement from their respective base-formats of 240 lines. Chroma resolution for both remained unchanged, well below 100 TV/lines. All Hi8 equipment supported recording and playback of both Hi8 and legacy Video8 recordings. Video8 equipment cannot play Hi8 recordings.

The final upgrade to the Video8 format came in 1998, when Sony introduced XR-capability (extended resolution.) Video8-XR and Hi8-XR offered a modest 10% improvement in luminance detail. XR-recordings were fully playable on older non-XR equipment, though without the benefits of XR.

1996 - DV and MiniDV

DV (Digital Video) and MiniDV , has become one of the standards for consumer and semiprofessional video production. Features include intraframe compression for uncomplicated editing, a standard interface for transfer to non-linear editing systems, and good video quality, especially compared to earlier consumer analog formats such as 8 mm, Hi-8 and VHS-C.

A high-definition version has also been developed, called HDV, which differs significantly on a technical level since it only uses the DV and MiniDV tape form factor, but MPEG-2 for compression (and, as a result, records higher resolution but more highly compressed video).

The DV format uses "L-size" cassettes, while MiniDV cassettes are called "S-size". Both MiniDV and DV tapes can come with a low capacity embedded memory chip (MIC - described down)(most commonly, a scant 4 Kbits for MiniDV cassettes, but the system supports up to 16 kbits). This embedded memory can be used to quickly sample stills from edit points (for example, each time the record button on the camcorder is pressed when filming, a new "scene" timecode is entered into memory).

The "L" cassette is about 120 x 90 x 12 mm and can record up to 4.6 hours of video (6.9 hours in EP/LP). The better known MiniDV "S" cassettes are 65 x 48 x 12 mm and hold either 60 or 90 minutes of video (11GB) depending on whether the video is recorded at Standard Play (SP) or Extended Play (sometimes called Long Play) (EP/LP). 80 minute tapes are also available and can record 120 minutes of video in EP/LP mode.

1996 - DVD

DVD (also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc") is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs as their physical dimensions are the same (120 mm (4.72 inches) or occasionally 80 mm (3.15 inches) in diameter) but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. The official DVD specification is maintained by the DVD Forum. DVD-Video discs require a DVD-drive and an MPEG-2 decoder (e.g. a DVD-player, or a DVD computer drive with a software DVD player). Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination of MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats. DVD Recordable and DVD rewritable -  Initially developed for the need of data storage for back-up and transport, DVD recordables are now also used for consumer audio and video recording. They refer to DVD optical disc formats that can be recorded (written, "burned"), either write once or rewritable (write multiple times) format written by laser, as compared to DVD-ROM, which is mass-produced by pressing.Three formats were developed: -R/RW (dash), +R/RW (plus), -RAM (random access memory).

DVD "dash" (-), The first DVD recordable format released in the market. Developed by Pioneer and backed by the DVD Forum. Has broader playback compatibility than the "+" especially with much older players. The dash format is based on an older CD-R/RW format for easy upgrade or migration for disc manufacturers. DVD "plus" (+), developed by Philips and Sony with their DVD+RW Alliance. Came out after the "-" format.

DVD-RAM, as RAM stands for Random Access Memory, it works more or less like a hard-drive and was designed for corporate back-up use. Can only be read in drives that are DVD-RAM compatible. DVD recordables also use dyes. Depending on the intensity of the laser, the reflective property of the dye on a particular spot will determine whether it is a peak or a valley representation from pressed DVD. Also because of the dyes, it gives the disc those distinct colors at the shiny side. Dyes are also the reason playback is not guaranteed. Their reflective properties are not as good as with stamped DVDs that commonly have aluminum as the reflective layer.

Multi-format drives can read (write) more than one format; e.g., DVD+RW (DVD plus-dash rewritable) is used to refer to drives that can write/rewrite both plus and dash formats, but not necessarily DVD-RAM.

1998 - MiniDVD

cDVD or MiniDVD (Mini DVD or miniDVD) is an 80-mm diameter disc. In normal recording (standard DVD quality) it holds 30 minutes of video or 1.4 GB of data. Under SLP mode, comparable to VHS quality, it can hold 120 minutes of video. It was developed for use in camcorders, but like its full-sized 120-mm counterpart, it can be played back in most DVD players. The format is also known as a video-single, or DVD single, being analogous to the CD single (miniCD) in being a singles format for music videos. cDVD are also known as "3-inch DVDs" in reference to their approximate diameter in inches.Mini DVD-R/-RW media is available and is marketed for use in some newer DVD-based camcorders that record directly to the 80-mm DVD disc. Typically these cameras offer three quality settings by varying the bitrate: XP (20 minutes), SP (30 minutes), and LP (60 minutes).A Single Sided Dual Layer form of this media, stated to hold 2.66 GB, has been planned for release near the end of 2006.

1998 - Super Video CD (SVCD)

Super Video CD (Super Video Compact Disc or SVCD) is a format used for storing video on standard compact discs. SVCD falls between Video CD and DVD in terms of technical capability and picture quality.

SVCD has two-thirds the resolution of DVD, and over 2.7 times the resolution of VCD. Video is stored at 480x480 pixels for NTSC, and 480x576 pixels for PAL and SECAM. One CD-R disc can hold up to 60 minutes of SVCD-format video at a picture quality roughly comparable to Laserdisc. It is possible to fit nearly arbitrary amounts of SVCD video onto one CD-R, though one must lower the video bitrate, and therefore quality, in order to accommodate very long videos. It is usually difficult to fit much more than 100 minutes of video onto one SVCD without incurring unacceptable quality loss.

1999 - Digital8

Digital8 (or D8) is a consumer digital videotape format developed by Sony, and introduced in 1999. The Digital8 format is the combination of the venerable Hi8 tape transport with the DV codec. Digital8 equipment uses the same videocassette-media as analog Hi8 equipment, but differs in that the audio/video signal is encoded digitally (using the industry-standard DV codec.) Since Digital8 uses the DV codec, it has identical audio and video specifications. To facilitate digital-recording on existing 8 mm videocassettes, the tape media is moved linearly past the recording heads at higher speed, while the video head drum spins 2.5x faster. For both NTSC and PAL Digital8 equipment, a standard-length cassette will store 60 minutes (at Standard Play). Current Digital8 equipment can also record in Long Play (LP) mode, which increases recording time from 60minutes to 90minutes. A few vendors sell long-duration tapes, with an SP recording time of 90 minutes (or 125 minutes in LP.)Digital8 (SP) recordings can be made on standard-grade Video8 cassettes, but this practice is discouraged. Hi8 metal-particle cassettes are the recommended type for Digital8 recording.

Contrary to popular perception, the Digital8 format is not technically inferior to miniDV -- both are identical at the bitstream-level. Digital8 and miniDV use different, non-interchangeable cassette media, with Digital8 cassettes being the physically larger of the two.

2003 - HDV

HDV was designed to offer existing video-production environments a cost-conscious upgrade path from standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD) video. Since HDV operates at the same recorded datarate (25 Mbit/s bitstream rate) as DV, HDV recorders share the same physical (MiniDV ) tape-transport as existing DV equipment. For the camera, the main expense is concentrated in the optics and imaging electronics. Compared to HD-video equipment built on more professional standards (such as HDCAM and DVCPROHD), HDV enjoys a tremendous cost advantage. HDV-camcorders opens high-definition video acquisition to consumers, amateur videographers, and low-budget TV production. Although HDV and DV share the same (DV) tape format and the same recorded datarate, they use completely different video-compression technology. The DV codec uses strictly an intraframe (spatial) scheme, whereas HDV uses the well-established MPEG 2 video codec. Since HDV and DV use the same DV25 tape-transport, at the same linear speed, recording-times for DV and HDV are identical. That is, a 60 minute MiniDV cassette can store 60 minutes of either DV or HDV footage. As of yet, no HDV cameras can record HDV at LP speed, so the maximum record time on one tape is 80 minutes, as opposed to 120 with an 80 minute tape at LP.

2005 - HD DVD

HD DVD (High Density Digital Versatile Disc or High Definition Digital Video Disc) is a digital optical media format which can hold high definition video or other data. HD DVD is similar to the competing Blu-ray Disc, which also uses the same CD-size (120 mm diameter) optical data storage media and 405 nm wavelength blue laser.

HD DVD has a a single-layer capacity of 15 GB and a dual-layer capacity of 30 GB. Toshiba has announced a triple-layer disc which offers 45GB of storage. HD DVD can offer both the current DVD and HD DVD formats on one disc, which means that special HD DVD discs will play in any DVD player, old or the new high definition players. This makes retail marketing and shelf space management easier. For consumers, shopping is simplified as they can simply buy a movie that plays in any DVD player in their house, standard definition or high definition. The HD DVD format also can be applied to current red laser DVDs in 5, 9, 15 and 18 GB capacities which offers an even lower cost option to content owners wanting to sell short form content.

2006 - Blu-Ray Disc

A Blu-ray Disc (BD) is a next-generation optical disc format meant for high-density storage of high-definition video and data. The Blu-ray standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), spearheaded by Sony. It is currently competing with the HD DVD format for wide adoption as the preferred next generation optical standard, similar to the videotape format war between VHS and Betamax. As of 2006, neither format has succeeded in supplanting the present home video standard, the DVD. The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser it uses to read and write to the chalcogenide disc. A Blu-ray Disc can store substantially more data than a DVD, because of the shorter wavelength (405 nm) of the blue-violet laser (DVDs use a 650-nm-wavelength red laser and CDs an infrared 780 nm laser), which allows more information to be stored digitally in the same amount of space. In comparison to HD DVD, which also uses a blue laser, Blu-ray has more information capacity per layer (25 gigabytes instead of 15) but may initially be more expensive to produce.