S-VHS

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S-VHS

An S-VHS tape
Media type	Magnetic tape cassette
Encoding	PAL, NTSC, ADAT
Capacity	9 hours in super long play (SLP) mode on T-180, 10 hours in PAL-LP with E-300 tape (up to 15h in PAL-EP machines)
Standard	525 lines, 625 lines
Usage	Home video, home movies, video production
Extended from	VHS
Extended to	D-VHS · W-VHS
Released	April 1987; 38 years ago (1987-04)

S-VHS, the common initialism for Super VHS, is an analog video cassette format introduced by JVC in 1987 as an improved version of the VHS (Video Home System) format. S-VHS improved image quality by increasing the bandwidth of the luminance (brightness) signal, allowing for a horizontal resolution of approximately 400 lines, compared to the 240 lines typical of VHS. The format used the same physical cassette shell as VHS but required higher-grade magnetic tape and compatible recording and playback equipment.

S-VHS decks are backward-compatible with standard VHS tapes, allowing them to play and record in VHS format. However, S-VHS tapes generally cannot be played in VHS-only machines, due to differences in the signal encoding.

Despite its technical advantages, S-VHS struggled to gain widespread consumer adoption due to the higher cost of equipment and tapes, along with the limited availability of pre-recorded content. The format found moderate success in professional, educational, and industrial applications, including video production, surveillance camera recording, and television broadcasting, where its higher resolution and compatibility with VHS tapes made it a practical transitional format.