U-matic

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "U-matic" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article's lead section may be too long. Please read the length guidelines and help move details into the article's body. (September 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

3/4″ U-matic

Sony U-matic cassette
Media type	Magnetic cassette tape
Encoding	NTSC, PAL, SECAM
Developed by	Sony
Usage	Video production
Released	September 1971 Lifespan: September 1971–June 2000 Technical Support 1971–2016

U-matic or 3⁄4-inch Type E Helical Scan^[1][2] or SMPTE E^[3] is an analogue recording videocassette format first shown by Sony in prototype in October 1969, and introduced to the market in September 1971. It was among the first video formats to contain the videotape inside a cassette, as opposed to the various reel-to-reel or open-reel formats of the time. The videotape is 3⁄4 in (19 mm) wide, so the format is often known as "three-quarter-inch" or simply "three-quarter", compared to open reel videotape formats in use, such as 1 in (25 mm) type C videotape and 2 in (51 mm) quadruplex videotape.

Unlike most other cassette-based tape formats, the supply and take-up reels in the cassette turn in opposite directions during playback, fast-forward, and rewind: one reel would run clockwise while the other would run counter-clockwise. A locking mechanism integral to each cassette case secures the tape hubs during transportation to keep the tape wound tightly on the hubs. Once the cassette is taken off the case, the hubs are free to spin. A spring-loaded tape cover door protects the tape from damage; when the cassette is inserted into the VCR, the door is released and is opened, enabling the VCR mechanism to spool the tape around the spinning video drum. Accidental recording is prevented by the absence of a red plastic button fitted to a hole on the bottom surface of the tape; removal of the button disabled recording.

Some of the standards that define the format, are:^[4]

• SMPTE 21M-1997 Video Recording – 3/4-in Type E Helical Scan – Records
• SMPTE 22M-1997 Video Recording – 3/4-in Type E Helical Scan – Cassette
• SMPTE 31M-2003 Television Analog Recording - 3/4-in Type E – Small Video Cassette
• RP 87-1999 (Archived 2004) Reference Carrier Frequencies, Preemphasis Characteristic and Audio and Control Signals for 3/4-in Type E Helical-Scan Video Tape Cassette Recording