From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M is the name of a professional videocassette format developed around 1982 by Matsushita and RCA. It was developed as a competitor to Sony's Betacam format.

M used the same exact mechanical videocassette (and the same oxide tape loaded in the cassette) as VHS, the format it was based from, but recorded the video on the tape in component video format, as opposed to VHS using composite video format. It also recorded at a much faster linear tape speed (a cassette that would yield 120 minutes on a VHS VCR at SP speed would only yield 20 minutes on a M VCR). The component recording and faster speed were much like how Sony's Betacam was derived as well from its consumer-marketed Betamax format.

The format was called M due to the shape of the threading path of the tape around the helical video head drum, which resembles a letter M. (This is also how the U-matic format got its name, for its U-shaped tape path in the VCR.) VHS also uses the same M-shaped tape threading path as M; it was carried over to M from VHS.

M had no success in the professional/industrial video market at all. This might have been due to RCA's Broadcast Products division, which marketed the M format in the United States under the "Hawkeye" brand name, going out of business in 1984 (shortly after M was introduced). Weak marketing by Matsushita for M might have been a factor as well.

M was also marketed by Panasonic (a division of Matsushita) and Ampex under the Recam (REcording CAMera) name.

M was succeeded in 1986 by the MII format developed by Panasonic.

• MII (videocassette format)

• List of videotape formats past and present, with a mention of the M format