Video8
Video8 was launched into a market dominated by the VHS-C and Betamax formats.
In 1983 Sony Betamax had released the first camcorder called Betamovie. In response JVC released the compact VHS-C format which enabled the first handheld (rather than shoulder-mounted) camcorders. Sony's answer to these small cameras came in 1985 when they adopted the tape format created by Kodak the previous year that used Betamax-style U-load technology, but reduced the tape width from 12 millimeter to 8 millimeter, and the Video8 format was born. The relationship between Kodak and Sony in the creation of this format is unclear, but Kodak is credited with the definition of the format.
In terms of video quality, Video8, VHS/VHS-C, and Beta-II offered similar performance in their "standard play" modes; all were rated at approximately 240 horizontal lines (depending on speed, quality of tape, and other factors). In terms of audio, Video8 generally outperformed its older rivals. Standard VHS and Beta audio was recorded along a narrow linear track at the edge of the tape, where it was vulnerable to damage. Coupled with the slow horizontal tape speed, the sound was comparable with that of a low-quality audio cassette. By contrast, all Video8 machines used "audio frequency modulation" (AFM) to record sound along the same helical tape-path as that of the video signal. This meant that Video8's standard audio was of a far higher quality than that of its rivals, although linear audio did have the advantage that (unlike either AFM system), it could be re-recorded without disturbing the underlying video. (Betamax and VHS Hi-Fi rarely appeared on camcorders, except on the high-end models.) Video8 later included true stereo, but the limitations of camcorder microphones at the time meant that there was little practical difference between the two AFM systems for camcorder usage. In general, Video8 comfortably outperformed non-HiFi VHS/Beta.
Video8 had one major advantage over the full-sized competition. Thanks to their compact-form factor, Video8 camcorders were small enough to hold in the palm of the user's hand. Such a feat was impossible with Betamax and VHS camcorders, which operated best on sturdy tripods or strong shoulders. Video8 also had an advantage in terms of time, because although VHS-C offered the same "palmcorder" size as Video8, the VHS-C tapes only held 40 minutes of time (SP). Thus Video8's 120-minute capacity served well for most users. (Both machines included longer playing modes at 120 and 240 minutes respectively, but at the cost of reduced quality images of only 220 lines resolution.) Longer sessions generally required additional infrastructure (AC power or more batteries), and hence longer recording-times offered little advantage in a true travelling environment.
Video8/Hi8's main drawback was that tapes made with Video8 camcorders could not be played directly on VHS hardware. Although it was possible to transfer tapes (using the VCR to re-record the source video as it was played back by the camcorder), this inevitably led to degradation of the analog signal.
Ultimately, Video8's main rival in the camcorder market turned out to be VHS-C, with neither dominating the market completely. However, both formats (along with their improved descendants, Hi8 and SVHS-C) were nevertheless very successful. Collectively, they dominated the camcorder market for almost two decades before they were eventually crowded out by digital formats such as MiniDV and DVD recordable.