First, there was SONY releasing a brand new camcorder format called Digital 6(or 6mm DV). This has been on the market a few years. It uses a 6mm tape that records video and stereo sound digitally. This tiny little tape can record up to two hours and the cheaper model cameras are slightly bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

This has been bothering JVC, the inventor of the common VHS 1/2" videotape, to no end. JVC beat SONY's Beta format back in the mid-1980's byoffering a 6 hour recording mode and standard stereo Hi-Fi sound. Then when SONY brought-out its 8mm format for camcorders, JVC retained its cost advantage and added circuitry to improve picture with its now standard VHS-HQ. SONY quickly upped the ante with its Hi-8mm format that doubled the resolution of the picture and used S-video cables that didn't retard the picture during dubbing. JVC was right behind SONY with its Super-VHS that did virtually the same time as Hi8 with a VHS tape.

The JVC SONY WAR WAGES ON
Now, ten years since the last battle, JVC has met the challenge of Digital-6 with its Digital-S format. This time it wasn't so easy. Starting with the original 8mm, SONY went to a metal particle tape while JVC has always used the cheaper substrate. Metal tape can record more information per inch which allows SONY to get a better picture with a smaller tape. With the arrival of digital video, let alone HDTV, the standard VHS tape was not going to handle the additional data.

Their backs to the wall, JVC knew that its advantage over the years came from its perfection of the 1/2" VHS mechanism, while SONY had always started from scratch with a new size tape. JVC could always argue that 8mm had only a slightly better picture than VHS and 1/2" VHS wasn't prone to drop-out (due to tape imperfections) as much as a smaller tape. Yet, with digital video, the quality argument wasn't holding water.

So, why not come out with a metal particle VHS tape and do digital video on it? You keep the same tape drive mechanism and put all your research into the circuitry. Thus, Digital-S VHS was born.

IS DIGITAL-S THE BEST?
What's so great about Digital-S? It matches 6mm DV with 540 lines of resolution, and becasue it's digital there is no loss of picture in editing and copying. But, because it is 1/2" tape the digital signal doesn't have to be compressed as much as 6mm DV resulting in a better picture with fewer artifacts and picture distortions. Plus, there are two digital audio tracks with full 20Hz to 20K Hz reponse and an 85 dB dynamic range. Yet, this still leaves room for an additional two audio tracks as well as two lines of closed captioning information.

This wasn't the only thing JVC was creating with its new metal particle VHS tape. The looming HDTV future doubles yet again the resolution of the digital formats to 1,125 lines. Before spending the extra on digital recording, JVC came out with what it call W-VHS, an analog recording system for HDTV. It basically divides the HD signal in two and records it on two separate tracks. It also solves a VHS problem that SONY solved long ago in its professional Betacam format. It records luminance (the black & white of the picture) and chrominance (the color part) in separate places on the track to avoid interference. Therefore, the W-VHS system can double as a great standard video (SD) recorder with 6 to 9 hours of recording time. Throw-in backward capability with regular VHS and S-VHS and you have a VCR that's not likely to go obsolete very soon. Plus, it outputs to a computer monitor incase you can't afford an HDTV television.

The new Digital-S VHS system has one problem. It can't do the full 1,125 lines of resolution of wide-screen HDTV digitally. This may be possible in the future at greater compression ratios, but not now. So, eventhough Digital-S also handles regular VHS and S-VHS, it isn't compatible with the HDTV of W-VHS.

SONY FIGHTS FIRE WITH FIRE
After investing tons of money in 6mm-DV technology and making it available to even the consumer market, SONY was not pleased with JVC threatening it with a cheaper digital video format. So, fighting fire with fire, SONY is now rolling out a digital format on its 8mm tape system. 8mm-DV is much cheaper than the 6 mm and the camcorders look just like the Hi-8mm models. Infact, the price and features are not much different. And just like JVC, the new 8mm-DV camcorders also play and record in Hi-8 and regular 8 modes.

IS 6MM TAPE ANOTHER BETAMAX?
The results are not in, but you have to wonder whether the 6mm digital format isn't a dead dog now. The battle is most likely to be between 8mm and VHS as the tape and drive mechanisms are cheaper and they are backward compatible with earlier formats. 6mm-DV has always had the problem with electronic stores who only wanted to sell the camcorders. Digital video is most useful when tapes are edited. A DV VCR is better than a camcorder if you already have invested in Hi-8 equipment. You can edit your old tapes onto a DV tape and then between DV VCR decks with no loss of picture quality. Yet, DV camcorders is all the electronic stores wanted to sell, and then without accessories.
With 8mm-DV, especially two VCRs, you can integrate your former 8mm tapes right into the perfect world of digital video. It is likely that 6mm will go the way of Beta: something for the professional market, but not useful for consumers.
Looking five to ten years into the future you'd have to question whether any video format that doesn't do wide screen HDTV is likely to survive. You can always switch to standard mode if your system is able to do wide-screen. If they can perfect an HDTV camcorder for the consumer the JVC vs. SONY war live to see another battle.
For now, VHS and 8mm are sure to live on.