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MII (videocassette format)
Encyclopedia
MII is a professional analog recording
videocassette format developed by Panasonic
in 1986 as their answer and competitive product to Sony
's Betacam SP format. It was technically similar to Betacam SP, using metal-formulated tape loaded in the cassette, and utilizing component video
recording.
MII is sometimes incorrectly referred to as M2; the official name uses Roman numerals
, and is pronounced "em two". Just as Betacam SP was an improved version of its predecessor Betacam
(originally derived from Betamax
) with higher video and audio quality, MII was an enhanced and improved version of its predecessor as well, the failed M
format (originally derived from VHS
). There are two sizes of MII tape, the larger of which is close to VHS size and has a running time of up to around 90 minutes, the smaller tape is about half the size and runs up to around 20 minutes, and is also the size in which head cleaner tapes were supplied.
Unlike M, MII was somewhat successful when it was first launched, with customers like NBC
in the USA and NHK
in Japan using it for electronic news gathering
(ENG), and PBS
in the USA using it in the late 1980s to delay their television network
programming by 3 hours on broadcast delay
for later airing on the West Coast. But MII also suffered from lackluster marketing, a lack of customer support & public relations from Panasonic and Matsushita (Panasonic's parent company), and most importantly, a lack of reliability due to said lack of support for repair & service. This resulted in MII not being nearly as successful as Betacam SP. NBC eventually dropped the format in the early 1990s for Sony's D2 digital composite video
format, and ultimately began broadcasting all of their television program
ming and television commercials from digital video server
s in the 2000s.
MII is not widely used nowadays, and spare parts as well as magnetic tape
s for the format are now hard to come by. Used MII equipment can be had for quite affordable prices (under $1000 USD for a decent MII VCR) on the used professional video equipment market, but the format has found few current users due to its lack of manufacturer support and absence of new videotape cassettes. Like most analog video formats, MII has faded in favor of newer digital formats such as DV
and DVCAM, as well as Panasonic's DVCPro format.
For the video, luminance is simply frequency modulated and written to the Y track.
The two chrominance signals, Pr and Pb, are combined into one signal by chrominance time compressed multiplexing (CTCM), which is a type of time division multiplexing. The resulting CTCM signal is frequency modulated and combined with the FM audio carriers before it is written to the C track.
Analog recording
Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information for later playback.Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media...
videocassette format developed by Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
in 1986 as their answer and competitive product to Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's Betacam SP format. It was technically similar to Betacam SP, using metal-formulated tape loaded in the cassette, and utilizing component video
Component video
Component video is a video signal that has been split into two or more component channels. In popular use, it refers to a type of component analog video information that is transmitted or stored as three separate signals...
recording.
MII is sometimes incorrectly referred to as M2; the official name uses Roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
, and is pronounced "em two". Just as Betacam SP was an improved version of its predecessor Betacam
Betacam
Betacam is family of half-inch professional videocassette products developed by Sony in 1982. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself....
(originally derived from Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
) with higher video and audio quality, MII was an enhanced and improved version of its predecessor as well, the failed M
M (videocassette format)
M is the name of a professional analog recording videocassette format developed around 1982 by Matsushita and RCA. It was developed as a competitor to Sony's Betacam format...
format (originally derived from VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
). There are two sizes of MII tape, the larger of which is close to VHS size and has a running time of up to around 90 minutes, the smaller tape is about half the size and runs up to around 20 minutes, and is also the size in which head cleaner tapes were supplied.
Unlike M, MII was somewhat successful when it was first launched, with customers like NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the USA and NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
in Japan using it for electronic news gathering
Electronic news gathering
ENG is a broadcasting industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. It can mean anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location...
(ENG), and PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
in the USA using it in the late 1980s to delay their television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
programming by 3 hours on broadcast delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
for later airing on the West Coast. But MII also suffered from lackluster marketing, a lack of customer support & public relations from Panasonic and Matsushita (Panasonic's parent company), and most importantly, a lack of reliability due to said lack of support for repair & service. This resulted in MII not being nearly as successful as Betacam SP. NBC eventually dropped the format in the early 1990s for Sony's D2 digital composite video
Composite video
Composite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
format, and ultimately began broadcasting all of their television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming and television commercials from digital video server
Video server
A video server is a computer based device dedicated to delivering video.Unlike personal computers, being multi-application devices, a video server is designed for one purpose; provisioning video, often for broadcasters. A professional grade video server records, stores, and playout of multiple...
s in the 2000s.
MII is not widely used nowadays, and spare parts as well as magnetic tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
s for the format are now hard to come by. Used MII equipment can be had for quite affordable prices (under $1000 USD for a decent MII VCR) on the used professional video equipment market, but the format has found few current users due to its lack of manufacturer support and absence of new videotape cassettes. Like most analog video formats, MII has faded in favor of newer digital formats such as DV
DV
DV is a format for the digital recording and playing back of digital video. The DV codec was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camcorders....
and DVCAM, as well as Panasonic's DVCPro format.
Recording method
MII machines record six tracks: two by the moving heads and four by the stationary head. Starting from the top of the tape, the first two are stationary head audio channels two and one. Below these are the two moving head tracks called C and Y, which are frequency modulated parts of the video signal. The C track also contains audio channels three and four, frequency modulated. Going further down the tape, the last two stationary head tracks carry control and time code information, respectively. The control signal is used to synchronize the moving heads.For the video, luminance is simply frequency modulated and written to the Y track.
The two chrominance signals, Pr and Pb, are combined into one signal by chrominance time compressed multiplexing (CTCM), which is a type of time division multiplexing. The resulting CTCM signal is frequency modulated and combined with the FM audio carriers before it is written to the C track.