From a technical point of view, among the player, the content carrier, and the storage format, the player operates the content carrier, and the content carrier serves the storage format.

As a result, video recorders have largely evolved with the history of videotapes, and there has been a long history of controversy over separate storage formats.

The development of the videotape system was driven by the popularization of television in the United States in the earlier period.

Because the eastern and western U.S. time zones are different, the U.S. television industry needed to find a device to record the East Coast and wait until the western part of the country was ready to air.

Taking this as an opportunity, a number of companies such as RCA, BCE and Ampex have been involved in the development work.

Founded in 1944, Ampex, an American storage device manufacturer, was one of the industry's leading pioneers, and was responsible for the first practical audio and video tapes in the United States.

After several experimental installations, Ampex introduced the first market-successful tape recorder in 1956.

The product uses a two-inch or 5.1 cm tape known as the 2' Quadruplex format, with the prefix "Quad" derived from the four magnetic heads it uses, and this recording method is also known as TransverseRecording – Landscape Recording.

It records at 14,400 spins per minute in NTSC format and 15,000 spins per minute in PAL format. A standard cassette is 4,800 feet long and can record 1 hour of TV programming.

The 2' Quadruplex recorder became the world's first to enter practical TV videotapes, but due to the high price point of $50,000. There are only television networks as well as the largest private television stations. to be able to afford it.

1959 year. Japanese companies entered this field, and Toshiba developed a new tape recording method, HelicalScan, which can be realized in Reel-to-Reel-roll-to-roll tape, which is basically the now popular and well-known dual-head tape structure.

Sony soon took advantage of this technology, and in 1963 it introduced the first reel-to-reel recorder, the 2'PV-100, for business, medical, aviation and educational use, and its Philips analogue was the 1'EL3400.

These applications are specialized in their field of expertise. The first video recorder for home applications also appeared in 1963 and was the UKNottingham ElectronicValve Company – Telcan of Nottingham Electronic Vacuum Tube Company.

However, the shortcomings of this product are too obvious, it is expensive, it can only record for 20 minutes at a time, it only supports the only black and white format available in the UK, and it is quite difficult for users to assemble it by themselves.

But Japanese companies were the best at solving these problems, and in 1964 Sony introduced the CV-2000, a more mature and available home video recorder.

Ampex and RCA followed suit in 1965 with their own reel-to-reel black-and-white video recorders for the home consumer market, priced under $1,000.

At the same time. The unencapsulated disc system gradually evolved into a cassette type.

In 1970, Sony developed an industry standard with seven other partner manufacturers. The Sony U-matic system, which was the world's first commercial cassette format.

This tape uses a 3/4-inch - 1.9 cm tape and has a maximum playback time of 90 minutes.

Due to its ease of use, U-matic quickly swept other consumer video cassette systems in the Japanese and North American markets, and U-matic video recorders were widely used in television stations, schools, and commercial applications.

It can be said that from the 1950s to the 1970s, the development of the videotape system at this stage can only be said to be in the stage of technological accumulation and survival of the fittest, and it is far from achieving mass market success.

It wasn't until the late 1970s, when European and Japanese companies developed advanced machines with more accurate electronic timers and longer recording times, that VCRs began to become a mass consumer product.

Until now, there were three competing and physically incompatible technical standards for cassette tapes.

Among them, Video2000, as the third format, was launched by Philips in 1978.

This product is only sold in Europe, and due to its limited characteristics and unreliable reputation, the outlook is pessimistic, and it can be regarded as a passerby and simply ignored.

It has to be said that Japan may not have much advantage in innovation ability, but it has repeatedly occupied the top position in the world in terms of technological improvement and optimization.

The battle over the videotape format is a good proof that the remaining two standards belong to Japanese companies, one is Sony, which was the first to launch Betamax, and the other is JVC, which quickly followed up with the launch of VHS.

Of course, the manufacturers who participated in the development of the videotape system in the early stage have become spectators, but it does not prevent them from following the trend of production to make money.

Through the initial success of U-matic, Sony can be said to have accumulated a deep technical foundation in the field of video recorders, and Betamax evolved from U-matic and was launched in 1975; The VideoHomeSystem, the VHS standard, was developed by JVC in 1976.

In comparison, VHS provides a longer playback time than Betamax, and the tape transfer mechanism is not as complex as Betamax.

VHS is much faster than Betamax's fast forward and backward speed because the playback head has left the tape before it rolls at high speed.

In terms of image quality, the Betamax format is better, but this advantage is often not as attractive to users as the longer playback time. And at the time of entering the United States. Universal, fearful of impacting the film business, was taken to court.

Sony's Betamax lost out in the second phase of the competition for the standard of video recorders. The reasons are very complex, such as their own pride due to the victory of the first stage of market competition, the patented technology is not good enough but resting on its laurels, and the operation is too independent and leads to a lack of partners.

JVC and its backstage boss Panasonic have a low enough attitude and flexible attitude to increase the playback time by reducing the picture quality, Sony refused, and JVC knelt and licked.

And so it was. The balance of power between the two camps has changed decisively.

However, Betamax, which failed in the mass market, is still very widely used in broadcast applications, after all, the latter is more concerned about image quality.

According to the historical trajectory, the direction of this standard war will not become clear until 1984, before which they are desperately racing to seize the market.

Tang Huan is familiar with the stakes and knows how to choose, but his strength is considerable after all. If you stand on Sony's side, maybe Sony will really win in the end.

So. Originally, the situation of time and space could only be referred to, and Tang Huan had to actually investigate it in order to know it in his heart.

Under the advance arrangement of Yaskawa Hideaki, Tang Huan first visited Sony, and its chairman Akio Morita and director Norio Oga personally came forward to entertain him, while President Kazuo Iwama was unable to show up due to health reasons.

Tang Huan didn't think much about it, because he knew that according to the historical trajectory, Kazuo Iwama would die of cancer, and Norio Ohga would take over the position of president.

In other words, in the next ten years, Sony's family members will be Akio Morita and Kazuo Iwama in front of them.

Although it seems that he is being warmly entertained, Tang Huan does not have any emotional fluctuations, he deserves such a specification, and the courtesy of the Japanese is just out of respect for the strong, even if he nods and is polite, but the ghost idea in his head is still correct.

In the process of greetings, Tang Huan made a special observation of Akio Morita, who is very prestigious in Japan.

This man served as a technical lieutenant in the Navy during World War II and met Dai Izukato, so after the war, the two co-founded Sony.

Akio Morita's contributions to Sony were manifested in a number of ways: Sony's financing and IPO in the United States, the creation of the highly successful Walkman "Walkman" brand, and the acquisition of Columbia Pictures...... All the way to promote the SONY brand to the world.

However, Akio Morita is not a businessman who divides his business, and his remarks are even more noticeable.

In the 1960s, for example, Akio Morita wrote The Uselessness of Academic Qualifications, in which he emphasized that companies should focus on individual abilities rather than academic backgrounds.

This concept questioned traditional Japanese employment practices, and it caused a great response in Japan at the time, becoming a super bestseller and reprinted more than ten times. He has also won the reputation of "breaking the traditional frame and employing talents without sticking to one pattern".

In the last year of the 1980s, Akio Morita and Shintaro Ishihara, a politician, co-edited a book called "Japan Can Say No".

The book was published at a time when Japan's economic situation was at its most frenzied, with Sony buying Columbia, Panasonic buying Universal, and Mitsui buying the Rockefeller Building...... It gives the impression that Japan is eager to buy the whole of the United States.

In this climate of Japan's economic growth, the book quickly became a hot topic of discussion, and many unauthorized editions were translated into English and circulated in the United States.

It can be said that the book is famous for advocating that Japan should improve its autonomy in various fields, including economics and diplomacy, especially in relation to the United States.

The book says: "The belligerent Japanese who provoked the war for no reason, and the brutal Japanese who caused the Nanjing Massacre, these are the two misunderstandings that people have about the Japanese, and they are also the two root causes of 'beating Japan'." We must take steps to eliminate it. ”

However, Akio Morita's article was not included in the authorized translation, and it is said that Sony was worried that its own interests would be affected.

His hero, my enemy, that's all.

Although Tang Huan is not interested in Akio Morita, this will not affect doing business with Sony. What's more, with a channel of communication, there will be a chance to start.

is like Weng Jingjing once asked, "Can a big man be a good actor", of course, the answer is. In everyone's heart. But there is a book "Actor's Self-cultivation".

"I'm here to disturb Sony. I felt very sorry, so I specially prepared a small gift to express my heart. Tang Huan waved his hand, and his entourage sent him a few handwritings, the content of which was from the Analects, which still had a certain status in Japanese high society, and was often cited by the Japanese imperial family when it was named.

Tang Huan's calligraphy was completely handed, and Akio Morita and Kazuo Iwama seemed very happy.

"We also prepared small gifts. But I have a little bit of a connection with Mr. Tang. Akio Morita gestured with his gaze, and a secretary brought a beautiful gift box.

Tang Huan opened it and saw that it was being built by Sony, and it was also the proud work of Akio Morita - "Walkman" Walkman.

"I've been known for a long time." Tang Huan pretended to be surprised, and even put on headphones and pressed the play button.

It is undeniable that the quality of Sony's products is indeed unique, just take the headphones in front of you, and the mass goods in a few decades may not be able to compare with the sound quality.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows slightly, not because of his admiration for the excellent quality of the Sony Walkman. Instead, he actually heard Deng Lijun's song, which is the new single released in Japan in the first half of this year - the original dream.

Seemingly. In the choice of gifts, Sony can be described as painstaking. Of course, this also shows Sony's PR capabilities.

Through this exchange of courtesies, the atmosphere of the talks between the two sides naturally became more harmonious, and the content of the conversation quickly got to the point.

Tang Huan didn't say directly, I want to see which one is better, your Betamax or JVC's VHS, but took a roundabout route.

Sony has made significant progress in the research and development of 3.5-inch floppy disks and corresponding drives this year, and the second-generation Fangyuan computer is really very interested in this.

You know, the external storage device that is currently popular on personal computers is the 5.25-inch floppy disk system, which is really inconvenient for the host chassis design, and its performance in terms of capacity is also unsatisfactory.

In addition, with the deepening of database application research and development, a new generation of computer monitoring system has also been included in Zheru's plan, and it is logical that Sony's Betamax standard has become the focus of investigation.

For both potential markets, Sony is very excited.

The monthly shipments of the second-generation Fangyuan computer in the world have exceeded 10,000 units.

If Sony's 3.5-inch floppy disk system can become the standard equipment for the second-generation Fangyuan computer, it means that it has 10,000 units sold.

If the high-end model adopts the configuration mode of dual floppy drives, this number will obviously increase a little more.

As for the field of surveillance, Sony has been involved in the first stage of the development of videotapes, but the new generation of computer-controlled surveillance systems, it really feels new and interesting.

……

The book says: "The belligerent Japanese who provoked the war for no reason, and the brutal Japanese who caused the Nanjing Massacre, these are the two misunderstandings that people have about the Japanese, and they are also the two root causes of 'beating Japan'." We must take steps to eliminate it. ”

However, Akio Morita's article was not included in the authorized translation, and it is said that Sony was worried that its own interests would be affected.

His hero, my enemy, that's all.

Although Tang Huan is not interested in Akio Morita, this will not affect doing business with Sony. What's more, with a channel of communication, there will be a chance to start.

is like Weng Jingjing once asked, "Can a big man be a good actor", the answer is, of course, in everyone's heart, there is a book "Actor's Self-cultivation".

"I feel very sorry to come to Sony this time to disturb, so I specially prepared a small gift to express my heart." Tang Huan waved his hand, and his entourage sent him a few handwritings, the content of which came from the "Analects", this classic still has a certain status in Japanese high society, and the Japanese imperial family often cites its name.

Tang Huan's calligraphy was completely handed, and Akio Morita and Kazuo Iwama seemed very happy.

"We also prepared a small gift, but we have a little understanding with Mr. Tang." Akio Morita gestured with his gaze, and a secretary brought a beautiful gift box.

Tang Huan opened it and saw that it was being built by Sony, and it was also the proud work of Akio Morita - "Walkman" Walkman.

"I've been known for a long time." Tang Huan pretended to be surprised, and even put on headphones and pressed the play button.

It is undeniable that the quality of Sony's products is indeed unique, just take the headphones in front of you, and the mass goods in a few decades may not be able to compare with the sound quality.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows slightly, not because he admired the excellent quality of the Sony Walkman, but because he actually heard Deng Lijun's song, which was the new single released in Japan in the first half of this year - the original dream.

It seems that Sony has taken great pains in the choice of gifts. Of course, this also shows Sony's PR capabilities.

Through this exchange of courtesies, the atmosphere of the talks between the two sides naturally became more harmonious, and the content of the conversation quickly got to the point.

Tang Huan didn't say directly, I want to see which one is better, your Betamax or JVC's VHS, but it is a roundabout (to be continued......