IEEE awards Milestone to JVC for VHS format

Victor Company of Japan Ltd (JVC) has been awarded the IEEE Milestone in recognition of its development of the VHS home video format.

The award is in general recognition of the "superior fundamental design and sophisticated technology of the VHS video," through JVC's proprietary inventions. It also recognizes the status attained by the VHS video format as the global standard for home video tape recording (VTR).

JVC's development of VHS video is the sixth achievement in Japan to receive the award, and the first in the audio-visual field in Japan.

Fruitful 30 years
This year marks the 30th anniversary since the first commercial VHS video deck was released on Sept. 9, 1976. Over 900 million VHS video decks have been manufactured for the global market since then, and products equipped with VHS technology continue to be integral to manufacturers' product lineups, including three-in-one HDD/DVD/VHS recorders.

JVC developed the VHS video standard to meet the future needs of home VTR applications. Prerequisites included long recording times, compact size, light-weight, standards compatibility and ease of manufacture.

Through the ability to view TV programs at a later time or date, VHS video greatly enhanced the freedom of lifestyle for consumers. Moreover, the technology allowed consumers to view movies at home as well as shoot video and communicate with each other using camcorders. The technology had a major impact on different fields including the electronics industry and the visual entertainment industry.

VHS video technology also opened the doors to portable video and video shooting utilizing camcorders. The modern market for home cinema owes its legacy to VHS video, relying today on new forms of media such as hard disks and DVDs.

The Milestones program is run by the IEEE, the world's largest association of electrical and electronics engineers.