S-VHS or Super VHS was an improved, backward-compatible version of the VHS standard for domestic video cassette recorders. It was introduced in Japan in 1987.
It offered substantially better color fidelity and resolution, with approximately 400 dots per line (the standard measure of analog video resolution). This means the format could, in theory, deliver a better picture than broadcast analog television; but in practice, when viewing material recorded off-air, little improvement over standard VHS was discernable.
To view the better picture, a direct video connection to the monitor was required, ideally an S-Video connection. Older television sets tended not to support this, negating much of the improvement in picture quality.
Home S-VHS decks never became popular outside of Japan, probably mainly due to their high cost, lack of prerecorded content, and the lack of visible performance improvements in playing off-air recording. S-VHS camcorders did become popular for high-end amateur work, as it allowed for at least second-generation copies (necessary for editing) to be made at a reasonable quality.
It is not unusual to see the term S-VHS incorrectly used to refer to S-Video connectors, even in printed material. This may be due to S-VHS being the first exposure many people had to the S-Video connector.
S-VHS is now mostly obsolete, as it has been replaced by DVD for playing prerecorded content, and by the various digital video formats for amateur and semi-professional video production.
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Last updated: 10-12-2005 10:02:18
