ABSTRACT
In the early 1990s, a consortium of camera manufacturers collaborated on the development of a new, small, digital tape format. The intention was to reach agreement on a single international format. This was achieved with a consumer digital video (DV) format which had a compression standard, a mechanism and tape format, a chip set and a standard family of cassettes. Originally intended for the domestic camcorder market, the DV format cameras did not meet the basic ENG requirements of operational features and ruggedness. The picture quality, however, was good enough for broadcasters to use the format in productions that required small, inexpensive lightweight kit that could be operated by journalists.
