| Media type | Magnetic Tape |
|---|---|
| Encoding | NTSC, PAL |
| Read mechanism | Helical scan |
| Write mechanism | Helical scan |
| Standard | 525-line, 625-line |
| Developed by | Akai |
| Usage | Home movies |
| Released | Late 1970s |
VK is a helical scan analog recording videocassette format developed by Akai in the late 1970s, that is capable of recording and playing back black & white (and later color) video in either EIA (a.k.a. RS-170, the 525-line NTSC video standard for North America, Canada, Mexico, & Japan) and CCIR (the 625-line PAL/SECAM video standard for Europe and other parts of the world) systems.
The format employed 1⁄2-inch-wide (13 mm) magnetic tape loaded into a small cassette, and had two video record heads on the scanner. The units had an optional RF modulator to play back to a TV set as well as a detachable video monitor.
A professional 12-track audio recorder/mixer model Akai MG1212 was made which utilised the same tape running at 19 cm/s.
Akai's plant for the manufacture of VK VCRs was located in Tokyo, Japan. A VK video cassette could record up to 30 minutes of video.
* Both units used the 30 minute VK-30 cassette.
Not many VK VCR systems were sold. The 30-minute record limit of the VK systems and the introduction of new systems on the market (VHS and Betamax) with longer record time limited VK sales.
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