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U-matic tapes come in many varieties and types. Sony's range of tapes set the standard. At present there are three series of tapes available: KSP, XBR and BRS. All types comes in two sizes. Large and Small. The smaller tapes are the only ones that will fit into the portable recorders such as the VO-6800 or the BVU-150. |
The Tapes series available are: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Here the number denotes tape running running time. For example a
KCS-10XBR is a ten minute tape.
In practice manufacturers always include a little extra tape to allow for lace-up etc, so the actual
running time will be nearer twelve minutes.
The different series tapes are suitable for the different U-matic formats: Hi, Lo-band and SP.
The KSP tape is the highest specification and is recommended for SP recordings, XBR for high-band and
the BSR for Lo-band.
Other manufacturers producing U-matic tapes include Maxell, 3M and Ampex.