Today mobile video-recording technology must fit into the palm of the hand, or be integrated into the back of a mobile phone, before anyone would consider paying any money for it. But before the camcorder was invented, anyone wanting to capture moving footage on film had to use an incredibly unwieldy two-part machine. Worse still, the camera itself was all that one person could reasonably carry, so a partner had to be persuaded to carry the video cassette recorder (VCR) alongside.
The older equipment also had no playback screen, so whenever it was necessary to watch recently recorded material, a television screen had to be available nearby in which to plug the VCR,
The cumbersome equipment was troublesome, particularly for broadcast journalists, movie makers, students, and others working in the field. However, advances in technology and design meant that soon various pioneers of video-recording equipment were shrinking down the basic component parts and creating a one-piece camera/recorder combination—what is now known as the camcorder.
The first commercially available camcorder was designed by Sony in Japan. Making use of Betamax video technology, the Betamovie model was unleashed upon the general public in May 1983. Even then there were no playback functions on the camera, and anyone wanting to watch or rewind a section of footage still had to eject the tape and insert it into a home Betamax player and watch it on a separate television screen. Really, though, the roving reporter's lot had improved immeasurably.
