Portapak
Portapak is the product name of a historic type of semi-professional, battery-operated video camera made by Sony .
history
According to some sources, the Portapaks were first sold in the USA in 1967/1968 ; SONY itself speaks of 1965. In Europe, non-industrial video equipment only appeared on the market around 1970.
technology
The first generation from 1967 had a camera, cable and recorder, but could not rewind or play back. A larger external video recorder was required for this. Portapaks only allowed black and white recordings, and the playing time of the recording tapes on reels was only half an hour.
application
The manufacturers thought of further training in industry and public educational institutions, of video as a self-awareness mirror and as an electronic surveillance eye as possible areas of application. However, small groups and initiatives soon formed around these new cameras and discovered in them a means of alternative audiovisual communication. The emergence of these groups can be seen in connection with the Vietnam War and the student movement and the desire for communication from below .
literature
- Barry Schwartz: Video Tape and the Communications Revolution. In: Barry N. (sic!) Schwartz (ed.): Human Connection and the New Media. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1973 [The Human futures series], pp. 66-79. Very euphoric article that praises the new portapaks as a means of artistic development and political awareness-raising.
- Spielmann, Yvonne: Video: The reflexive medium, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp 2005 [Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft, Vol. 1739], pp. 125–138.