Portapak

Portapak is the product name of a historical type of a semi-pro, battery-powered video camera manufactured by Sony.

History

The Portapaks were, according to some sources, 1967/1968 first sold in the United States; SONY himself speaks of 1965. In Europe, non- industrial video equipment did not appear until around 1970 on the market.

Technology

The first generation of 1967 had camera, cable and VCR, but could not rewind or play. This requires an external, larger-sized video recorder was needed. Portapaks allowed only black and white shots, and the playing time of the recording tapes on reels was only half an hour.

Application

Possible areas of application covered the manufacturer to the training in the industry and to public educational institutions, to video as self-awareness levels and an electronic monitoring eye. To these new cameras but soon formed small groups and initiatives who discovered a means to an alternative audio-visual communication in them. The emergence of these groups can be seen in the context of the Vietnam War and the student movement and the desire for communication from below.