page_title: International Video Corporation
section_title: IVC 9000
hierarchical_section_title: International Video Corporation / IVC 9000
caption_attribution_description: English: IVC-9000 at DC Video, Burbank, Ca USA
context_page_description: International Video Corporation, or IVC, was a California company with large European operations that manufactured a number of models of Middle to High end videotape recorders, or VTRs, for industrial and professional use in the US, alongside a range of digital video Time Base Correctors and Special Effects units designed and manufactured in the UK. Their products were very popular in the industrial, scientific, research, medical, education and institutional markets from the late 1960s through the 1980s.
  As well as the large US market, IVC products were particularly successful in Great Britain were IVC had a subsidiary company, IVC UK Ltd.
context_section_description: One of the last US-designed products was the legendary IVC model 9000 VTR, considered by many experts to be the best analog VTR ever made. It used 2" tape, much like the 2" Quadruplex format, but using segmented helical scanning for the recording and playback of the video tracks (as opposed to 2" Quadruplex's transverse scanning). Vacuum column tape handling and modular plug in electronics made the machine a delight to work with, and the multi generation capability was exceptional. The IVC9000 was also the first production machine to fully meet the complex editing requirements of the PAL eight field sequence.
  in order to assist with sales and marketing, IVC entered into partnership with Rank Cintel in England for certain sections of the PAL market, and Thomson CSF in France for the SECAM market. Rank and Thomson both contributed to the design costs in return for their exclusive market arrangements. Furthermore, the styling of the IVC 9000 was made to match Rank Cintel's highly successful Broadcast Telecine machines. This arrangement expired when IVC in California ceased operations, at which time all sales and marketing was taken over by IVC UK who had substantial 9000 inventory and were therefore able to continue to supply and support the PAL and SECAM markets.
  The 9000 was used for the production of many popular television series from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s, as it was capable of higher quality through many more generations than other available products. It was extensively used in mastering and duplication centres where high quality coupled with long head life and low tape wear were important. However, the high R & D costs from the development of the 9000 caused IVC in California to cease operations in the early 1980s, although IVC in the UK and Europe continued and expanded as successful independent businesses.
  Many engineers and users consider that the IVC9000 with its superior performance should have sold in bigger numbers. The list price of US$80,000 was certainly not a barrier as competing Quad machines generally cost significantly more. However, a battle of 2” broadcast format wars was waged strongly by the Quad manufacturers who feared for their earlier monopoly. This kept many otherwise enthusiastic customers waiting for an outcome. The irony was that ultimately the battle was overtaken by 1” format B and C machines which had significantly inferior performance, but far lower prices.
  Some of the first laserdisc releases on the market from Discovision were mastered by the company using IVC 9000 VTRs for master videotape playback for making glass masters during the laserdisc replication process. Discovision later switched to using 1" Type C videotape around the early 1980s for laserdisc mastering when IVC ceased 9000 support in the US.
  The IVC9000 was (like its smaller sister 800 products) well utilised in Great Britain. The BBC used it in five regions, and many London Independents operated the IVC9000 for mastering and duplication. The final two IVC9000s were installed by IVC UK Ltd in 1980 and ran successfully alongside the many other British 9000 installations using local British-made video heads for over ten years. IVC UK also made video heads for the 1” 800 series in partnership with local glass bonding ferrite manufacturer Ferrac. These heads enabled operation of both the 1” and 2” machines in Britain long after US spares supply ceased.
caption: IVC-9000 VTR from DC Video, [2],
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