Digital-S

Digital-S, also known as D-9, is a professional digital videocassette format created by JVC in 1995. It was a direct competitor to Digital Betacam, but it failed compared to DigiBeta. 
The format was superseded by high-definition tapeless formats.
== History ==
The D-9 format was introduced in 1995 by JVC. In the spring of 1999, it was given the designation "D-9" by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. 
An HD version, labeled as D-9 HD, was later announced and developed. The D-9 format does not appear to have lasted beyond the early 2000s. 
== Technical details ==
=== Video ===
Video is recorded in the 4:2:2 component at a variety of SD formats, in the 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. THe video quality of the D-9 is comparable with Digital Betacam at standard definition. 
The BR-D51U model is capable of S-VHS playback.
=== Audio ===
Audio is recorded as 16-bit and 48 kHz PCM with up to 4 separate channels. In the high-definition variant, it can record 8 channels of PCM audio at 16-bits and 48 kHz.
=== High-definition recording ===
JVC developed an extension to D-9 called D-9 HD, using twice the number of recording heads to record a 100 Mbit/s video bitstream in 1080p in 24 fps, as well as in 720p and 1080i, both being 60 fps. Due to its higher data rate and increased tape speed, the recording time would be halved.
=== Codec ===
D-9 uses the DV video codec like MiniDV, but the video bitrate is higher than that of the prosumer format. DVCPRO achieves bitrate parity with D-9 and D-9 HD, but with a slower tape speed, making it less reliable. 
Some of the D-9 studio gear is capable of recording with Sel-Sync or pre-read and provided with 4-channel audio, and serial digital interfaces are also provided.
== Appearance ==
The shell of the D-9 was similar to the VHS format. However, the D-9 is not compatible with the later D-VHS format, since the tape formulation and data format are different.
== Usage ==
The D-9 was used for video production. It saw some use in Asia, Europe, and the United States, notably by Fox News and the BBC. 
The format competed with formats such as Digital Betacam, DVCAM, and DVCPRO, but the D-9 later became a commercial failure. The 3 aforementioned formats gained more success in video production than D-9. 
== External links ==
* Digital-S / D-9 - Museum of Obsolete Media
* Digital-S - Wikipedia
* Introduction to D-9 - JVC (archived)