PAL & NTSC
1986-2001
In 1986, Sony developed a new professional analog videotape format. It was Betacam SP (commonly referred to as Beta SP), which increased the horizontal resolution to 340 lines. It was the successor to the original Betacam format.
While the quality improvement of the tape format was minimal, the development of VCRs was enormous. In quality, features, and especially with the new larger cassette's 90-minute recording time. Betacam SP - Superior Performance - became the industry standard for most TV stations and high-end production houses until the late 1990s.
Despite the format's age, Betacam SP remained the common standard for professional videography until the 2010s.
The recording time for Betacam SP and Betacam is the same, with the S cassette being 30 minutes long and the L cassette being 90 minutes long. The tape speed is slightly slower in PAL 625/50 format VTRs than in NTSC 525/60 format VTRs. So a 90-minute cassette will record 108 minutes of video.
Betacam SP achieves its "superior performance" over Betacam by using a tape made of metal as opposed to Betacam's iron oxide tape.
Sony designed the Betacam SP standard to be partially downward compatible with Betacam, with the possibility of Betacam tapes being playable on Betacam SP VTRs.
When Betacam SP tape is used in Betacam and Betamax recorders, the video heads in them wear out prematurely because they are made of a softer material than the heads in standard Betacam SP decks, which were designed for metal tape.
However, Betacam SP tapes can be used in ED Beta VCRs without any problems, as the ED Beta format also uses a metal tape.
It was an industry standard for years, until its discontinuation in 2001.