| Akai VK | |
| Type: | Magnetic Tape |
| Encoding: | NTSC, PAL |
| Read: | Helical scan |
| Write: | Helical scan |
| Standard: | 525-line, 625-line |
| Owner: | Akai |
| Use: | Home movies |
VK is a helical scan analog recording videocassette format developed by Akai in the late 1970s, that is capable of recording and playing back black & white (and later color) video in either EIA (a.k.a. RS-170, the 525-line NTSC video standard for North America, Canada, Mexico, & Japan) and CCIR (the 625-line PAL/SECAM video standard for Europe and other parts of the world) systems.
The format employed NaNadj=midNaNadj=mid magnetic tape loaded into a small cassette, and had two video record heads on the scanner. The units had an optional RF modulator to play back to a TV set as well as a detachable video monitor.
A professional 12-track audio recorder/mixer model Akai MG1212 was made which utilised the same tape running at 19 cm/s.
Akai's plant for the manufacture of VK VCRs was located in Tokyo, Japan. A VK video cassette could record up to 30 minutes of video.
It came with a camera, model number VC-300.
Weighed 24 pounds, without the battery.
It came with a camera also.
A monitor could be added to the side of the VTR.
Not many VK VCR systems were sold. The 30-minute record limit of the VK systems and the introduction of new systems on the market (VHS and Betamax) with longer record time limited VK sales.