Sony HDL-2000 Demonstration Disc (1988 Analog HDTV 1080i HDVS Video BGV)

This is the "Sony HDL-2000 Demonstration Disc" (HD-100) from a Sony-made high-definition 12" HDVS videodisc. The HDVS disc format was designed to be a highly portable 12" laserdisc-derived media format for Sony's "High-Definition Video System" or "Hi-Vision" back in the early 1990's! Back then, high definition was a little different from how it is now. It was analog (not digital) & close to but slightly different in resolution to the 1080i picture we receive over the air today as it was technically 1125i/1035i. Before the earliest high-definition media was available to the public (via satellite, MUSE Laserdisc, & W-VHS tapes), Sony and other companies began shooting footage, doing research, and, showing public displays of high-definition television. There were three main ways of storing HDTV (or HDVS) at that time: Reel-to-reel tape (HDV-1000), cartridge tape (HDV-10 "UniHi"), & 12" Laserdisc-style discs (HDL-5800 / HDL-2000). This footage came from one of the Laserdisc-style discs.
These HDVS discs could only hold a maximum of 15 minutes of video (on CLV discs, even less on CAV discs)...but it held uncompressed, raw high-definition component video! Take that, Blu-Ray!
This demonstration disc was intended for functionality and picture quality verification of the Sony HDL-2000 HDVS disc player. Featured on the disc is a lot of various footage of scenery and indoor/outdoor environments, much of it shared with footage found on the ED Beta Demonstration Tape & Sony's TUNE UP A.V. LaserDisc, both released in 1988. As a result, it is very likely that all the footage contained in this video was taped no later than 1988. In addition, with a low catalog number (HDP-100), it may have been the very first disc released for the HDVS disc format.
Fun fact: Look at the sides of the image. Do you see that they don't fill your TV/monitor? Since this was recorded on the original 1984 pure-analog HDVS system, it also was recorded in the original, more-square 5:3 aspect ratio that NHK & Sony chose for the original HDTV system. By 1988, the HDTV standard was standardized to the 16:9 aspect ratio that began to be used on all HDTV systems forward and that we continue to use to this day; however, the hardware took a couple more years to be updated to 16:9. Surprisingly, KZbin supports videos uploaded in 5:3 aspect ratio so dust off & plug in your favorite 16:10 monitor to see less black bars than on a 16:9 monitor!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This was recorded off on a Sony HDL-2000 Videodisc player which outputs analog component (1035i) video. Uploaded in the upscaled 4K ProRes for extra clarity!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More of my vintage HDTV uploads can be found in this playlist: • World's Oldest High-De...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
If you want to follow me for updates or want to help me finally purchase a clean room for my mysophobic ducks, please click the link below:
linktr.ee/OpWo...

[@angelfoto4795]

Sony HDC-100 footage, 5:3 aspect ratio, they used Nikon lenses too. Lovely as always

[@sonicaids]

this is amazing for the 80s

[@TheWOCArchive]

The look of this footage is so fascinating. It has a wonderful analogue aesthetic to it! Thank-you for posting all this wonderful content!

[@ConsumerDV]

Funny that it was exactly the analog video look that was a major turn-off for filmmakers.

[@TheWOCArchive]

@@ConsumerDV Hindsight is always 20/20

[@henrypoole]

It's so awesome. I love the way the colors look, and there's lots of other small details that make it look so unique.

[@arzuozturk6460]

I love the calm 80s subtle beats, just like the intro for MetamorphosiS from SONY and 1:53 & beyond.

[@DextersTechLab]

Amazing, totally stunning! Wow, it has an amazing analog look to it! I really want to see this on my Ikegami HD CRT

[@HDCAMAN]

I love the early HDVS vision

[@bouncylj]

I have always found there is a very specific quality to Japanese vodeography, that is just incredible, minimal movement and perfect framing *every* time, its fantastic

[@mel816]

It's also a workaround for technical reasons: analog HDVS/MUSE maximum resolution is only visible in still or slow-moving scenes (fast moving parts of a scene would have reduced resolution, sometimes down to SD levels) so having lots of still scenes and closeups to show fine details/texture works best at showing off HDVS/MUSE's capabilities.

[@NUCLEARARMAMENT]

@@mel816 This wasn't a MUSE disc, though, it was a regular component analog disc that didn't reduce the resolution dynamically for static vs moving scenes. MUSE-encoded LaserDiscs did that and used direct color (composite) encoding that fit the entire signal bandwidth within 6-8 MHz like a regular standard definition LaserDisc, whereas the HDVS component analog discs utilized 20 MHz luma and 7 MHz chroma bandwidths. Hence why you could only fit 15 minutes max on an HDVS LaserDisc, versus up to 60 minutes on a LaserDisc encoded with MUSE per side of the disc.

[@Brushedmetal69]

​@@NUCLEARARMAMENT how does w-vhs compare with hd laserdisc and hdvs?

[@am74343]

Now THAT'S what HD video should look like! Smooth, pleasant, flattering, soft... not razor-sharp, jagged, pixellated and lifeless like today's video looks. I'm sorry, but nowadays the pictures on TV look absolutely dreadful. Too fake, too plastic, too "digital". This is beautifully lit without being harsh, and ethereal without being "woozy". Just marvelous. Absolutely stunning!

[@gjfkhvjzjsxbq]

No this is awful today's HD is realistic and high res

[@adorenu1338]

@@gjfkhvjzjsxbq This is awful, but it was 1988. Without it, Today's realistic high-res screens and videos might as well not exist.

[@lizichell2]

​@@gjfkhvjzjsxbqits misty by comparison of hd today but at the time I bet it was incredible

[@thisislocombia]

phone sensor cameras are to blame, they have that pixelated look, then pro cameras absolutely blow any old format away.

[@CamcorderHomeVideos]

​@@thisislocombia Exactly! I use a camcorder that shoots 4K 60fps, but you can crop in plenty with a 1080p video and it won't look pixelated. The video just looks soft at that point. My phone on the other hand, will look terrible with a 2x crop on a 4K video!

Love these analogue imperfections in the video. That's why the video looks magnificent comparing with modern full digital videos.

[@shanandersson1779]

Upload more of the Sony HDVS Video Demonstrations.

[@teefive]

Nostalgic!

[@Karpour]

Another fantastic upload, thanks! I'd be super curious to see a video about your process for digitizing various old media! :)

[@danielwebofrito2]

thank you!! it's so soothing and beautiful

[@user-ri3zg4cb9q]

Thanks for uploading this amazing video, I'm wondering who made the background music, it sounds so warm and peaceful.

[@quarterburnt]

Were there any televisions that supported this? I can't seem to find any mentions of MUSE or Hi-Vision televisions from that era. Interestingly, I did find a Roger Ebert article from 1988 bemoaning the fact he would have to wait until 1992 or 1993 for HDTV.

[@2610Someone]

Don't quote me on that but I think the first commercially available HDVS monitors from Sony became available in 89 or 90, already in the 16:9 format, before that I would guess they were using prototype monitors and projectors. The hi-vision broadcasts started in 89 and the system was finally launched in late 91 so consumer sets must have appeared around the same time.

[@newoldstock_]

Yes. High resolution CRTs were made for scientific/technical and creative use long before they started to commercialize HDTV, and there were standards converters available for production use. Sony started selling HDVS-branded monitors and projectors in the late 80s. Part of the problem is defining exactly what we're talking about. MUSE was the name of the broadcast standard, and Hi-Vision was a general term. In terms of consumer equipment, the earliest material I can find that looks like it was a real offer for sale is 1992 for Sony HDVS-branded TVs with MUSE-compatible decoder STBs. If you've been looking around for information on early HD, I'm sure you've noticed the historical record is a mess even if you do have some vague working literacy in Japanese. I've been doing research and working on a documentary about the history of HDTV for a long, long time and there's still a lot of stuff I'm not comfortable with.

[@ReelyInteresting]

There are magazines, etc talking about how both Sony & Barco had CRTs on the market for explicit HDTV usage as far back as 1983, but I don't know if they were available to anyone other than very select industrial customers or rental. They were mostly shown at trade shows. By 1986, Sony had the first generation HDM-series CRTs available for professional use & purchase. Ikegami & BTS joined in somewhere around there too. Some little B&W monitors by companies like Conrac had a wide enough sync range to handle HD signals and some production houses used those to get by. Somewhere around '89/'90 were the first consumer HD CRTs in Japan for the early test BS broadcasts (I had the model number of one such Sony somewhere, but I can't find it ATM... I want to say it was basically a "consumerized" HDM-2830...). Sony also had a line of front/rear HDTV projectors (HDIR/HDIH-series) from the mid-80's onwards which were very popular.

[@tranceenergy3121]

I just uploaded a video of the Sony HDM-3830 which was manufactured the same year as this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXS5kmCMqpZ2a8k

[@mel816]

@@tranceenergy3121 Amazing find you got there, I imagine there aren't many of those around, let alone in working condition😲 Just 2 years later in 1990, Sony would launch the KW-3600HD, the first "consumer" CRT HDTV at a more affordable US$15,000 (US$34,500 in 2023 money) 😛

[@evil_chuck]

Goodnight! Are there chances to get the 1080i tapes of sports tournaments like the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups? Or the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996? It would be something amazing! I know that NHK was the network that broadcast in that quality in those championships.

[@ReelyInteresting]

I believe the YT channel "HDVS" is in possession of some tapes of the Olympics. I'm always looking for media and hardware so...hopefully one day I'll be able to find something from those games and be able to share it with all of you!

[@mubd1234sAussieMediaArchive]

I was lucky enough to watch one of the Seoul tapes here on KZbin before the IOC struck it down and I was amazed by the quality...and how OLD everything looked at that. Lots of tube camera artefacting from the bright reflections and stuff.

[@ConsumerDV]

AFAIK, 1992 Albertville and Barcelona Olympics were recorded into the European 1250i. I am not sure whether any native 1125i recordings were made.

[@angelfoto4795]

1250i was tested for the first time in Spain in 1988, the country was an early adopter of the standard. It was also demostrated in the Expo '92 when the system was in its last legs.

[@evil_chuck]

@@angelfoto4795 Yes! but the very first was Japan.

[@Ale.K7]

Thank you!

[@TheDrForrester57]

I'm curious what kind of display this would have been shown on? Did they make CRTs that did 1080i back then?

[@Brushedmetal69]

Crts are different to flat panels they don't have resolution all you needed to do is plug in a component cable and your set

[@user-mb5br9cx6l]

还是模拟画面看着舒服！

[@stevemcdonald1033]

Several of the scenes in this video are the same as in the ED Beta (SD) demonstration tape. I've discovered elsewhere on this channel, that the ED-Beta Demonstration Video was taken from this HDVS video and downscaled to SD resolution. I don't know what camera and original recording format was used to capture the scenes, but it was probably something Sony developed to produce the HD level of resolution for the HDVS demonstration disks. Maybe it was first recorded on a W-VHS tape? If that was the case, I wonder what sort of camera and portable VTR might have been used?

[@tonnonn9774]

ฉันเคยรับชมDVHS HD ฉันอยากเห็นกล้องเช่นกัน

[@stevemcdonald1033]

English translation of Ton Nonn's reply: I've been watching D-VHS HD. I'd also like to see the camera.

[@klawiehr]

Looks great, where can I get one...

[@SpongeSebastian]

And another one!

[@betamax1815]

Do you know if this disc was included with every HDL-2000?

[@ReelyInteresting]

My understanding is that it would be offered by the Sony sales representative with a sale and was not included as a "pack-in" with HDL-2000 units. This is purely word of mouth, however, and not explicitly documented as being true.

[@EFIShell]

Sony Trinitron Demo Side B (Circus Fantasy) Laserdisc (HLV-9053) use same song (first song).

[@EFIShell]

There are Shinjuku and Shibuya scenes from Metamorphosis.

[@EFIShell]

1:19

[@BradyA1124]

Right-click, Loop, new screensaver

[@limera1nx]

I am curious what is the capturing device used here, and what is your device chain?

[@ivok9846]

contrast is too low...

[@EFIShell]

Is there an HDVS recording recorded in 16:9?

[@ReelyInteresting]

Basically, all HDVS recordings after 1990 (using the HDD-1000 semi-digital system) are 16:9. Of my uploads, that includes Metamorphosis, Dreamy Colors, A Dolphin Story, all the Showscan uploads, & all the MUSE Laserdisc uploads as of October '22.

[@EFIShell]

@@ReelyInteresting I checked it now. In 1992, Sony's Good Night Tokyo documentary was shot in 16:9 1080i.

[@ReelyInteresting]

@EFI Shell Yes, Good Night Tokyo is one of the productions that was released in 16:9. However, some of the source material (like the scene with the SCARA robot at 6:38) is actually stretched 5:3!

[@Brushedmetal69]

​@@ReelyInteresting hi i know I'm 1 year late but what model of hdvs was good night Tokyo shot on?

[@ReelyInteresting]

@@Brushedmetal69 Good Night Tokyo is a compilation of footage from mixed sources. Some parts are so clear, they could only be from from the ultra-high quality digital HDD-1000 (such as the golfing segment at 6:50). Some are from the high-quality analog HDV-1000 deck (like the aforementioned SCARA segment). Other parts could be taken from the portable analog UNIHI format, but it's nearly impossible to tell with 100% certainty without explicitly being told the origin or at least seeing the original uncompressed HD master.

[@irelanddaynight]

What camera was used here?

[@barulicksama3838]

Video is interlaced, it would look so much better if you'd deinterlace it.

[@rikiishitoru8885]

What's the music?