MicroMV and me - Tiny Videotape, big impact

In this video I take a look at Sony's MicroMV, the smallest videocassette tape format ever made. I'll demonstrate the DCR-IP1 camera and show how I went about editing footage from this defunct format. I also talk about my history with MicroMV and explain how a serendipitous trip to the supermarket ultimately resulted in a big lifestyle change.

00:00 Intro
01:29 What was the idea?
05:45 How I ended up with MicroMV
10:55 Hands on demo
16:10 My old MicroMV vids
18:58 Editing issues
25:27 Editing solutions
28:48 Examining a cassette
30:53 What happened next
34:09 Patreon credits

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Regularly asked question
Q) Why are there comments from days ago when this video has just gone live today?

[StevenOBrien]

I like the idea that this whole channel is really just an evolution of you having to explain your camcorder to passers-by on the street.

[nate_river_]

While Sony the company probably won't look back on MicroMV with warm fuzzy feelings, I can assure you that the engineers who solved the problems required to realise it would be thrilled to know that you appreciated their work. I still get emails thanking me for some of the stuff I worked on decades ago, and it is one of the most wonderful things.

[tjiiik]

18:25 I never ever thought Techmoan and Xzibit would ever be in the same room.

[stevenclark]

One of the classic axioms of photography: "The best camera is the one you have with you."

[cyberyoyo]

Hands down, one of the best Techmoan videos ever. There is something about *mechanical* miniaturisation that can still generate awe, the tolerances in that cassette mechanism must have been incredible. The fact that it still works two decades later - presumably without service - also impresses.

I think another reason this format failed was because flash storage got very cheap, very quickly.

People might forget that when the iPod mini was introduced, Steve Jobs' speech bemoaned the flash based competition, yet 18 months later he was asking "ever wonder what this pocket is for?" and pulling out an iPod nano.

Finally - in a nice irony, the first Techmoan video I ever watched was about Sony Elcaset. Another technologically superior failed format - but without it, I wouldn't subscribe to this channel.

[coriscotupi]

This was one of those videos where you feel like you're in a friend's living room while he tells you a story of something interesting. One of the best videos in the channel.

[BobBell]

I just love origin story films. This is one of my favorite Techmoan videos. "Not every failure is a failure for everyone." Thank you, Matt.

[musicnerd]

The fact that the microMV mechanism is basically a tiny replica of a full sized VHS mechanism is amazing in itself!

[CAHSR]

Although I have little interest in consumer camcorders I also feel this was one of your best videos and well worth the wait. As you touched on each phase of your serendipitous path to becoming an accidental YouTube creator I started to remember portions of other videos where you had alluded to this journey. Thank you.

[borf]

I had a job repairing Sony Camcorders and digital cameras. It was a lot of fun. I bought myself a broken microMV camcorder off ebay and fixed it myself. I can tell you from experience that rebuilding the tape mechanism on this model requires a steady hand, a magnification device, and tweezers. I was successful though. I came across this during one of my recent basement expeditions. Now I want to dig it out and see if I can bring it back to life again!

[rickm.]

I wouldn't mind seeing a few hours of your raw MicroMV footage from 2004. It looks fascinating.

[keithAstansell]

It really is amazing to think of how camcorders have evolved over the years. From a huge thing that rested on your shoulder, to a small handheld digital tape unit, to what we have now.  

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's would we ever imagine that in 20 years time we would all be walking round with a device always in our pocket capable of recording hours of cinema quality video that could be instantly shared with people around the world on that same device. Then to think that most of that high tech capability would be used to shoot cat videos in a vertical format.

[gregpaintsminis]

Late 90's/early 00's was such a high point for Sony consumer electronics, for ergonomics, design, and user interfaces. Thanks for all your memory lane videos! 🙂

[chevon]

Imagine if someone told you 20 years ago that the vacation footage you were shooting would be played for an audience of 1 million+ … what a strange world…

[deleted_redacted]

"The Birth of a Legend". Thanks for this one, Mat. Great journey, and one that we're all glad you started.

[ZGryphon]

The thing you said about progress not always being progress really resonates with me today. I ran across my first smartphone, an OG Motorola Droid, in the drawer where it's rested ever since it was retired, and was reminded of how much nicer it was to use than pretty much any of its replacements. Sure, the screen is microscopic by today's standards (as are, more metaphorically, the processing power and battery life), but IMO it had the best user experience _and_ the best accessory ecosystem of any Android smartphone... well, basically ever, and I miss it.

[nickinportland]

If only xzibit knew at the time he was so close the celebrity of Techmoan, internet sensation!

[TheTvman]

This is why I love your channel. You bring back memories of long forgotten technology. These days we take it all for granted. Our phones do everything for us. I miss the days when you could look forward to the next new thing in technology. I can't thing of one tech item I got existed over being released in the last 5 years. Living with tech through the 80s, 90s and early 2000s makes you realise just how much we moved on in a short time. Keep doing what you are doing. Thank you 😊

[Luscious]

I have the same camcorder - used it to shoot video when I took a trip down to San Diego in 2002 with the GF at the time. I then burned the footage to a DVD on my Compaq laptop at the time using I think MovieMaker software and a DVD burning program. Printed some custom DVD labels on my color inkjet and even got a blank DVD case and printed a case cover for it. The end result looked just like an expensive DVD movie you would buy in a store, except it was all original and all custom. I admit I had fun with my little camcorder until one day the eject mechanism broke as I was inserting a tape - those things were crazy delicate. I carried mine not in a pocket but in a belt case designed for a point-and-shoot. Had the spare batteries and spare tapes too.

The thing to remember about Sony was that they were an innovator. Many of the formats that came about were thanks to tech that they had developed. MicroMV was not so much a failure as it was a stopgap between miniDV tape and the solid state digital recording formats that came later in things like the HP iPaq smartphone in 2004 and HTC Touch Pro 2 in 2008, two devices that I also owned. Then of course once the first iPhone came out the handheld camcorder was dead and smartphones would take over.

And Sony is still at it. Their Xperia Pro 512 smartphone introduced last year is an imaging beast that puts all other smartphone cameras to shame. Indeed if I was in the market for a new one this would be at the top of my list.

[DaveVelociraptor]

The last cassette "walkman" I owned was an Aiwa one with electronic buttons, pressing play or rewind and seeing the device do it electronically instead of mechanically was magical. That's what I was thinking when you were putting that little tape in. I know it's not a big deal but I really do enjoy that kind of thing.