JVC began in Yokohama in 1927 making phonographs as the Japanese arm of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Over the following decades it moved through recorded sound, radio and television before introducing the VHS home-video system in 1976. That format would place JVC technology beside millions of televisions around the world.
Why It Mattered
JVC helped move recorded entertainment from something people bought into something they could capture, replay and collect at home. VHS became the company’s defining achievement, shaping television habits, video rental and family recording for a generation.
Company origins
- JVC began in Yokohama in 1927 as a subsidiary of the U.S. Victor Talking Machine Company.
- Its early manufacturing work included phonographs and records.
VHS development
- JVCKENWOOD's technology record dates JVC's development of VHS to 1976.
- JVC's corporate history identifies the 1976 recorder as the first VHS-format video recorder.
Format reach
- JVCKENWOOD identifies VHS as a global home-video standard.
- JVC's later video work included the 1984 GR-C1 VHS home video camera.
Associated With
Victor Company of Japan, later part of JVCKENWOOD - creator or operator, brand
Defining Feature
Development and 1976 introduction of the VHS home-video format
Status
Active - JVC continues as a brand and business within JVCKENWOOD
- All one image sources are not yet verified — editorial review required.
Rights Notice
Images are included for historical and archival reference.
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JVC Company of America advertising artwork; scan reproduced in an eBay listing by Keystone Vintage Shop; scan contributor not identified.
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
JVC's 'First Family in VHS' advertisement presents a whole recording system, showing how the videocassette format was marketed through an expanding range of equipment.
