1986 would see the next progressive step in the Betacam line with the SP (Superior Performance) iteration offering an increased resolution. Beyond improved image quality, the SP cassettes would upgrade the medium from the ferric-oxide of the original Betacam, to a new metal tape for the SP, which allows for a more efficient signal delivery.

The cassettes, which are the smallest of the DV family used similar metal particulate tape as it’s larger, professional grade counterparts, and could technically facilitate the storage of any variation of the DV format that would be released between 95 to the mid 2000s.

Betacam SP video cassettes are available in 2 different sizes. The 90 minute Betacam SP cassette is larger and found usually in Television Studio environments, while the smaller cassettes, ranging from 5-30 minutes were compatible with consumer level camcorders.