JVC GR-C1



The JVC GR-C1 VideoMovie was a camcorder released in March 1984 by JVC. It was notable as the second consumer-grade all-in-one camcorder after 1983 Sony Betamovie, as opposed to earlier portable systems in which the camera and recorder were separate units linked by a cable, and as the first VHS-C camcorder.

The camera section was built around a 1/2" Saticon pickup tube, while the recorder used a 20-minute VHS-C video cassette, which could be played back in a standard VHS VCR using an adapter. The camera was also capable of playback in the viewfinder or through a composite video cable. A separate RF modulator was available to enable connection to the aerial socket of domestic televisions.

It was also released under license and in a black finish by German company Telefunken as the 890 Movie and in a dark red by German company SABA as the VM 6700.

The GR-C1 was voted one of the top 100 gadgets of all time.

Unlike the GR-C1, the Sony Betamovie could record but not play back. In 1985 Sony released three CCD-based 8-mm camcorders and stopped using Beta cassettes for consumer-grade camcorders.

In popular culture
The JVC GR-C1 was famous as Doc Brown's video camera (operated by Marty McFly) in the film Back to the Future.

It also featured in Stranger Things season 2 (set in 1984), as the camcorder Bob Newby hands over to Jonathan Byers to use when he takes Will and the other kids trick-or-treating and is used to record the Mind Flayer.

The JVC GR-C1 was the subject of an episode of Marques Brownlee's YouTube Originals series 'Retro Tech'.

It's shown in S7E13 of The Goldbergs titled: "Geoff the Pleaser". The "other" Adam Goldberg places it on the display towards the end of the episode.