Hi to all,
Hi MIPS,
When Sony invented the U-Matic format at the extreme end of the 60s, it was hoping to make it a consumer format (see YT Sony History movie).
JVC & Panasonic also adopted the standard.
Didn't happen; too expensive, too bulky and tapes limited to 60 min, too short for a movie. Some use for X-rated content.
Then portable machines appeared and Electronic News Gathering (ENG) was born, replacing 16mm cameras.
Later BVU-class studio Broadcast machines with TBCs became available and the format became truely Broadcast.
By now (1976) cheaper VHS & Betamax catered to the consumer market.
This is why your JVC has a tuner & clock: hopefully to seduce for home use or educational (record school videos broadcast at odd hours).
Sony History, 14min, U-Matic near the end :
https://youtu.be/vaskou2gl44?si=9-O1k4UAo8xyqM-o
Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France