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Originally Posted by Jeffhs
BTW, what on earth does "Omnivision" mean as applied to Panasonic VCRs?
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It's just a trade name / line identifier, much like the "Selectavision" name on RCA VCRs, or the "Chromacolor" name on Zenith TVs, or the "Thinkpad" name on IBM (now Lenovo) portable computers.
The interesting thing is that "Omnivision" is actually a bit of an overloaded term as a Panasonic product identifier. It originally referred to Panasonic's EIAJ-cartridge format VCRs from the early 1970's. When Panasonic (Matsushita) introduced their line of U-matic VCRs, those bore the "U-VISION" name instead. Then, when they introduced VHS-format VCRs, they re-used the Omnivision name for some reason. I suppose by that time, the EIAJ-cartridge was essentially a dead format, and someone in marketing must have decided there was enough brand value built in the "Omnivision" name that it would be worth hanging on to it. As for the origin of the name itself, it probably spawned out of the "Tape-A-Vision" name that appeared earlier on Panasonic EIAJ format open-reel VTRs.
Of course, the "Selectavision" name was just as much (if not more) of an overloaded term as an RCA product line. It originally referred to a prototype videodisc system that never made it to production, then ended up on RCA's VHS-format VCRs, and then also found itself on the CED videodisc players that grew out of the original videodisc R&D at RCA.