In 1982, Sony released the Betacam system. A key component was a single camera-recorder unit, eliminating a cable between the camera and recorder and increasing the camera operator's freedom. The Betacam used the same cassette format (0.5 inches or 1.3 centimetres tape) as the Betamax (but with a different, incompatible recording format), and became standard equipment for broadcast news and in-studio video editing.