Time-Base Corrector
Helical-scan analogue video recordings (Video8, Hi-8, VHS, etc.) are affected by minor speed fluctuations (wow and flutter) in the tape-transport mechanism. This causes timing jitter in the horizontal synchronizing signals, and leads to wobbly verticals in the picture. A time-base corrector digitizes the video signal and stores the lines temporarily so that they can be released at exactly timed intervals, causing a dramatic improvement in picture quality.