The MII Format

MII was a professional video format released by Panasonic 1986 in response to Sony's Betacam SP format. In the same way that Betacam SP superceded Betacam, MII superceded M.

MII used a 1500oe metal particle videotape with a tape speed of 2.67ips, along with component video recording.

MII was somewhat more successful than it's predecessor and managed to gain a foothold in the television industry. However it did not last. The format was not well marketed, there were reports of widespread customer dissatisfaction, and MII became to Panasonic what Betamax was to Sony. In fact the MII vs Betacam SP war was basically a reversal of the VHS vs Betamax war.

MII machines are still in use but have become very rare. Tapes are hard to buy and the format is all but dead.

Because it is pronounced "em two", MII is sometimes mistakenly referred to as M2. The correct title is MII (i.e. Roman numerals). Coincidentally, Panasonic does have a videogame console called M2.