[1]: 63 [4]: 149 [6]: 63–64 The CCJ connector was developed in the late 1960s alongside the EIAJ-1 specification for open reel video tape.

Both standards enabled non-broadcast-professional enthusiasts and industrial prosumers alike to use any competitor's consumer video camera equipment without having to worrying about interoperability in most cases, largely (but not entirely) escaping the vendor lock-in situation present in the field in the earlier portion of the 1960s.

[4]: 149–150 [7]: 183 [8]: 81–82  Despite being used by many Japanese manufacturers—including but not limited to Sony, Panasonic, Akai, Hitachi, and JVC[5]: 193 [7]: 183 —for their video camera and tape equipment, the invention of CCJ is largely attributed to Sony.

[2][5]: 193 A typical CCJ connector for a video camera has a 10-pin DIN-style plug on both ends.

[7]: 183 [3]: 192  While most black and white video cameras conform to a standard pinout,[1]: 63 [3]: 192  not all do,[4]: 172 [9]: 24–25  and with the advent of cameras and portapacks that could record color signals onto EIAJ-1 tape, the pinouts began to diverge greatly.