Earlier television cameras were large and heavy, required a specialized vehicle for transportation, and were mounted on a pedestal.

Before Portapak cameras, remote television news footage was routinely photographed on 16mm film and telecined for broadcast.

Video collectives such as TVTV and the Videofreex utilized Portapak technology to document countercultural movements apart from the Big Three television networks.

[4] Because of its relative affordability and immediate playback capability, the Portapak provided artists, experimenters, and social commentators the ability to make and distribute videos apart from well-funded production companies.

The machine was relatively inexpensive ($1,500), light- weight, easy to use and reliable, and it produced a decent black-and-white image with acceptable audio.