In addition, the ability of flying erase heads to erase old video off the tape right before recording new video on it allows the ability to perform insert editing, where new footage can be placed within an existing recording with clean cuts at the beginning and end of the edit.

Yet despite their lightness and compactness, they find room for all the features and refinements even a demanding videophile might want: power-driven zoom lenses, automatic focus and exposure adjustment, automatic color balance, high-speed shutter for capturing fast action, backlight compensation and flying erase heads to assure smooth, glitch-free transitions between scenes.