Super VHS, commonly abbreviated as S-VHS, is an analog videocassette format introduced by JVC in 1987 as an enhanced variant of the Video Home System (VHS) format. S-VHS improved image quality by increasing the bandwidth of the luminance (brightness) signal; this allowed for an image resolution of approximately 400 horizontal lines, compared to the 240 lines typical of VHS. The S-VHS format used the same physical cassette shell as VHS, but it required higher-grade magnetic tape, as well as compatible recording and playback equipment.