EIAJ was the format that Japanese firms marketing 1/2" VTRs agreed on as a standard format in 1969. The system was named for the Japanese standards group (Electronics Industries Association of Japan). Up until this time there was little or no interchangeability among the manufacturers offering VTRs. The EIAJ-1 low-band specifications (monochrome and color) simplified the exchange of tapes and standardized all the machines. EIAJ machines remained in place pretty much until the demise of open reel-to-reel tape. The format is also referred to 1/2" AV (Audio Visual).