Videotapes

Videotapes are magnetic tapes used to record and reproduce moving images and sound. The term covers both consumer and professional formats that store analog or digital video on a magnetic coating inside a cassette or reel. Beginning in the 1960s and becoming widespread in the 1970s and 1980s, videotapes enabled home recording as well as broadcast production before digital storage became dominant.

Consumer formats include VHS and Betamax, which competed for the home market, as well as more compact or later variants such as VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, and MiniDV on camcorders. Professional and broadcast formats used wider tapes and different equipment, including U-matic, 1-inch Type C, and Betacam families, designed for higher quality and reliability in editing and archiving.

Tapes generally use a polyester base with a magnetic oxide layer; video and audio information are written and read by rotating heads. Over time, tapes can suffer from physical wear, oxide shedding, binder hydrolysis, or "sticky-shed" syndrome, and playback devices can accumulate debris. Proper storage—cool, dry conditions, moderate humidity, and upright placement—helps extend life. Regular maintenance of equipment and careful handling reduce the risk of damage during playback or digitization.

Today, videotapes are primarily preserved by transferring content to digital formats for access and long-term archiving. Digitization projects, metadata, and standardized file formats support preservation, access, and migration as viewing technologies evolve.