videotape

Videotape is a magnetic tape recording medium used to store moving images and accompanying audio. The tape is a flexible plastic substrate coated with a magnetic oxide layer that records information as magnetic fields. In consumer and many professional systems, the tape is housed in a cassette or reel and is read or written by heads in a video recording or playback device.

Recording on videotape relies on magnetic recording. In most formats, video and audio signals modulate the magnetization of microscopic particles on the tape as it passes the read/write heads. A rotating drum or linear heads are used to scan the tape, creating a continuous stream of analog or digitally encoded information. Tape speed, track layout, and head geometry determine image quality and data density. Tape degradation can occur through oxide shedding, binder failure, or stretching, leading to dropouts or color and sharpness loss over time.

Historically, videotape emerged in the mid-20th century to provide a practical alternative to film. In the 1970s, consumer formats such as VHS and Betamax competed for dominance, with VHS eventually becoming the dominant standard in many markets. Professional systems used larger formats (for example, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch tapes) and later transitioned to digital videotape formats such as Digital Betacam and DV-based systems in the 1990s and 2000s.

Today, videotape is largely supplanted by digital storage in production and broadcasting, but it remains in use for archival preservation, legacy footage, and certain niche applications. Proper storage in a cool, dry environment with minimal magnetic interference can extend tape life, though many archives migrate material to more durable digital formats.