thumb|300px|an assortment of video tapes a videotape is a recording of images and sounds onto magnetic tape as opposed to film stock used in filmmaking or random access digital media. videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram. in most cases, a helical scan video head rotates against the moving tape to record the data in two dimensions, because video signals have a very high bandwidth, and static heads would require extremely high tape speeds. videotape is used in both video tape recorders (vtrs) or, more commonly and more recently, videocassette recorder (vcr) and camcorders. tape is a linear method of storing information and since nearly all video recordings made nowadays are digital direct to disk recording (ddr), videotape is expected to gradually lose importance as non-linear/random-access methods of storing digital video data become more common. information stored can be in the form of either an analog signal or digital signal. == early formats == the electronics division of entertainer bing crosby's production company, bing crosby enterprises (bce), gave the world's first demonstration of a videotape recording in los angeles on november 11, 1951. developed by john t. mullin and wayne r. johnson since 1950, the device gave what were described as "blurred and indistinct" images using a modified ampex 200 tape recorder and standard quarter-inch (0.6&nbsp;cm) audio tape moving at 360&nbsp;inches (9.1 m) per second."tape recording used by filmless 'camera'," new york times, nov. 12, 1951, p. 21.eric d. daniel, c. denis mee, and mark h. clark (eds.), magnetic recording: the first 100 years, ieee press, 1998, p. 141. isbn 0-07-041275-8 a year later, an improved version using one-inch (2.6&nbsp;cm) magnetic tape was shown to the press, who reportedly expressed amazement at the quality of the images although they had a "persistent grainy quality that looked like a worn motion picture". overall the picture quality was still considered inferior to the best kinescope recordings on film."tape-recorded tv nears perfection," new york times, dec. 31, 1952, p. 10. bing crosby enterprises hoped to have a commercial version available in 1954 but none came forth."new deal on tv seen at parley," new york times, may 1, 1953, p. 30. bce demonstrated a color model in february 1955 using a longitudinal recording on half-inch (1.3&nbsp;cm) tape, essentially similar to what rca had demonstrated in 1953 (see below). cbs, rca's competitor, was about to order bce machines when ampex introduced the superior quadruplex system (see below).daniel et al., p. 148. bce was acquired by 3m company in 1956. rca demonstrated the magnetic tape recording of both black-
1950_introductions American_inventions History_of_television Video_storage