page_title: Magnetic tape
hierarchical_section_title: Magnetic tape
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of a 7 inch reel of magnetic recording tape, as used in the mid-1960s (New version) cleans up offwhite area in lower right corner (Note - 2006-10-27) This is based on an acetate backing, typical of cheap tape of the 1960s: it's brittle, light shines through the tape pack (i.e. the windings of tape) from one side of the reel to the other, and it curls (note the behavior of the slack tape).
context_page_description: Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film. It was developed in Germany in 1928, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and playback audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders respectively. A device that stores computer data on magnetic tape is known as a tape drive.
  Magnetic tape revolutionized sound recording and reproduction and broadcasting. It allowed radio, which had always been broadcast live, to be recorded for later or repeated airing. It allowed gramophone records to be recorded in multiple parts, which were then mixed and edited with tolerable loss in quality. It was a key technology in early computer development, allowing unparalleled amounts of data to be mechanically created, stored for long periods, and rapidly accessed.
  In recent decades, other technologies have been developed that can perform the functions of magnetic tape. In many cases, these technologies have replaced tape. Despite this, innovation in the technology continues, and Sony and IBM continue to produce new magnetic tape drives.
context_section_description: Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film. It was developed in Germany in 1928, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and playback audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders respectively. A device that stores computer data on magnetic tape is known as a tape drive.
  Magnetic tape revolutionized sound recording and reproduction and broadcasting. It allowed radio, which had always been broadcast live, to be recorded for later or repeated airing. It allowed gramophone records to be recorded in multiple parts, which were then mixed and edited with tolerable loss in quality. It was a key technology in early computer development, allowing unparalleled amounts of data to be mechanically created, stored for long periods, and rapidly accessed.
  In recent decades, other technologies have been developed that can perform the functions of magnetic tape. In many cases, these technologies have replaced tape. Despite this, innovation in the technology continues, and Sony and IBM continue to produce new magnetic tape drives. Linear Tape-Open is a magnetic tape-based medium used in computer systems for data backup, since it provides large capacities at a low cost, and works differently than common hard drives or solid-state drives, reducing the chance of it failing due to similar reasons. 
  Over time, magnetic tape made in the 1970s and 1980s can suffer from a type of deterioration called sticky-shed syndrome. It is caused by hydrolysis of the binder in the tape and can render the tape unusable.
caption: 7-inch reel of ¼-inch-wide audio recording tape, typical of consumer use in the 1950s–70s
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