ABSTRACT
There are continual developments in the design and format of video/audio recording systems. Some are mainly used for acquisition (i.e. shooting original material); others for post-production editing, general editing, and archiving (storage) work. Currently there are around twently different incompatable videotape formats; and various obsolescent designs are still in use. All methods of recording store the picture (video) and its associated sound (audio) simultaneously. This can be done on magnetic tape (the usual medium), on a magnetic disc or in solid-state memory. You will find videotape used in three formats:
In the familiar VCR (video cassette recorder), all the videotape is wound onto two spools (supply and take-up), totally enclosed within a plastic cassette. The equipment automatically self-laces the tape through the system, so you do not need to handle it in any way.
