Technologies

Videotape

Broadcast

Citation Formats

General Reference

Film and Media Atlas. "Videotape." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/videotape.

APA Style

Film and Media Atlas. (n.d.). Videotape. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/videotape

BibTeX

@misc{filmandmediaatlas-videotape,
  author = {Film and Media Atlas},
  title = {Videotape},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://media.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/videotape},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Magnetic tape recording of the television signal, made practical by Ampex's quadruplex VR-1000 in 1956. Before videotape, television was live or preserved only as film shot off a monitor; after it, broadcasting gained the rerun, the time-shifted schedule, the edited program and, eventually, home recording.

Facts

Introduced Year

1956 1

Origin

Ampex Corporation, Redwood City, California; demonstrated April 1956 and adopted by the American networks within months. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Videocassette Recorder

In Medium

Television

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

Sources

1. Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source

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