The history of consumer magnetic video tape recording, from a rarity to a mass product

Abstract

Since the first experiments on magnetic recording by Valdemar Poulsen in 1898 the use of this technology has grown tremendously and magnetic storage is used in almost every home in the world. A special challenge was the recording of video signals which need a high bandwidth. In the 1950s, television broadcasts had started which created a need for storage in the broadcast world. The first broadcast recorder was the Quadruplex from Ampex in 1956. Later solutions were found for application in the consumer market. Better mechanics, magnetic tapes and recording heads allowed the mass production of a cheap consumer recorder. The size and weight decreased tremendously and portable camcorders are very common. Recording of broadcasts, video rental and home movies are now very popular. The factors which contributed to the maturing of this technology will be reviewed in this paper.