Tweet videotape question

Hi techies,

I have a question about some video that i need to catalog, but i don't have them in hand, only a description. But i'm really puzzled as they were described to me as not videocassette--but not reel to reel either. ???

So, they are 1 inch video, type C Helical scan. The "cases" are 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 (it's not clear to me if the "case" is square or round, i'm writing back for further info). There is one oddball tape that says "Type V-16SPand the case measures 11 1/2 inches x 11 1/2 inches by 1 inch thick. They were for broadcast, not home use.

Offhand does anybody recognize what this is? And can you explain to me? Is there a picture on the web? How does it work--does the tape spool onto another reel within the case (which doesn't seem likely if they are either square or round), or does the tape reel out of the case and onto as second reel from which it would need to be rewound?. Since i need to catalog it (and apply standard archival cataloging description), i need to either call it a videoreel or a videocassette.

thanks
greta

Sounds like; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%22_type_C_videotape

[Christopher Jacobs]

Yes, it is a reel-to-reel professional videotape format, and reels could be various different diameters with one-hour capacity being typical and about 3 1/2-hour capacity for big reels. It looked a lot better than the 1/2-inch reel-to-reel tape around in the 1970s and took a lot less space than the old 2-inch quad tapes, which could look great but very often needed adjustments/cleaning to avoid the "stripes" where the different parts of the picture recorded by different heads adjoined.

I hope you have or can get equipment that will still play the tape, and have somebody who can keep it operational. I used to have a bunch of one-inch tapes that I wish I'd copied to beta or VHS years ago when I had the chance.

This would be 1" videotape, the type a television station would have used in the 1980s.

Thanks everyone, so these would be videoreels, not videocassettes? I need to describe them in either of the following ways:

1 videoreel of 1 (Type C) ; 1 in.

or

1 videocassette of 1 (Type C) ; 1 in.

Which of those is correct?

thanks
greta

Oh, and yes, we do have the equipment to play them!

thanks
greta

[Christopher Jacobs]

Thanks everyone, so these would be videoreels, not videocassettes? I need to describe them in either of the following ways:

1 videoreel of 1 (Type C) ; 1 in.

or

1 videocassette of 1 (Type C) ; 1 in.

Which of those is correct?

thanks
greta

It sounds like you've got plastic boxes that hold the tapes. Often boxes were simply corrugated cardboard. These are simply boxes that should have a reel of tape inside them, and not cassetes that can be loaded onto a machine. The reel is probably aluminum. If they're not on reels, and just a wound-up core of tape, it's pretty unusual.