Magnetic tape cartridge and magnetic tape cassette both refer to a small plastic unit containing a length of

magnetic tape Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic storage made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film. It was developed in Germany in 1928, based on the earlier magnetic wire recording from Denmark. Devices that use magne ...

on at least one reel. The unit may contain a second "take-up" reel or interoperate with such a reel in an associated

tape drive A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and a long archival stability. ...

. At least 142 distinct types have been known to exist. The phrase ''cassette tape'' is ambiguous in that there is no common dictionary definition so depending upon usage it has many different meanings, as for example any one the one of 106 different types of audio cassettes, video cassettes or data cassettes listed a
The Museum of Obsolete Media
The phrase ''cartridge tape'' is also ambiguous with 36 different types of audio, video or data cartridges listed at The Museum of Obsolete Media. From time to time the terms tape cartridge and tape cassette are used to describe the same product. In current production are the

Cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

, the LTO tape cartridge and the IBM 3592 tape cartridge.

Audio

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

based **

, a two-spool tape cassette format for analog audio recording and playback and introduced in 1963 by Philips **

DC-International DC-International is a tape cassette format developed by Grundig and marketed in 1965. DC is the abbreviation of "Double Cassette", as the cassette contained two reels; International was intended to indicate that, from the beginning, several comp ...

, a format that was created by Grundig after Phillips had abandoned an earlier format that was being created alongside the Compact Cassette **

8-track tape The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, wh ...

, continuous loop tape system introduced in 1964 ** PlayTape, a format similar to 8-track that was created by Frank Stanton ** HiPac, a format created by Pioneer as an alternative to 8-track to be used outside of North America **

Mini-Cassette The Mini-Cassette, often written minicassette, is a magnetic tape audio cassette format introduced by Philips in 1967. It is used primarily in dictation machines and was also employed as a data storage for the Philips P2000 home computer. As of ...

, a small cassette tape cartridge developed by Phillips for dictation machines and data storage for the Philips P2000 home computer **

Microcassette The Microcassette (often written generically as microcassette) is an audio storage medium, introduced by Olympus in 1969. It has the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a cassette roughly one quarter the size. By using t ...

, a small cassette tape format that used the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a much smaller cartridge developed by Olympus **

Picocassette Picocassette is an audio storage medium introduced by Dictaphone in collaboration with JVC in 1985. The Picocassette was introduced to compete with the Microcassette, introduced by Olympus, and the Mini-Cassette, by Philips. Size It is appro ...

, a cassette tape cartridge format that was half the size of the Microcassette made by JVC **

RCA tape cartridge The RCA tape cartridge is a magnetic tape audio format that was designed to offer stereo quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape recording quality in a convenient format for the consumer market. It was introduced in 1958, following four years of developm ...

, a cartridge tape created by RCA and introduced in 1958 meant to take the hassle of handling unruly tapes easier ** Elcaset, a format introduced in 1976 by Sony based on the RCA tape cartridge that was supposed to be more convenient than its predecessor ** * Digital based **

Digital Tape Format Digital Tape Format is a magnetic tape data storage format developed by Sony. It uses a 1/2" wide tape, in a cassette with two reels, which is written and read with a helical scan process. The format is described by the ECMA 248 (adopted June 19 ...

, a magnetic tape data storage format developed by Sony ** Digital Audio Tape (DAT), a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987 **

Digital Compact Cassette The Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) is a magnetic tape sound recording format introduced by Philips and Matsushita Electric in late and marketed as the successor to the standard analog Compact Cassette. It was also a direct competitor to Sony ...

(DCC), a magnetic tape sound recording format introduced by Philips and Matsushita in late 1992 and marketed as the successor to the standard analog Compact Cassette **

NT (cassette) NT is a digital memo recording system introduced by Sony in 1992, sometimes marketed under the name Scoopman. The NT system was introduced to compete with the Microcassette, introduced by Olympus, and the Mini-Cassette, by Philips. Descrip ...

, a small cassette tape created by Sony that was smaller than a Picocassette only used for dictation machines but had plans to be used in music

Video

Videocassette Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

, a cartridge containing videotape **

based tapes *** VHS, the most successful consumer videocassette format, introduced by

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...

/ Matsushita ***

VHS-C VHS-C is the compact VHS videocassette format, introduced by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) in 1982, and used primarily for consumer-grade compact analog recording camcorders. The format is based on the same video tape as is used in VHS, and ca ...

, a compact VHS videocassette format for camcorders ***

Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...

, another common consumer videocassette format, introduced by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

***

Betacam Betacam is a family of half-inch professional videocassette products developed by Sony in 1982. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself. All ...

, an industrial version of Betamax that was for professional use ***

Akai VK VK is a helical scan analog recording videocassette format developed by Akai in the late 1970s, that is capable of recording and playing back black & white (and later color) video in either EIA (a.k.a. RS-170, the 525-line NTSC video standard for ...

, a short lived videocassette format for use with video cameras ***

Cartrivision Cartrivision is an analog videocassette format introduced in 1972, and the first format to offer feature films for consumer rental.Compact Video Cassette Compact Video Cassette (CVC) was one of the first analog recording videocassette formats to use a tape smaller than its earlier predecessors of VHS and Betamax, and was developed by Funai Electronics of Japan for portable use. The first model ...

, a short lived videocassette format for use with video cameras, introduced by

Funai is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. Apart from producing its own branded electronic products, it is also an OEM providing assembled televisions and video players/recorders to major corporations such as Sh ...

***

8 mm video format The 8mm video format refers informally to three related videocassette formats. These are the original Video8 (analog recording) format and its improved successor Hi8 (analog video and analog audio but with provision for digital audio), as well as ...

, a popular videocassette format for camcorders, introduced by

***

Hi8 The 8mm video format refers informally to three related videocassette formats. These are the original Video8 (analog recording) format and its improved successor Hi8 (analog video and analog audio but with provision for digital audio), as well as ...

, a higher definition development of 8 mm ***

U-matic U-matic is an analogue recording videocassette format first shown by Sony in prototype in October 1969, and introduced to the market in September 1971. It was among the first video formats to contain the videotape inside a cassette, as oppo ...

, the first videocassette format when introduced by

in 1971, mostly adopted in professional/industrial settings ***

V-Cord V-Cord is an analog recording videocassette format developed and released by Sanyo. V-Cord (later referred to as V-Cord I) was released in 1974, and could record 60 minutes on a cassette. V-Cord II, released in 1976, could record 120 minutes on a ...

, an early videocassette format introduced by

Sanyo , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiari ...

***

Video 2000 Video 2000 (also known as V2000, with the tape standard Video Compact Cassette, or VCC) is a consumer videocassette system and analogue recording standard developed by Philips and Grundig to compete with JVC's VHS and Sony's Betamax video techn ...

, a 1980s videocassette format introduced by

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

and

Grundig Grundig (; ) is a German consumer electronics manufacturer owned by the Turkish Arçelik A.Ş., the white goods (major appliance) manufacturer of Turkish conglomerate Koç Holding. The company made domestic appliances and personal-care produ ...

***

Video Cassette Recording Video Cassette Recording (VCR) is an early domestic analog recording format designed by Philips. It was the first successful consumer-level home videocassette recorder (VCR) system. Later variants included the VCR-LP and Super Video (SVR) forma ...

, an early videocassette format introduced by

, with later variants VCR-LP and

's SVR ***

VX (videocassette format) VX was a consumer analog recording videocassette format developed by Matsushita launched in 1975 in Japan which was short-lived and unsuccessful. In the United States, it was sold using the Quasar brand and marketed under the name "The Great Tim ...

, a short lived videocassette format introduced by Matsushita, branded 'Quasar' in the United States ** Digital based tapes *** DV, a digital video tape format & codec launched to record video for both professional & amateur use ***

MicroMV MicroMV is a proprietary videotape format introduced in October 2001 by Sony. It is the smallest videotape format — 70% smaller than MiniDV or about the size of two US quarter coins; it is also smaller than a Digital8 or DV cassette and sli ...

, the smallest videocassette ever produced and was launched by Sony in 2001 ***

Digital8 Digital8 (or Di8) is a consumer digital recording videocassette for camcorders based on the 8 mm video format developed by Sony, and introduced in 1999. The Digital8 format is a combination of the earlier analog Hi8 tape transport with the dig ...

, the digital version of Video8 (8 mm video) introduced by Sony ***

D-VHS D-VHS is a digital video recording format developed by JVC, in collaboration with Hitachi, Matsushita, and Philips. The "D" in D-VHS originally stood for "Data", but JVC renamed the format as "Digital VHS". Released in 1998, it uses the same p ...

, a version of VHS used to store digital video launched in 1998 ***

Digital Betacam Betacam is a family of half-inch professional videocassette products developed by Sony in 1982. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself. All ...

, a digital version of Betacam that delivered digital recorded video ***

Digital-S D-9 or Digital-S as it was originally known, is a professional digital video videocassette format created by JVC in 1995. It is a direct competitor to Sony's Digital Betacam. Its name was changed to D-9 in 1999 by the SMPTE. It was used to a sm ...

, a digital version of VHS launched by JVC in 1995 to compete with Digital Betacam

Computer data

* Digital Data Storage cassette (DDS) *

Data8 The 8 mm backup format is a magnetic tape data storage format used in computer systems, pioneered by Exabyte Corporation. It is also known as Data8, often abbreviated to D8 and is written as D-Eight on some Sony branded media. Such systems ...

cassette, a videocassette derivative by Exabyte *

cassette, developed by Sony (DTF) *

Digital Linear Tape Digital Linear Tape (DLT; previously called CompacTape) is a magnetic-tape data storage technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from 1984 onwards. In 1994, the technology was purchased by Quantum Corporation, who manufacture ...

cartridge (DLT) *

IBM 7340 The IBM 7340 "Hypertape" system was a magnetic tape data storage format designed to work with the IBM 7074, 7080 and 7090 computers that was introduced in 1961 and withdrawn in 1971. As a technology, it deviated in several ways from the then do ...

cartridge, one of the first tape formats packaged in a cassette *

Linear Tape-Open Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function Function or functionality may refer to: Computing * Function key, a type of key on computer keyboards * Function model, a structured representation of processes in a syste ...

cartridge (LTO)

References

References {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnetic tape cartridges and cassettes Tape recording Electronics lists

Audio

Video

Computer data

See also

References