To further mess with your mind, there was a digital tape format which is more like you imagined - it is a CVBS video signal, but in PCM format. Very similar to CD audio in concept. It was used in TV studios and also found use for mastering LaserDiscs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-2_(video)

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dylan604 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

We had an Ampex D-2 unit that was nicknamed the dishwasher for its size. Supposedly, there was a demo of the error correction abilities of the unit where the tape had a hole punched in it yet no concealment errors visible when playing frame by frame. They also had the demo rigged up to be able to rotate the machine to be inverted while connected to scopes to show now stable the transport was. I never saw any of these myself, and only heard of these 3rd person style, hence the supposedly. It was large enough to hold a 3 hour cassette. The smaller Sony unit could only hold 2 hour cassettes

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Sesse__ 6 days ago | parent [-]

The first audio CD demonstrations were also like that. People drilling holes in the discs, smearing them with ketchup, etc., to show how reliable the system was. At least the next 15 seconds…

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toast0 5 days ago | parent [-]

I remember the first time I heard a CD skipping. It was at my uncle's house. Someone came to him and said hey, the music is skipping. He said CDs don't skip. The other person said, well... whatever CDs do, it's doing that.

	▲	ethagnawl 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		I really appreciated the irony of stereos (particularly in cars with subwoofers) which were loud/powerful enough to cause the CD skip. So, in a sense, the CD was causing itself to skip.

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6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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MBCook 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Oh I think I saw a picture of that compared to a normal VHS cassette online the other day. But I didn’t know what it was.