What is an 8mm Video Tape?
Video tape is a method, introduced in the mid-20th century, of recording video and sound onto thin magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. Many formats of video tape have been used since that time, with 8mm video tape being one common format. This format actually refers to three closely related formats of video tape, all of which are 0.315 inches (eight mm) wide. The earliest of these three formats was called Video8®, which can hold up to two hours of recording. This format is entirely analog, and the resolution of the recorded images is somewhat low. Its low cost, though, made the Video8® a widely used format. The Video8® was followed up with a higher-resolution format, the HI-8®, which came in half-hour, one-hour, and two-hour lengths. Both of these formats were analog and could not be played in a video cassette recorder (VCR). In order to view the recording, the user had to connect the video camera itself through a cable to a VCR or television set, and play the tape using the camera
