Blog Post #6: EOTO Project

Cassette tapes, also known as 'the compact cassette', were an amazing invention that revolutionized the way the world recorded information. It was invented in 1962 in Belgium by a company called Phillips. However, they were not released to the public until August 10, 1963 in Europe at the Berlin radio show; then to America in November of 1964. However, cassette tapes were not the only form of technology for recording information. Vinyl and reel-to-reel audio technology were both popular before cassette tapes. Reel-to-reel audiotapes were similar to cassette tapes in the sense that the audio was recorded on magnetic reel tapes and wound by spools, but it was much bigger. Also, reel-to-reel audio required manual threading of the tape to record data.

The construction of the cassette tape was an ingenious design for that time. It has a flat, rectangular container made of plastic or lightweight metal. This container holds magnetic tape that records and replays audio or video. The lifespan of the magnetic tape inside the audio cassette is about 10-30 years. There are two small spools inside the casing that wind magnetic coated film and pass it from one side to the other; this is where the audio content can be stored and recorded.

Audiocassettes were only 0.15 inches wide but carried four to eight tracks. Audiocassettes were introduced to the public in the 1960s. They could be loaded with prerecorded materials or blank. The blanks were mainly used for recording tv programs and home videos. Videocassettes can do the same thing. 

Videocassettes were a step up from the original cassette tapes that allowed people to record videos along with audio. They became available to the public in the early 1970s. Cassette tapes were useful for television production. Therefore, the cassettes used in television were bigger than regular videocassettes by one and a half inches and held more data. Regular videocassettes were only half an inch wide. 

The Walkman was invented in 1979, this boosted the success of cassettes because cassettes needed to be inserted into the Walkman to play music and other forms of audio. This is when the term 'mixed tapes' became very popular. Mixed tapes are equivalent to playlists people create today. Sony stopped production of the Walkman in 2010. 

Cassette tapes hit their peak in the '80s but quickly surpassed in the '90s by CD's. Cassette tapes were originally intended for dictation, so for them to surpass all expectations and still be used today for court recordings is very impressive. Cassette also have braille on the label so they are legible to blind people. Even though they are still used today, they are becoming more difficult to find. Also, portable cassette players are bulkier than MP3 players and do not have as much storage capabilities