Magnetic tape recording: archival considerations

Two important classes of problems arise when long-term (more than a decade) archival storage of magnetic tape recording is undertaken. They include relatively minor concerns over the physical integrity of the software (the tapes themselves) and unresolvable major concerns over the long-term continued availability of the proper hardware (the playback machines themselves) which are needed to make the archival tape usable. In view of this, video recording systems as well as computer data recording systems are examined. The archival stability of modern tapes is assessed, and the archival stability of modern recorders is discussed.<>