Type C videotape
 Sony BVH-2000 1-inch VTR | |
| Media type | Magnetic tape |
|---|---|
| Encoding | NTSC, PAL |
| Read mechanism | Helical scan |
| Write mechanism | Helical scan |
| Developed by | Ampex and Sony |
| Usage | Television production |
| Released | 1976 |
1-inch Type C Helical Scan or SMPTE C is a professional reel-to-reel analog recording helical scan videotape format co-developed by Ampex and Sony in 1976. The format uses 1-inch-wide (25 mm) tape and became the replacement in the professional video and broadcast television industries for the then-incumbent 2-inch-wide (51 mm) quadruplex videotape open-reel format. Additionally, it replaced the unsuccessful type A format, also developed by Ampex, and primarily in mainland Europe, it supplemented the type B format, developed by the Fernseh division of Bosch.