Why are videotapes such a poor video storage medium?
Because they are designed as a magnetic storage medium, videotapes degrade from the moment they are made. There is little, if any protection for the tape itself except inside it’s own videotape cassette and cardboard or plastic cover. Many environmental conditions affect the microscopic magnetic particles bound to the very thin plastic tape. Heat and humidity causes those magnetic particles to loosen and fall off, carrying the video and sound data that is encoded onto those magnetic particles with them. All or much of that magnetically encoded video data can be lost instantly by close exposure to any magnetic fields produced by almost any component in an entertainment center. Some of the strongest sources of electrical / magnetic fields are created by VCRs, TVs, speakers, and stereo components, all near where videotapes are commonly stored. To put things in perspective, the Earth we live on is one giant magnet! Do your old videotapes clog the play heads of your VCR? That means more and
