Helical scan

Helical scan is a method of recording high-frequency signals on magnetic tape, used in open-reel video tape recorders, video cassette recorders, digital audio tape recorders, and some computer tape drives.

With this technique, magnetic tape heads (or head chips) are placed on a rotating head drum. which run the chips at high speed (or angular velocity). The tape is wrapped tightly around the drum. Either the drum and/or the tape is tilted at an angle that allows the head chips to read the tape diagonally faster, so the linear speed of the tape may be slower than the speed of the head chips, which rotate at a higher speed allowing signals to be transmitted. high frequency, such as video, are recorded. The diagonal tracks read or written using this method are known as helical tracks.