(1) To record a live event on a cellphone or dedicated video camera. Although videotape is long gone, many people still use the term to mean "record a video." The term "film" is also used. For decades, "let's go to the videotape" referred to a recorded version of a scene. See
film.
(2) A magnetic tape used to record a live event. After Ampex made the first videotape recorder for broadcast TV in the 1950s, many videotape formats emerged. The most widely used consumer format was the 1/2" VHS cassette, which was employed for both entertainment and training. After DVDs became popular, VHS became obsolete. See
VHS,
Ampex and
video format.