1950

Soni-Tape KA

Japan's first magnetic recording tape. Sony began developing a new recording media format to address the problems of conventional wire recorders which were hard to repair, incurred rapid head deterioration, delivered only limited recording length, and also required materials that at the time were in short supply. A revolutionary paper-based system was introduced.

1963

V-21-90

Videotape created for use with the "PV-100" professional use, all-transistor VTR launched in 1962.

1966

Compact Cassette C-60

Sony's first cassette tape. At the time of its launch, the C-60 (60 minutes) retailed for 700 yen, while the C-90 (90 minutes) retailed for 1000 yen.

1972

D-300

Compact cassette tape designed for recording computer data. Durable magnetic tape was used to withstand repeated use.

1975

Beta video tape K-60

World's first Betamax videotape for home use. A new type of tape, capable of 750 minutes of recording, is now available.

1976

LC Series

"El Cassette" format audio cassette tape, approximately the same size as a paperback book. Incorporated 6.3mm-wide tape with a playback speed of 9.5 cm/sec, delivering a level of sound quality comparable to open-reel tape.

1950

3.5-inch FD

Developed to be a size suitable for carrying in a shirt pocket. Became the standard for PC data recording media.

1985

8-mm video tape P6-30

8mm video cassette tape, utilizing high performance metal particles to realize significantly smaller size (less than 1/4 the volume and weight of a Beta cassette) and much higher recording density (almost double that of a 1/2 inch tape).

1987

DAT

Specially developed tape for use with the DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recording system, approximately half the size of conventional audio cassettes. Delivered repeated high recording/playback performance and extended tape life.

1988

5.25-inch MO

Rewritable, highly reliable, large-capacity magnetic optical disk. This first model provided a recording capacity of 650 MB..

1991

3.5-inch MO

3.5-inch magnetic optical disk. Became widely used as a means of backing-up or archiving large amounts of data.

1992

NTC-90

Digital microtape roughly the same size as a postage stamp. Three types, offering 60, 90, or 120 minutes of recording, were initially marketed.

Mini-disc
MDW-60

Recording media for use with the MD (MiniDisc) system. Incorporated the first consumer use MO (magnetic optical) disk to deliver audio recording/playback.

1998

Memory Stick

IC recording media designed to record and reproduce various types of content such as images, sound and music.

2001

DVD-RW

Optical disc capable of recording and storing large amounts of data - up to 4.7 GB. Rewritable for repeated recording and retrieval of video and data.

2002

Memory Stick Duo

Realized a miniature size, approximately 1/3 that of standard Memory Sticks and just half the weight. When inserted into an adapter, the media is then also compatible with conventional memory-stick based devices. In addition to PDAs, mobile phones, and portable AV devices, it opened the door to a variety of products and applications that only such an ultra-compact media could achieve.

USM16

First in the line of high-capacity USB storage media that easily fit in your pocket.

2003

BF23G

High-capacity recording (23 GB per side on a single disc the size of a conventional CD or DVD), thanks to high-density blue-violet laser recording technology. Blu-ray discs, the next-generation optical disc.