World's First Helical Scan Video Tape Recorder

In 1954 Toshiba began research into a recording method using diagonal heads.

By forming a single long diagonal track on two-inch-wide tape, it was possible to record a video signal on one tape using one head, with no joints.
This helical scan method was invented by Dr. Kenichi Sawazaki of the Mazda Research Laboratory.
The helical scan videotape recorder has earned high credit as a technology in use around the world, and it made a major contribution to the growth of Japan's economy in the 1980's.