Recording electrophysiological data on video tape: a superior and less costly alternative to conventional tape recorders.

Electrical potentials recorded extracellularly from the sinus gland of the isopod, Oniscus asellus, were stored on video tape with the aid of a digital-audio (DA) processor and a video cassette recorder (VCR). The DA processor transforms the analog signal to digital pulses of equal amplitude and converts these pulses into a television signal for recording on video tape. In playback, the DA processor reconverts the pulses to an analog signal with negligible distortion. When viewed on the oscilloscope screen, electrical potentials reproduced by this method were indistinguishable from electrical potentials recorded 'live' from the sinus gland. However, electrical potentials recorded from the same sinus gland and reproduced by a conventional FM tape recorder were easily differentiated from the 'live' recording. The special effects inherent in the VCR (e.g. stop action, frame advance) also permitted detailed analysis of spontaneously occurring electrical potentials. Special effects were not possible with the FM tape recorder. The price, ease of operation and ability to produce extremely high quality recordings, makes the DA processor and VCR an exceptional system for storing electrophysiological data.