Videotapes are sequential-access devices, unlike random access media like laserdiscs or memory cards. If that's a bit too technical, it means the tape passes through the video playback/recording head and goes from one spool to the other. You can't jump to a specific point without having to pass all the tape through the cassette to get to that point. At the end of the tape, it has to rewind itself back to the beginning before you can watch it again.

It might all sound a bit clunky for nowadays but there is a certain charm to it all. One of its very endearing features is that you can fast forward past anything you like, without a cross coming up in the corner of the screen telling you that you absolutely have to watch all the adverts, copyright messages and menus without any way of skipping them.

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