A 2-inch analog magnetic storage medium used by still-video cameras and players to store frozen video frames rather than computer image files.
A Video Floppy Disk stores still frames of analog composite video. Depending on recording mode, a disk could hold up to 50 field images or 25 full frames in NTSC or PAL systems. Some brands also supported short audio notes with each image.
It does not store digital image files. Playback is closer to a paused video recorder than to reading a memory card, and transfer to a computer requires video capture hardware.
The Video Floppy Disk was a key bridge technology between analog television and digital still imaging. It was used in still-video cameras and dedicated video floppy disk players.
The disk stores one field or one frame pair per track. Most cameras only used one side of the disk, limiting practical capacity to 50 field images or 25 frame images per disk.
Because the images are stored as analog video, practical resolution is limited by the video standard, the original camera electronics and playback quality.
VF disks were used in medical imaging, security, video production and early electronic photography. The format allowed analog still images to be reviewed and transmitted far faster than film workflows.
Related media families included KAO 2-inch, Kyocera VF-50, Maxell VF-50, Canon VF-50, Hitachi VX-F50 and Nikon VF-50.
Digital storage eventually replaced the analog VF disk format by offering higher capacity, cleaner transfer and much easier editing. Even so, Video Floppy was a major step in the transition from film and tape to digital imaging.
Professional conversion services keep those images accessible in modern workflows.