 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2019) |
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| Media type | Audio |
|---|---|
| Encoding | Grooves embossed on plastic tape |
| Capacity | 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours |
| Developed by | Tefi |
| Dimensions | Varied |
| Usage | Home audio, educational |
| Released | 1940s |
| Discontinued | 1965 |
The Tefifon is an audio playback format, developed and manufactured in Germany, that utilizes cartridges loaded with an endlessly looped reel of plastic tape.[1] It is somewhat similar to the later 4-track and 8-track magnetic audio tape cartridges, but with grooves engraved into the tape, like a phonograph record.[2] The grooves were engraved in a helical fashion across the width of the tape, in a manner similar to Dictaphone's Dictabelt format. The grooves are read with a stylus and amplified pickup in the player's transport.[3] A Tefifon cartridge, known as a "Tefi", can hold up to four hours of music; therefore, most releases for the format are usually compilations of popular hits or dance music, operas, and operettas.[4] Tefifon players were not sold by television and radio dealers in Germany, but rather sold directly by special sales outlets affiliated with Tefi (the manufacturer of the format).
- ^ "Tefifon (1950 – 1960s)". Museum of Obsolete Media. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Knibbs, Kate (7 April 2015). "A Look at the Tefifon, Germany's Doomed 1950s Music PlayerÂ". Gizmodo. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Techmoan, Vintage Electronics - The Tefifon, retrieved 1 February 2019
- ^ Wenz, John (8 April 2015). "This Was Germany's Music Format That Never Took Off". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 1 February 2019.