Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording generally consisting of a thin magnetize coating on a long and narrow strip of plastic. Nearly all recording tape is of this type, whether used for recording audio or video or for computer data storage. Based on the concept of magnetic wire recording, devices that record and playback audio and video using magnetic tape are generally called tape recorders and video tape recorders respectively. Magnetic tape allowed massive amounts of data to be stored in computers for long periods of time and rapidly accessed when needed. A device that stores computer data on magnetic tape can be called a tape drive, a tape unit, or a streamer.