most home analog video equipment record a signal in (roughly) composite format: laserdiscs store a true composite signal, while consumer videotape formats (including vhs and betamax) and commercial and industrial tape formats (including u-matic) use modified composite signals (generally known as "color-under"). the professional d-2 videocassette format digitally records and reproduces composite video signals using pcm encoding of the analog signal on the magnetic tape.