Video manipulation have been instances when this technology was used during political campaigns. The proof-of-principle software "Face2Face" was developed at Stanford University. Such advanced video manipulation must be ranked alongside and beyond previous examples of deep fakes. The concept of manipulating video can be traced back as far as the 1950s, when the 2 inch Quadruplex tape used in videotape recorders would be manually cut and spliced. After being coated with ferrofluid, the two ends of tape that were to be joined were painted with a mixture of iron filings and carbon tetrachloride, a toxic and carcinogenic compound to make the tracks
Digital video and Ampex developed prototype digital videotape recorders (VTR) in their research and development labs. Bosch's machine used a modified 1 inch type B videotape transport, and recorded an early form of CCIR 601 digital video. Ampex's prototype digital video recorder used a modified 2 inch Quadruplex videotape VTR (an Ampex AVR-3), but fitted with custom digital video electronics, and a special "octaplex" 8-head headwheel (regular analog 2" Quad machines only used 4 heads). Like standard 2" Quad, the audio on the Ampex prototype digital machine, nicknamed by its developers as "Annie", still recorded the audio in analog as linear tracks