1-inch Type A Helical Scan or SMPTE A is a reel-to-reel helical scan analog recording videotape format developed by Ampex in 1965, that was one of the first standardized reel-to-reel magnetic tape formats in the 1–inch (25 mm) width; most others of that size at that time were proprietary.

The WHCA, under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, used the format to videotape television broadcasts off the air or from direct White House feeds.

Beginning on April 1, 1968, the WHCA taping system was expanded to also include daily morning and evening news programs, both network and local.

Still later units had time base correction playback, like the VPR-1 that could be used at television station and post-production houses.

The VPR-1 had several problems, it did not record the vertical blanking interval (as the format in general was not capable of), which is why it was not compliant to FCC broadcast standards.