Tape cassette

A novel tape cassette for accommodating a tape that has a characteristic different from that of a conventional tape and that can be loaded into recording and/or reproducing apparatus designed to accept either said novel tape cassette or a conventional tape cassette formed with a housing and an aperture in said housing for preventing improper recording, said apparatus being designed with upward compatibility so that it can record and/or reproduce according to a conventional format or a format different from a conventional format depending on whether said conventional tape cassette or said novel tape cassette is loaded into said apparatus, said novel tape cassette comprising:

• a cassette housing having a size and shape that are respectively substantially the same as the size and shape of the housing of said conventional tape cassette;
• first detecting means provided adjacent to one edge of said cassette housing of said novel tape cassette at a position corresponding to the aperture of said conventional tape cassette housing;
• second detecting means provided adjacent to an opposite edge of said cassette housing of said novel tape cassette;
• and
• a detecting portion provided on said cassette housing of said novel tape cassette for indicating that tape having a different characteristic is wound within said cassette housing of said novel tape cassette.