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Is VHS worth a darn anymore?
USA Today published a story this morning about home video sales, in which VHS is playing less and less of a part. An executive in the story calls VHS “all but diminished.”
This reminds me of the obituary that Variety wrote for VHS some time back, with this snarky little line: “As a tribute to the late, great VHS, Toys ‘R’ Us will continue to carry a few titles like “Barney,” and some dollar video chains will still handle cassettes for those who cannot deal with the death of the format.”
The writing is on the wall everywhere. By the end of this decade, VHS will go the way of the laserdisc and the eight-track. I would say the LP, too, but you’ll find audophiles out there who believe they sound better than CDs or downloads. I don’t thnk you’ll find any videophiles who will laud the quality of VHS and keep a straight face.
Looking for a standalone VCR? Good luck finding one in any big-box store or discount place. When mine died recently, I had to buy a VCR/DVD unit, which actually worked out well, because my standalone DVD player conked out too. Many movie titles don’t even come out on VHS at all anymore.
And you know what? That’s OK with me. I don’t have much use for VHS anymore. DVD has so spoiled me, I can hardly stand to look at or listen to a tape without thinking “This looks/sounds like $#@%&)!”
What about recording? My reasonably priced DVR service through the cable company takes care of that. Sure, the storage space is limited, but I’ve come to realize recently that I’m so busy recording movies, I never actually, you know — watch them.
I’ve got 100 movies or so on VHS I’ve never seen. One of those is Frank Capra’s “Lost Horizon.” But you know what? I decided to rent that from Netflix because I want to see the extras about the restoration of the movie.
What about you? How many of you at there still use VHS frequently? Will you miss it when it’s gone?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Comments
By Don
January 9, 2007 8:46 PM | Link to this
Yes, I still have a VCR. No, I never use it. I’ve even gone out and bought DVDs to replace VHS movies that I really like. Eventually, I’ll get around to putting all those family movies recorded on tape onto DVD. Nothing beats being able to just go to a particular scene, surround sound, and picture quality that rivals the theater.By Kortney
January 9, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this
VHS is just like any other electronic that just dies out when something new becomes easier and more accessible. How often do we see record players, black and white TV’s, or eight tracks? VHS is and will be the same way. Eventually, we wont even give it a second thought. DVDs are the norm until something new comes along.By SRCputt
January 9, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this
Don’t look at me, I still own a laserdisc player.By Derwood
January 9, 2007 4:22 AM | Link to this
VHS? Whats that? Seriously… I’ve got a box of VHS tapes in the garage that have been there for about 2-3 years now. 2-3 years before that, they just gathered dust on a counter in my basement. VHS has lower resolution than DVD, and can’t support digital audio. Plus, the tapes were far more fragile than DVDs. While DVDs don’t last forever, they stand up to repeated play far better than VHS. The big plus is not having to rewind the thing when you’re done. Remember VHS tape rewinders?