VHS: The Video Home System Tape (VHS) was born in 1976 in Japan, changing the landscape of television watching forever. Edging out its competition-the Betamax-with lucrative marketing strategies, the VHS quickly grew to dominate the world of television recording, in addition to allowing people to construct their own home film libraries. By the late 1970′s, the VHS had made its way to the United States, and by the early 1980s an entire generation of Americans had their lives changed forever by their newfound ability to record episodes of Dallas and Hill Street Blues for viewing at a later time. Alas, a shift to digital rather than analog recording formats beginning in the mid 1990′s sealed the fate of the VHS, resulting in its eventual decline. With the rise of DVD culture, new films had stopped being released on VHS by 2006. Its final manufacture occurred in late 2008, in Florida, where many things and people go to die. However, it’ll live on forever in the creepy, curtained-off porn sections of many video stores.
Laser Disc: Born of the analog to digital shift that caused the demise of the VHS, the laser disc began manufacture in the mid 1980′s, enjoying a brief spike in sales in the early 1990′s. These large, shiny discs seemed the way of the future, in that retro 1980′s way where everything shiny and space-age looking did. Alas, much like slap bracelets, the promise of Hoverboards, and NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, laser discs were not the way of the future. People tired quickly of the large and cumbersome medium, which often required viewers to get up and flip the disc over just as Return of the Jedi was getting to the good part, completely ruining the Princess Leia experience. Laser Discs, which were large, expensive and difficult to store, were rapidly replaced by the more portable, and far more affordable DVD. Manufacture ceased entirely in the mid 1990′s.
How many more years before VHS gains the cultural cache of 8 Tracks? One thing we didn’t talk about — and there might be a real scholarly opportunity here — is how we might postulate a theory of when old media becomes cool again?
I would be very interested in this discussion. I’d say the VHS is still suspended in the realm of uncool at this particular time, but perhaps with the next generation they’ll become cool again? Cassette tapes sure did.
Melissa – is the DVD dead yet? To quote Dylan, “It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.”
Also, you couldn’t record on a laser disc, right? I think that was a big part of the VHS appeal. Like you said, recording Dallas and what not. I never could figure out the VCR timer though… My dad attempted to record da Bears’ Super Bowl XX victory, but the timer started at 7AM instead – so now we have three hours of Good Morning America from 1986.
Kyle- The VHS/Audio cassette parallel seems more appropriate than VHS/8-Track. Both VHS and Audio Cassettes at least had their day as a dominant popular technology. Laser discs have always struck me as the 8-track of video. They were both technologies that were on to something, but just a little too unwieldy to gain widespread popular appeal.
Thanks for the blog. I was not aware of the laser disc system. Did you have one growing up? I guess you learn something new everyday.
I have alot of memories with VHS. Like many folks, I remember going to blockbuster every Friday and picking up a few movies. VHS will be missed. – Eliot
Hey Eliot,
I actually did own a laser disc player briefly, but with old roommates when we found one left in a house we rented about 5-6 years ago. So this was way after it had become a dinosaur medium. We did use it and enjoy it quite a bit though, and loved baffling people when they’d come over.
Long live the VHS. I still own quite a few.
My family started out on #teambeta. I think we still have old beta tapes of Lollipop Dragon episodes.