If video killed the radio star … remembering the history of VCR

History of VCR

When VCRs were first introduced to the mass market in 1973, the price was $13,000 and recording was limited to 30 minutes. Why do I know this? I actually wrote a Masters assignment on the innovation of the VCR a few years back. These early models were too expensive and limited and consequently failed in the market place. However, manufactures of the successful pioneers continued to interact with users and learned from them. Engineers, acting on what they had learnt improved the technical performance of the VCR, and in 1976, JVC introduced its VHS format with two-hour recording capabilities at a cost of hundreds of dollars less than earlier models. By the time I was born and grew up in the 1980′s I remember the war between the Sony Beta tape but was lost to the standard VHS. I remember a trip to the local video store was a sound business to run and a great family pastime.

Jumping to 2012 and last week we moved into our new house and even though I have moved in and out of new places about six times these past ten years I still seem to throw out, accumulate, store, hoard and throw out the same old stuff over and over again. I am kind of nostalgic for some school report cards, university text books and lecture notes, old diaries, dusty photo albums, and letters from pen pals. Today I was down to my last three videos. I don’t know anyone who owns a video player or cassette player anymore. I remember visiting friends place with book cases filled to brim with dusty videos that needed rewinding. When the old local video store started to replace its stock with DVD’s I still remember my ex-boyfriend buying 30 videos for $1 only to see them also quickly stored in a heap as technology moved on. So what was my last few videos I have been holding on to these past few years?

1. Annie. I know I can get this movie anytime but it was my absolute favourite as a kid. We never had it at home but I would never tire of watching it over again. Maybe unconsciously with my favorite books Enid Blyton “The Naughtiest girl in the School,”I had either always wanted to be an orphan or begging to go to a boarding school .

2. Cranberries Live. LOL – I was never a music fanatic. I was not one of the weekend video hits obsessed fans. But somehow at 14 years I really liked the Cranberries. I was devastated when their concert cancelled, so the video was a supplement.

3. My last video is actually a camp scout video recording back when I was 15. I can’t remember the last time I watched it but I didn’t have the heart to throw it out. I can’t even remember if there is 15 second of video of me on it but scout camps aren’t like what they used to and I have made some wonderful friends through scouts.

So Annie and Cranberries are now in the bin. Annie to be downloaded and watched with my twins “Tomorrow” and well The Cranberries are on my 90′s playlist on my iPod.

Do you still have videos collecting dust at your house?