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Circuit City Phases Out VHS
Rashan writes: "Video Business Online is reporting that Circuit City is becoming the first of the mass merchants to state its intent to discontinue sales of the aging video format."
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Ever tried to by a tape of your favorite new album?
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Just as we have seen record stores phasing out tapes over the last few years, we know start to see the same with VHS. And it's about time. VHS tapes degrage horribly over time.
But I can still buy Beta, right?
An optimist believes we live in the best world possible; a pessimist fears this is true.
Does this mean they might stop selling cassette players too?
What about floppy drives?
It always pisses me off when I can't find a good betamax player...
Linux is dead.
LU
Their sales people work on commission (at least they seem to) and are always pestering me when I shop there. Generally, I'm quite informed about what I'm looking for, and don't really want them buzzing around me trying to point me at things I'm not interested in.
About 5 years ago, I was looking for a new cordless phone to take back to college with me. 900mhz was the thing to buy (spread spectrum baby!), and the salesman was like "Wow, that's a powerful phone, you don't need that." and I was like "Yes, yes I do. I live in a dorm with many people with many cordless phones and I need one with more than a handful of non-encrypted channels." and then we had a big fight. So anyway, I didn't buy the phone there. I went to Best Buy, and this "too powerful" phone is the one I still use, and it still kicks ass (now in an apartment building.)
...that they still sell turntables!
:)
-- OMFG = Oh My Floatse Goatse
One of the (many!) drawbacks of VHS is that it is analog; there is no reasonable way of watching a VHS tape on one's computer. With DVDs, of course, all it takes is a cheap drive and a halfway decent video card, and you're set.
It just so happens that one of the many things at which Linux excels is in viewing DVDs (I have seen articles claim 25% better framerates vs. Windows). Not to mention that many of the set-top boxes that people are starting to hook up to their TVs run Linux rather than Windows.
The increased popularity of DVDs over VHS is bound to improve Linux mindshare and marketshare.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
Does anyone remember the days when a VHS movie cost $65+?
I love DVDs, this is the perfect example of how competition lowers prices. However, if VHS becomes rare, competition will go down and prices, up. I hope that they lose money o nthis and decide to stock VHS again, soon.
I never liked CC anyways, salespeople on commission are so annoying!
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
Circuit City Phases Out VHS
This coming from the creators of Divx.
I do have to say though, once you get used to DVD's, VHS just seems so, dirty. You feel grody after watching a VHS tape, like you've cheated on your faithful DVD player or something...*shivers*
In college, really poor, need a flatscreen.
is one of the first legitimate signs that DVD is here to stay. Obviously circut city beleives that they are now outdated. I just wish that more obscure and/or old films and shows would come out on dvd. I need the good ole' VCR to watch my stupidly huge collection of "V" episodes...
I assume there will still be a niche market for security cameras and camcorder type cameras.
On the plus side, if anyone is looking for a good security camera program that is open source, I recommend "Motion". I was going to use a VHS based security setup, but went with it instead, with VHS as a backup un case the computer crashes.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Anyone else remember the far-sighted and insightful (ha) judge in the DeCSS case that said hey, you don't need to make excerpts from DVDs, because the analog format is available?
Not that I'm crying about the loss of VHS tapes, that's for sure. As soon as PVRs have built-in DVD writers, clunky tapes that operate by scraping against a metal disk will be a distant memory.
that this article is about phasing out pre-recorded VHS tapes. It doesn't say that it will phase out VCRs.
Except for the price of DVD, DVD 0wnz3s VHS. Personally i'm happy VHS is going the way of the dinosaur.
This is just the next step in the evolution of the format. Now that it's gained customer acceptance, the stores can get rid of the inferior technology (VHS) and concentrate their business. It happened with audio cassettes (vinyl was killed), and it happened with CDs (bye bye cassettes).
;)
As far as being a premature move, everyone that I talk to nowadays either has a DVD player or plans on getting one within the year. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for the stores to push those last few stragglers to DVD by eliminating the VHS market for new releases.
Besides, wouldn't you rather have more room on the shelves for the latest anime imports?
Electronic Frontier Foundation for online civil rights information
sPh
How the hell are we supposed to record anything? Is this another MPAA/RIAA/Divx stunt? Circuit Shitty has always been lame.
The biggest trick the devil pulled was letting lawyers become politicians so they can write the laws.
This was only a matter of time, once a critcal mass of people have DVD players, you'll be hard pressed to find VHS tapes and players anywhere. Try to buy a 5 1/4 floppy, and soon even a 3 1/2 floppy.
Not sure I spelled it right, but this is not the first time they've made a mistake when it came to DVDs ;o) .
Remember when they sold DVDs with that Divx protection that did not allow you to watch them after a day or 2? With 90% of homes having a VHS and only 35% with a DVD Circuit City is making a mistake.
Does the RIAA have stock in them?
Nice to see Satan Mart (big, red, and evil, it's Satan Mart) doing something of which I approve.
It would be a smoother transition, however, if easy-to-use DVD recorders were widely available for home use. Lots of people don't want to keep two machines around. One to play their beautiful new LOTR DVD and one to record The Price is Right. PVRs are nice, but the subscription fee on the Tivos and the high price of the ReplayTVs turns me and I presume most consumers off of them.
Sharpies don't just sniff themselves.
First Blockbuster makes the announcement that they are going DVD. They're not there yet but now when you first walk into the store DVD is what you get.
Now Circuit City is phasing out VHS... With the affordability of DVD players and its clearly superior picture quality (I liked grainy vhs, didn't see a need to get a dvd player, got a PS2 for my wedding and now I don't rent tapes.) there is no reason not to.
Current VHS users can still rent VHS cassettes, and blank tapes will still be sold for quite a while (so you can tape your tv shows), its just getting phased out.
This is the model HDTV should take/is going to take. Don't legislate it into existence- let the technology mature. Let it breathe along side whats already there, and watch as people take note of its superior performance. As the entry level price drops the past will fall by the way side.
the people I feel the worst for are those who have huge vhs libraries. But since there are ways of taking obselete video formats (Super 8!) and transferring them to digital, they don't have much to worry about.
And time marches on.
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
Oh wait. nevermind.
A VCR is the easiest way to tune cable and get output that an Audio/Video Reciever can understand. Now, I'd love to find a small box that tunes cable, supports some of the nicer tuning features (favorite channels, last channel button, etc.), and doesn't cost too much. This would let me use my VCR for what it is intended: sitting there doing nothing while I use my DVD player.
Ahh, looks like the MPAA has found a novel new way to plug the "analog hole"-- just get rid of the analog devices! What a relief. Now I can rest assured that the industry will be making the money they deserve, selling those copy-proof DVDs.
All your VCR are belong to us!
"Software is like sex. It's better when it's free." -Linus Torvalds
Lousy picture quality, and they will wear out. Good riddence to VHS, your grandpa's way to collect movies. I guess they are an appropriate format for the Jurassic Park flicks, though.
The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
some people shop for their tech widgets soley at circut city. if they don't have any alternative than dvd, they'll buy dvd, even if it costs *more* it's a horribly unethical tactic, and as of now it's only a speculation, but i hope it isn't so!
--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
Huhn.
;) Deux) down consumers throats, completely ignoring that this was NOT a convenient format for them, I suspect this has more to do with profit margins than a whole hearted embrace of new technology. VHS players are a ridiculously cheap commodity item, while DVD players are still considered (to the mass market) "new" items, and are therefore more expensive.
The problem with doing away with VHS isn't, "what format will I get my pre-recorded content on", since DVD seems to win over VHS in several categories (durability, quality, etc), but rather "when I want to tape Hardware Wars, how am I going to quickly and cheaply record it"?
Yes, there are DVD recorders available, but they're expensive. And Yes, digital recorders like Tivo and ReplayTV are available, but not widely (certainly compared to the installed base of VHSs).
Given this is the company that tried to cram DivX (the old version, not DivX
"...you can steal my woman, but you ain't done nuthin' smart."
Aren't these the same clowns who were in on DIVX, which failed?
I'm a former Best Buy employee, so maybe I'm biased. Personally, I just don't like shopping anywhere with salespeople who work on commission.
For those who didn't read the artile:
Only prerecorded VHS tapes will be discontinued, not the blank ones or VCRs.
I don't see what the big deal is. Tho what I do find interesting is walking into a local music store named "Record & Tape Traders" and finding no records or tapes. Blah.
Yes VHS is on its way out. The worst problem with this is the eventual loss of films that will never be released on DVD.
In a related story, Circuit City has announced that it has created a research department to uncover what exactly a DVD is.
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I agree that VHS is out, but I would not be one to follow Circuit City in a technology trend after their all-out effort to embrace DivX. I pity anyone stuck with one. :-(
Wow. I can't hardly wait for the behind the scenes DVD bonus disk with 5 hours of extra material including interviews with people you never heard of and aren't too sure WTF they do. I especially like the 13 alternate endings to Road Trip. And what about that 'Making Blair Witch 4" which is 90 minutes of heavy breathing with the lens cap left on.
All DVD will do is further collapse the movie industry so that it makes and sells the dumbdownest T&A teen gross out action explosion R&B/HipHop video tie in buy the happy meal while listening to the soundtrack that's not on the movie anyway handjob.
But what do you think will happen once there's no alternative? the same thing that happened to CD prices, maybe? We'll see how happy the /. community is about this in a year.
Who cares what the percentage of homes with DVD players is? The fact that you do is why they are making these decisions at a giant nation-wide chain, and you are reading Slashdot...
Think about it -- the *only* figure that matters is what percentage of people who routinely buy movies have DVD players. The number of people with VCRs doesn't matter any more than the number of people who like SpongeBob SquarePants matters in a decision like this one.
Its also a very different issue from one of, say, Blockbuster dropping VHS -- they won't, because I'd guess its a safe bet that the percentage of people who rent videos who don't have DVD players is a lot higher than the percentage of people who buy movies who don't have DVD players.
Never successfully gotten any Linux DVD player to work. I have, however, watched many DVDs using Windows XP. If it's that hard to set up in Linux, framerate statistics are worthless.
Trading Places for DVD. Then I can trash my VCR.
Go to IMdB to check out the formats for latest releases. The usual drill is that VHS tapes are released to rent, but DVDs are available to own. That alone may be impetus to get the DVD version, but add in clarity, physical space, bonus scenes and features, and a good comparative price, andpeople will choose DVD over VHS if given the opportunity.
VHS is making its way to the 8-track and reel-to-reel dustbin of obsolesence.
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
Sure, VHS will have to go eventually. and I won't exactly mourn the crap quality. But what's coming down the line?
What's the standard affordable alternative to replace the easy recording ability of VHS?
Before anyone says it, Tivo(and other services like it) ain't it. I can't share it with anyone else over my always-down DSL connection. No one can just hand me a disk of the Angel episode I missed last week or something.
I'm trying to think of a technology that could replace it... maybe a box that could burn VCDs on the fly? The technology's probably at the point that you could do that affordably.
The advantage of this is that people are already used to burning CDs, it's a widely available media, and you probably wouldn't need industry support to make the player. That means you wouldn't need to include DRM or other crap.
as long as it doesnt affect circuit city's ability to provide the cutomer with the worst shopping experience possible.
dude.
If there are is really a lot of demand for titles on VHS, people will just go to another store. Conversely, if ther ewere a lot more demand, CC wouldn't be discontinuing the format.
JET Program: see Japan, meet intere
There is a new VHS-esque format slotted to come out, which supposedly looks better than DVD (at least until they do the Blue-Violet laser change).
It's just the way to get people to buy yet another upgrade they don't need.
I would imagine that VHS has gotten to a point where the profit margin is simply too low to support the legions of wolf-like salespersons circuit city sports. that's why they are ALWAYS asking you to buy extended warrenties too, btw.
I mean -- I personally believe it's a pretty smart move -- nobody really *needs* VCRs anymore -- the only benefit of being able to record shows are now taken over with PVRs and the like -- besides the legal implications.
The only think i really like about VCRs, though, is that darn the videos are cheap! i'd figure that a VHS tape is at least 3-5 times as much to manufacture as a stamped DVD -- but a movie would sell for 8 bux on VHS and then 20 on DVD (15 is considered a bargain)...
one last thing -- back in the days you could BACKUP your harddrive to the VCR too -- it was an interesting application to say the least -- i mean compare to DLT tapes, VHS are dirt cheap -- and just program your VCR to "record" at a certain time of the day and send a bunch of files to that port at that time; automatic backup for a fraction of the cost; not sure what happened to the company, i don't think many people used it. but certainly a novel idea
My life in the land of the rising sun.
That was a reply to a different post...
i had fp but slashdot seemed to be down...i hereby assert this post as the true fp
cherish my balls
Yup, real soon we won't be able to tape shows off the TV.
Yes, one could get a Tivo or the like to do one's "time-shifting", but the MPAA and other associations are already attacking the systems, and the ability to share recordings with friends is limited and may get cut off altogether.
This is a good sign that the concept of intellectual property is reaching dangerous new highs, and should be reined in.
Yea, remember all the money they poured into the divx (not the compression, they expiring dvd's) format? I hardly consider them an industry barometer. In their effort to be ahead of the curve, they can make some bad decisions.
--T
http://www.theMediaBunker.com
Citing figures that suggest that only 35% of consumers own DVD players, as opposed to the 90% penetration of VHS players, Charles Van Horn, president of the International Recording Media Association, suggested Circuit City is "giving up too early" on the aging VHS format. "It's leaving some profits on the table by turning over to DVD too quickly," he said.
What he forgets to mention is that no one ever buys VHS movies. I don't know anyone that uses their VCR for anything but recording TV shows or renting movies that aren't available for rent on DVD.
Back when I bought my first VCR, Circuit City was the low-cost vendor for the things; you could buy on for $300-400 from CC, or go to an electronics boutique and spend $1,000 or more.
That's changed, obviously. Walmart sells them for under $100. That's probably what has driven CC out of the business. As long as you can buy a VCR at one of these discounters, or even a grocery store or pharmacy, it just doesn't make any difference. Now when they start carrying DVD, or dropping VCRs, watch out!
The one thing I see that might be a problem is movie rentals. vhs tapes do ware out, it takes a while.. and sometimes you can get a bunk tape. DVD's can't ware out, no matter how many times you watch them, but they do get scratched. scratched rather easily, 7 out of 10 dvd's I rent are scratched to the point that they skip.. and jump back or ahead. its from all rental stores too. If VHS is phased out (which it will be) I can see this to be a problem where rental stores are replacing costly dvd's (rental stores play upwords of $100 for a new release), or you just wind up having movies that skip all the time.
My only problem with the DVD format(well, apart from region codes, etc.) is that they suck for rental. Every DVD I've rented has been scratched. I've had many of them just skip and crap out on me. This is the reason why I still rent VHS. I honestly think that some people rent a DVD, go home, hand it to their 3 year old kid and say have fun here's a movie.
This may be just me, but untill I can 9 times out of 10 rent a DVD and have it play fine, I really don't want to rent them.
--xPhase
The following sentence is TRUE. The previous sentence is FALSE.
While I use and love my DVD player all the time (ST:TNG DVD collection is getting quite a workout), I still love my old VCR. Why? It was a convenient, all in one package. I could buy used VHS tapes for under $10 each at the local blockbuster, or pop in a blank cassette to record whatever program I wanted. No need for two seperate disc racks, and one less box to fiddle with in the entertainment centre.
Agreed, the quality isn't there. The picture and sound are completely inferior to DVD, and any new movies I buy will most likely be in DVD format. But until they can give me an affordable, recordable dvd player, VHS is a viable option for those who don't want to spend that much money on movies.
Add to that the number of videotapes i've purchased and recorded over the years, and the cost of replacing them all with DVDs, and I'll probably hang on to the old VCR for quite some time.
Having said all that, I am definately looking forward to a time when true HDTV, DVD-Rs, and PVRs are commonplace, and I can say goodbye to analog and poor signal quality forever. Of course, they still haven't figured out how to keep the sat dish from fizzling during thunder/snowstorms.
Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo - H. G. Wells
Every entertainment medium is going digital, some (broadcast TV, broadcast radio, movies at the theater) more slowly than others (music, cable/satellite TV, Internet radio, movies for home use). Eventually, there will be a box available which has a radio tuner and a digital cable (or satellite) TV tuner, PVR functionality, music recording to the same internal hard drive as the movies, and a CD-R/DVD-R drive for dumping out content in a portable fashion. Heck, with the iMac, you are 75% of the way there on hardware (need the tuners) and the software wouldn't be difficult to put together.
Anyway, my point was that with entertainment going digital, all of the analog formats will be relegated to the back shelves, if they continue to exist at all. I suspect that this will be a falling-off-the-shelf phenomenon, like how vinyl disappeared in the US in a year or two after a critical mass of the public had a CD player; rather than a gradual slipping away of the format.
About the only thing that can hold this change back is legislation or excessive lawsuits. Seems that ??AA were ahead of the curve on the reasoning, since they are focusing on both lawsuits and legislation in their attempt to gain and maintain control of the audience.
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
What, exactly, constitutes "everyone you talk to nowadays"? The other folks in your cube farm? Doesn't sound like a representative sample to me. (Not a flame, just an observation).
Curb CO2 emissions: Kill yourself today!
Half the article was "Is this a good decision? We don't know..." said in a couple different ways. Regardless of what you think of DVD's and Circuit City in general, here is my take:
Circuit City is a progressive business, who pushes the status quoe (sp?). This is evident by their experiment with DivX, and getting rid of appliances, as stated they did in the article. Circuit City is after a certain type of market. By now, most people who buy electronics on a regular basis own a DVD player. I figure Circuit City makes their highest profit per visit off of customers who already own DVD players. If they don't own a DVD play, and stop shopping at CC due to this change, it was not one of their high value customers to begin with.
DVD's are "moving" much faster than VHS these days. Not only are people buying new releases, but also replacing their old VHS tapes. This means it is to CC's best advantage to fit the broadest DVD collection possible into the store. People will go to CC since they are likley to have the DVDs they want. If a non-DVD player owner is on the brink of getting a DVD player, this may be the kick in the pants they need (cha-ching on new players!)...if it isn't, the customer will probably be on the low end of their "value" scale anyway.
My guess is Circuit City want to be the one stop shop for the progressive electronics buyer, who isn't interested in VHS, or appliances anyway. If that is the case, which I could be wrong about, CC knows what they are doing and this is probably a good business decision.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
I've found that when you shop at a place that works on commission, you can haggle the price a bit. Since the sales staff makes the difference anyways, it gives you a little leverage depending on how much they want the sale. You can also deal directly with the person on the floor selling it to you instead of asking for management approval for the price discount. Both my friend and I have haggled higher priced items down a bit at Circut City. But like any good negotiation, be prepared to walk away if it doesn't go your way.
"Sexy Man" is not a moderation option. -- arose
They get rid of VHS, but atleast they are keeping 8-Tracks around!!
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Circuit city would love it if NOBODY sold VHS tapes because then everyone would have to buy a DVD player.
Confused customers looking for the VHS tape section are easily redirected to the DVD player section of Circuit City.
I personally can not tell the difference between a digital and an analog TV's picture, and I like sturdy tapes better than easily scratched DVDs. I also already have a VCR and don't want to bay another $70 for another piece of equipment that does the same ( does less actually since you can't record DVDs )
I also remember that the pr0n DVD that I watched on my PC would not let me watch the film until the previews at the beginning had finished playing ( with the Fast Forward button disabled too! ) If i cared to watch the film again I'd have to sit through all the previews again before being shown the freaken main menu!.
I also remember watching The Matrix on a computer monitor and thinking that the hi-res made the film look WORSE because at that resolution the CG effects were more obvoiusly drawn in.
Screw DVD and it's stupid software features. I just want to watch the frikken movie.
Eat at Joe's.
This isn't news. Future Shop, a huge Canadian electronics/music/movie chain (a la Best Buy, Circuit City, etc...) stopped selling VHS tapes early last year and have been carrying DVDs exclusively.
It's better to burn out than to fade away
Don't get me wrong, I have a DVD player and rent them almost exclusivly, but I don't think VHS is dead just yet. I use my 2 VCRs very often to record TV shows so I can watch them at my leisure. You can do it with Tivo, but then I can't lend the tape out, or watch the show elsewhere. Plus a VCR is more economical for me since I have 1000 blank tapes sitting around.
CC is just cutting the VCRs because they are cheap and they don't make a lot of money off them, Walmart and Best Buy will have them for 10 more years.
Right up there with:
LongTail SSH Brute Force analysis tool is here!
I think this is a good sign that it's time to throw out my 8-track player
Its scary to think that VHS might be phased out before a cheap/easy alternative way to record tv shows is available. You can't record the Sopranos for your no-cable tv cheapskate parents without VHS. I assume that eventually TV DVD players will also record but even that will probably be a write-once format, so it will mean no more using the same tape to record Friends every week. You'll need a new disc every time. Anyway I think that is why they will be selling VCRs for along time. Plus, everybody's wedding is on VHS.
..I thought Circuit City had been phased out as a whole already.
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
I do.
:)
Pioneer 116 w/unlocked region, $41.
GeForce4 V8440, $ouch.
Watching DVDs on a big-screen monitor? Pretty.
Instead of VHS, CC will be carrying DIVX Movies exclusively. ;-P
Story Moderation: -1 Inaccurate Title
I don't like DVD. Copyright protection, you can't copy them (which is legal with VHS with certain restrictions, I think), you can't record stuff from TV (unless you want a really expensive burner), DRM, lawsuit-fests ... Give me analog, thank you...
I work for Circuit City's corporate offices, and there has been NO announcement regarding a phase-out of VHS. Those of us here in Richmond are typically the first to know about things like this - I knew about the appliance phase out about a week before it was announced to the public. I'd take this whole article with a LARGE grain of salt, especially since it's entirely based on an unnamed spokesperson and a store employee.
Oh well, it wouldn't be Slashdot without unverified stories getting submitted and finding their way to the front page. If it's on a website, it must be true.
The article seemed to mention software and not hardware. I think VCR's will be around for a while and they shouldn't phase them out even though the profits on them are crap. The people who buy them are just wanting something to record TV and watch tapes that they don't have on DVD yet (Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones, etc.)
They do sell them pretty cheap.
A guy I work with got a el-cheapo DVD player for $79 the other day from Wal-mart. You get what you pay for though.
Sean D.
"Hmm. I am to metaphor cheese as metaphor cheese is to transitive verb crackers!"
Really, this should come as no surprise. As previous posts pointed out, this has to do with *videos*, not the players themselves (yet).
:) So if VHS is disappearing here, you know it's already gone on the coasts....
The Blockbusters in my town (Madison, WI) are all going DVD, reorging their displays to relegate VHS to one corner (or in some stores, do some interleaving). And they've been doing this for the past 6-8 months.
And having grown up in Boston, everybody knows the midwest is slower to pick up on national trends.
Though I doubt VCR sales will ever die until somebody comes out with a good (i.e. Joe Sixpack) way of TiVo'ing out to CDR.
- Matt
Er, there are at least two DVD releases of Heathers (including a deluxe one with a tin case) and I've had to resist the urge to buy The Breakfast Club many a time at Best Buy.
:) Now if I could only find "Leap of Faith" I wouldn't worry...
Go to a bigger store.
The following line occured in a paragraph all by itself, thus making it very noticable:
My neighboor (who is 26 or so) bought the Harry Potter DVD because it came with some medallion or something like that. This then forced her to buy a DVD player so she could watch it.
:)
So...if Circuit City just includes some toy from a serial box or whatever, they could make a killing in DVD and player sells
Given the circuit city in my neighborhood the article could read. 'Neighborhood phases out circuit city'.
"as plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee" - Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz. (One man's humorous is another mans flamebait)
You are quite mistaken about the coasts. I live in Providence, RI, and commute to Cambridge, MA. DVD is still a minority of the shelf space in all the video stores I visit. (It's certainly a much larger minority than it was even a year ago, though.)
This statement is brought to you by Circuit City, the (former) purveyors of DIVX, which would allow you the privilege of doing the multimedia equivalent of paying $5000 for a new Honda Accord, and then paying the dealer $100 everytime you took it on the road.
This sig no verb.
Why the fuck is this off-topic? Offensive, yes, but fuck if it's fucking OFF-TOPIC. It is about the same fucking topic AS THE FUCKING ARTICLE!! THIS post is off-topic because it isn't talking about VHS. The partent post IS! What in the fuck is wrong with you fucking people! Fuck you!! If you go into Borders, they don't have any fucking VHS anymore, expect for the fucking ones they want to get rid of and are selling for three fucking dollars! Fuck! Maybe if I post about the fucking shit in my fucking asshole it would be on topic, you fuckers.
I just hope they're selling quality dvd players, with rewind buttons.
Everything will be taken away from you.
How many people who own only tape players buy content instead of renting it? I suppose parents who let their kids watch the same movie 100 times a week do -- but aren't they REALLY better off with a DVD player? Or buying the overstock when Blockbuster Video or Hollywood Video sells the movies after 6 weeks or so?
Just about everything about DVD discs are superior to VHS tapes except the installed base of players. They last longer, are easier to distribute, provide language and subtitle selection, and take less space to store.
Corporate decision makers are afraid enough of change as it is -- this decision was more likely overdue by a year rather than happening a year too soon.
It looks like VHS is indeed dead. That means that DVD will go huge in the next couple of years, and this also means that the RIAA won't stand a chance to introduce a new video format with working copyright protection.
...
And the number of broadband users keeps growing
Oh well!
When his defense asked, "Which computer has Jon Johansen trespassed upon?" the answer was: "His own."
I think one of the major reasons to make the change is that there are bigger profits to be made selling DVD's. Audio CD's cost pennies to produce, yet they still sell for 10-20 bucks in the stores. DVD's will be the same way. DVD media will continue to go down and down in price but they will still be super expensive in the stores. VHS tapes already sell at low prices, so they have less of a profit margin with these.
Everybody is looking for the same setup, right? How does one go about setting one up? The format is obvious as being MPEG2 since this format which play on most DVD players. Capture card...Which is the best I have heard bad things about the WinTV PVR. AVI codec eats up a lot of memory in a short amount of time. Creative digital VCR captures audio at 32Hz. Can somebody break down a set up that will create a format that will display the original resolution as seen on a standard tv channel.
ugh. this sucks for us who have huge amounts of videos..haha... i like vhs, even if it's "out of date".... but, see.. i live in two nephews... one of them is 6, has the mental intelligence of a 3 year old and has been diagnosed with a bunch of shit(bipolar disorder, and some retardation-causing one are the big ones)... videos can take more wear and tear than cd's can in my experience.... and the other nephew is a spoiled little 9 year old.. who whenever i say to go away (because i'm trying to concentrate on something).. or just 'ignore' him while meditating... he decides he wants to break my stuff, or break something else and blame me... and he gets away with it.... cd's are a larger target for him as time has shown... i've only had two video's busted ("natural born killers" and "full metal jacket"..ugh! my favorites!).... yet over 30 cd's.... so yeah.. tapes are nice for the two more years i have to live in the same house as them... plus, i already have 600 videos....
And having grown up in Boston, everybody knows the midwest is slower to pick up on national trends.
/the/ test market for the coasts. You'll see it here first most of the time.
That's very wrong. The midwest is
In Soviet Russia...michael would be rotting in Siberia!
"They have no incentive to screw you."
Ah yes, that would account for people being arrested for trying to buy sale items at the advertised price. Give me the commission-based salespeople anytime.
Everyone will start to cheer when you put on your sailin' shoes.
Honestly, when was the last time you bought a VHS tape, and what was it?
Well, for me, was over a year ago, and was a childrens cartoon called VeggieTales. Since then, the company has begun putting its cartoons out on DVD and VHS, and going back and releasing its original episodes on DVD.
And hopefully, the theory should also pan out, if theyre removing VHS stock to make room for DVD, that means they should expand their selection as well. Unless they are truly planning to expand their DVD shelf space, but still stock the same couple hundred of movies, which is a possiblity considering other weird things stores have done in the past.
A: You're doing it again.
B: What's that?
A: That talking thing....stop it.
Although the company doesn't break out its sales of DVD, Circuit City officials said the entertainment software category--which includes music, movies and videogames--accounted for 11% of the chain's first-quarter revenue of $3.05 billion. Total revenue was up 14% in the first quarter compared to the 2001 period.
"So your honor, you can plainly see from these numbers that peer-to-peer filesharing is good. I mean bad. Shoot." - RIAA Lawyer
With reasonable quality DVD players going for $69, who can blame them?
The one listed above is the newer model of the one I own, and the same model my friend bought. Apex is not a huge brand here yet, but these are nice little units and play VCDs and MP3 CDs as well; a nice selling point for geeks.
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
try to say Debbie Does Dallas DVD ten times real fast.
I thought the exact same thing when I saw the slashdot story, in a roundabout way. My question was, will they continue to sell VCRs and blank tapes? The answer was given its own paragraph in the article.
Circuit City will continue to carry blank VHS tape and VCRs, he added.
In other words, this particular incident has nothing to do with recording whatsoever. They're phasing out pre-recorded VHS tapes with DVDs, and that's it. Of course, in the long run one must ask what they intend to do with VHS; I'm sure that ties in with plugging the analog hole.
"Working copyright protection" is an oxymoron. It's like "sex for virginity". It doesn't mean anything. The CBPTBA is akin to legislating the value of PI to 3 even. The DMCA is like mandating that the earth is in fact flat. I'm not even sure the much ballyhooed head-implant is invincible.
I cast it, you can't stop it.
"On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."
What do you use your VCR for? I use mine to time-shift TV shows. I cannot do that with a DVD player. Phasing out pre-recorded VHS tapes I can understand, DVD is far better in that case, but the VCR will have plenty of market behind it as long as it is the only affordable way to record shows.
Travis
Anyway, since VHS is still the primary *recording* medium of the consumer, I wonder if they'll continue to sell VCRs?
This is an example of how "electronics super stores" are bad for the consumer. Circuit City wants to make money selling not only electronics, but also pre-recorded entertainment. They don't want you to be able to record a pay-per-view showing of a movie because that could cost them a sale. The sooner they can convince you to scrap your VCR and, if you don't have one, buy a DVD player (from them), the happier they will be.
That's why it was better when "record stores" sold recordings and "stereo stores" sold audio and video equipment. And this is why it was better for Sony to make consumer electronics and Columbia pictures to make films. The conflict of interest is now such that Sony would happily kill off the CD and replace it with a copy-protected equivalent -- much as they are doing to push DVD as a replacement for VHS. They want VCRs to go away so that they can sell you not only the player, but also the movie when you switch to DVD.
Since PS/2s (or XBoxes for that matter) play DVDs, I will have a good case for convincing my wife that we NEED one!
come on fhqwhgads
This has got to be the most horrible development in the entertainment industry since the death of the BetaMax. It's all about the video cassette. DVD sucks! Sing to the tune of 'Who's afraid of the big bad wolf':
D-V-D is a piece of shit,
a piece of shit,
a piece of shit,
D-V-D is a piece of shit,
la la la la la!
Seriously, now... I won't be caught dead in a Circuit City. They pissed me off a number of times, most notably when they lost record of a hefty payment I made, and I had to jump through a number of hoops to prove that I paid, when I could have been lounging around my house, enjoying a Negra Modelo, or fixing my Hemicuda instead. And then, when they supported DIVX--remember the pay-per-view DVD-like disc company run by a bunch of sleezy lawyers? And people bought a thing called DIVX GOLD, that was supposed to "unlock" your discs for unlimited viewing? Now that DIVX is gone, they can't view the movies they BOUGHT AND PAID FOR! DIVX was the last straw. So I don't give a damn what Circuit City does, because they SUCK and I don't support them.
Buy from the internet. That way THEY are the people that can steal from you. And if they do, you can find out and sue them for $$$.
I though Fry's was first. Hard to find a tape at the local place thats not blank.
The one area where VHS is still the best is in rentals. When I first bought a DVD player I went out and rented all kinds of DVDs from blockbuster etc. and to my dismay found out that more than half of them were unwatchable due to scratches and the other half skipped occasionally. On the other hand I went out and checked out a 10 year old Sci-fi movie the other day and it played flawlessly.
It makes sense to phase out the pre-recorded VHS items since the primary pre-recorded rental/sale market is obviously tilting to DVD.
It would make no sense to phase out VHS hardware or blank tapes since those are still (and will be for the foreseeable future) the primary means of recording material in the consumer space.
In fact, CC has started carrying blank D-VHS tape. I don't know that they carry the decks yet, but there's always Best Buy for that.
* As is generally the case, my opinions do not reflect those of my employer.
That would be your macrovision-free tapes of wedding, baby's first steps, etc. Certainly if you purchased commercial pre-recorded VHS media with movies on them, they include the macrovision copy protection signals.
I agree that it within your fair-use rights (in my non-lawyer opinion) to transfer the content from your old VHS tapes to new DVD discs... but if you believe your VHS tapes are without copy protection, well, you're in for a suprise.
PJRC: Electronic Projects, 8051 Microcontroller Tools
Last time I was in Blockbuster about 2/3 of the store is still VHS (mostly older movies). I know they have made great strides toward converting to DVD, but they have a ways to go.
Perhaps they are still renting enough tapes to justify the floor space. Or perhaps its due to the fact that what people want is only available on VHS, so thats why they rent them.
My wife and I have noticed the change over time at our local Costco. Basically 2 years ago, the DVDs had half a table. That grew to a whole table and then to 2 tables, leaving only 1 table for VHS. I wouldn't be surprised if in another 2 years there was no VHS table at all.
-no broken link
Next time you're bored, go into Radio Shack or whatever and express interest in something expensive.
Get really excited, and finally say you'll buy it. The sales droid will then start on the extended warranty script. One of the favourite lines is "Modern electrical equipment is very complicated and can go wrong..."
When they say this, tell them that the shop next door is selling the same thing, but not such a complicated one and theirs doesn't break down. Then walk out of the shop.
:o)
To be honest, I don't think I can say I have ever purchased a VHS cassette. When I decided to buy a player for movies, DVD was starting to gain wide acceptance, though VHS was still strong. I decided to go DVD even though the cost of movies was often much more expensive than the VHS equivalent. I must say that I am quite pleased with the results. The better sound and image quality make up for the price, plus the fact that I really only buy Anime videos. which on DVD. provide many more features like multiple episodes, multiple language tracks and some other extras usually. With the price of DVD players in the $100 to $150 range anyway, if you were looking to get a new video player, why not go DVD anyway. The only downside is of course the hundreds of dollars you might have invested in a VHS movie library and the fact you can't record off of the TV with DVD. Once recordable DVD becomes mainstream (and they have a standard that is set in stone), VHS will be as foriegn to youngsters as the 8-track is to me :)
finally.. now dumb people wont fuck up and buy me vhs even though i tell them I DONT OWN A VCR!
my fucking mom bought me a movie i wanted for xmas, on VHS!! i cussed her out and threw the video against the wall and smashed it.. i felt bad after but damnit i HATE VHS, i refuse to watch it, if im at a friends and he pops in a really nice vhs porno, ill go home , fuck that its DVD or nothing!!
Funny, but I recently bought a new cartridge for my old phonograph. As my phonograph is >30 years old, I wondered if it would fit.
But it screwed in perfectly.
So why can't I get a new motherboard for my 4-year-old AT case?
This is just the pre-announcement before CC announces that they will only be supporting the next step in video evolution: ViHX, a new, pay-per-view version of VHS geared specifically to consumers who don't want the burden of returning video tapes. The tapes will be smaller than normal VHS tapes, as CC will be introducing P&S squared, or Pan in Scan in Pan in Scan, where all the annoying extra scenery is removed, leaving only the direct center of the screen. Average viewers have noted that "the image looks bigger" when played on entry-level tv's.
A CC spokesman was quoted as saying,
"This is a large step forward for us, and for the movie industry in general. We have spent years creating a technology that degrades in performance over time, satisfying both the first time viewer and the [movie] industry, alleviating concerns of piracy, while giving the consumer the biggest image possible.
But, any such control scheme, unless it gets embedded into every digital device sold (SSSCA) to plug the so-called 'analog hole' (which in this case should be called the plaintext digital hole), it *will* be breakable... Once the movie is plaintext, its all over. Thus, by the statement you gave, they'll never release 1080i movies, EVER, unless the SSSCA becomes law.
And even after such draconian *CONTROL* measures are embedded into every digital device sold.. Will they still sell 1080i, or will they just sell VCR-quality video at twice the price, and with arbitrary controls of their choosing.
For example, look at Adobe ebooks... ``This book cannot be read aloud'' WHAT THE FUCK? Or at CSS on DVD's, WHAT THE FUCK does region encoding have to do with copyright protection.. Thats the problem, it has nothing to do with 'protection'. Its just trying to grab control over each digital device.
You may feel that 1984 is worth it, if you can get your 1080i movies... But not everyone feels the same.
Here is a question. Could a case be made that if you already have a collection of [prerecorded] VHS tapes (or Laser Disks for that matter) you should be able to "update" these to DVDs (or whatever comes later) for just the media fee? You already paid for the license to see the movie. I guess this is the same as going from LP to CDs. What makes up the price of a movie? I assume the production of the media and the media cost is just a fraction of the final amount paid. The rest is license fees and general FAT. Why do we have to pay for it all over again? Individually we are nothing against this industry. Wouldn't this be a case for a class action law suit?
So I guess video capture cards, like the ATI TV Wonder series, are all useless. Silly me.
Seriously, spend $50 on a tv wonder VE, connect your VCR to that, you're in business. Perfectly reasonable.
I'm the stranger...posting to
The tapes will be smaller than normal VHS tapes, as CC will be introducing P&S squared, or Pan in Scan in Pan in Scan, where all the annoying extra scenery is removed, leaving only the direct center of the screen. Average viewers have noted that "the image looks bigger" when played on entry-level tv's.
What on earth are you talking about?...:)
"Annoying extra scenery"....???? Good grief, are you saying they'll be cropping the image on the sides and the top/bottom to exclude the visual information in the original? That's horrible, if that's what you're saying.
And who on earth wants "performance that degrades over time"...?
Don't tell me, you're kidding!...:)
I'll buy DVD when it becomes both recordable, reliable, and relatively inexpensive. Basically, I don't buy my media. I rent it, or I watch it directly from satellite or digital cable. But I don't buy it, period. My local video store, indeed all of the local video stores in my area, are 5% DVD and 95% VHS. I have a couple of SVHS, Hi-Fi, Hi-Quality VCRs which I bought a couple of years ago at Best Buys for the unbelievably low price of $130 each. Playback and sound quality is excellent. Mainly, it's my opinion that DVD won't really catch on until the units become recordable and can essentially match the function of current VCR technology--which, because they are not recording devices, the current crop of DVD playback machines does not match. It's nice to be able to record on reusable media. I honestly thought DVD would have reached that point by now, but suffice it to say that if CC really intends to drop VHS/SVHS machines, the company ownership is exceedingly stupid...:) DVD makes a better playback platform, no question. But it's nowhere near as functional as it can't yet record on cheap, reusable media.
Always wise to check out a poster's history before you blindly moderate. Then breathe deeply twice, re-read the bit about better framerates, give it the chuckle it deserves, and moderate properly.
This is either +1 funny or -1 troll, but definitely not a +1 interesting...
four nine eighteen twenty-7 thirty-nine forty-7 fiftyeight sixty-nine seventy-9 eighty-8 one-hundred-and-nine one-twenty
OK, the article DOES state that this is only the phase out of pre-recorded VHS videos, but of course that is the first step in total destruction of the VHS medium. The real problem is the vast amounts of movies that, despite any effort, can NEVER all be converted to DVD. If you've ever walked into a non-mainstrem video store, you know what I mean. There are just too many VHS videos. So once the VHS format is dumped, these videos will be either lost forever, or retained only by the movie super nerds that only come out of thier holes to work at a dead end job that lets them track down now rare VHS videos.
And one more thing, who the fuck actually LISTENS to music on vinyl? It may be handy for DJs, but come on.
I am excited by the phase out of VHS. I enjoy my DVD player immensely.
s /c ircuitCityCoBr.html?ax=circuitcitycobrand
I think it is only natural for Circuit City to phase it out. I know it isn't doing much business for them. DVD is starting to build momentum especially when DVD players have lowered in price. This is encouraging consumers to tap into the DVD market.
It is important also to the Industry for DVD to catch consumer interest because they are trying to lay the ground for DVD Audio and DVD Recording.
VHS will hang around simply for the fact that it is the cheapest means to record. DVD Recorders are not going to fall into a feasibly range for consumers until 2-3 years from now.
I forsee Circuit City really playing up Home Audio in the next year or so. Its going to be where the money is at.
The consumer is going to want their own Home Theater more than ever. Along with that Home Theater, they are going to want a nice TV. They are banking on these things. It's their bread and butter.
Also, I see a lot of people taking the time to invest in dissing Circuit City. Circuit City has lots of good ideas. They are just not always implemented properly. This can be said for the majority of companies out there. I'd like you to show the perfect company with a pristine record.
Anyways, companies do good. Check out Upromise. A good program for those wanting to save money to send their kids to college. Circuit is just one of the many investigating in this neat idea.
https://secure2.upromise.com/app/partners/other
or go to the official site:
http://www.upromise.com
Truth like surgery, may hurt, but it cures. - Han Suyin, Chinese Physician and Writer
I think Circuit City's announcement to phase out VHS movie sales at their stores could be a harbinger of things to come.
I would be not be surprised that within 18 months both Blockbuster and Hollywood Video will announce the phaseout of VHS-format video rentals for new movie releases. The reason is simple: because DVD's are way more durable than VHS tapes, DVD movies can be on the rental market for much, much longer than VHS titles, which means potentially more revenue for Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.
In 1958 or so I walked into a record store right after a super salesman had convinced the owner that Mono recordings were finished, done with. I bout 20 or so classic toscanni records for 50 cents each. Guess its time to stock up on VHS stuff...
At Future Shop in Canada (or at least, every one I've been in for years), it's the same. They sell CDs, they sell DVDs, they sell blanks and burners for both, devices that will record VHS, ones that will do casettes, but prerecorded magnetic media is all gone.
I actually hadn't thought twice about it. VHS tapes are better by leaps in (almost) all respects. in my job, I like them because when we get a shipment in, it weighs less for more DVDs, they take up less shelf space, and we can fit the overstock away easier. No way could we have fit 70 copies of Harry Potter in our counter, but DVD wasn't a problem. Easier for retailers (Superstore), cheap (the Harry Potter DVD was $19.98 for the two-disc set, which is only a dollar or two more than our VHS titles, if not actually cheaper.
And considering the fact that you can buy a cheap DVD player for $100 CDN plus tax, there's less and less reason not to get one. Sure, it won't be top-of-the-line, but it'll be a fair sight better than VHS. All we need now are PVRs with DVD+/-RW burners (years away unless you have big cash) and all will be wonderful. You could even have a disc that would play in your DVD drive, complete with menus and subtitles (converted closed captioning) or something. Hmm...
--Dan
Hollywood has been burned three times now: VHS, VCD, DVD. It's pretty clear that they won't adopt another, more sophisticated format without some pretty strong copy protection features.
How have they been burned??
Hollywood is making a lot, possibly even the majority (haven't seen numbers in a while) of their money out of those formats.
I wish I could get burned like that.
Before you know it, the bastards will quit stocking phonograph needles.
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
"But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
"I like owning and watching high-quality movies"
Yes, nothing better than watching "Pearl Harbor" in really high res.
How does it feel to be an ultimate consumer?
If they shoveled shit over the fence and called it "HDTV", a lot of people (not you, you're too smart for that) would say "thank you very much".
As for me, I'm sitting here at home with pool, my BMWs laughing at people like you who piss away money giving it to movie studios like a crack addict in need of a few rocks.
And before you ask, you'll buy my BMW with its 3 years old paying me about what I pay for it. And you'll buy my house from me paying twice what I did for it, so I actually know how to spend my money.
It ain't pissing it away on the video format of the week.
Sucker.
this guy would give up everything so he can watch "Pearl Harbor" and the TV series "Friends" in HDTV.
My god, Jefferson would probably bitch slap him like a little girl if he was alive today.
The concept that I would pay money to tape "buffy the vampire" somethingorother.
You people are seriously weird to get so excited by broadcast TV.
It looks like we have more proof that digital is killing the analog star (or at least beating it into submission).
No TiVo and no caffeine make me something something...
I work as a programmer for a contractor to Blockbuster Video. For DVD they rent, they rent almost 40 VHS tapes. In half of the stores, DVD already has 1/3 or greater of the floorspace. It was a huge mistake to switch more than a small portion of the floorspace to DVD's, and they're now paying for it.
My prayers have been answered.
"Circuit City is after a certain type of market"
Yeah, its the 18-30 year old male minority market who isn't smart enough to comparison shop and who doesn't make enough money to afford a house so they don't need appliances, but will spend stupid amounts of money on a car stereo for their riced-up 1994 Honda Civic and go into $10K of debt for a surround sound movie system for their appartment.
We white people call these kids S-U-C-K-E-R-S.
" Just spend the god damn $20."
That's a good little lamb.
Lets hear you speak like a big sheep!
"BAAAAAAH. BAAAAAAAH."
That's a good boy.
You don't mind if I shear you of all your money; after all that's all you're good for!
"BAAAAAH. BAAAAAAAAH".
I didn't think so.
"Hey assmonkey, go out an put 3,000 bucks into a 16:9 bigscreen with a progressive scan DVD player, and surround sound system"
He doesn't need to... he wasn't a sucker and saved his money. He didn't piss it away on a video format that will be obsolete in 3 years.
But you're a good little sheep.
Lets hear you speak!
"Baaah. BAAAAH"
Good boy.
Don't let anyone tell you what your tastes should be. I listen mainly to vinyl because it sounds more like the real thing, more like music, with richer harmonics and more realistic decay of notes. Last year I put my money where my mouth is and bought a Rockport Sirius turntable (used, but still a ton of money) and have never been happier.
Maybe, just maybe, the reason they're getting rid of pre-recorded VHS at Circuit City and eventually other stores is
1) VHS looks like poo-poo for movies,
2) DVD looks great, is easier to handle, has random access, extras, etc., and
3) most people are too stupid to program their VCRs so losing recording capability is no biggie for Ma and Pa Kettle.
Oh sure, YOU know how to program your VCR, but seriously, most folks are just good ol' fashioned DUMB. The few folks that figure out time shifting of their soaps will be serviced by the blank tapes and remaining VCRs. Oh and DVD players are damn near sold in vending machines now for $79. VHS tapes use more resources and are more expensive to produce than DVDs. Blah blah blah. In the immortal words of Frankenstein "VHS movies, BAD!"
Time for me to go call around town and confuse store clerks by asking for *SUPER*-VHS tapes to record Bernie Mac.
Also, will someone please make me a device to convert high-def component analog signal to Firewire digital so I can record any high def programming I see? (There are no analog-in hi-def recorders currently available.) Maybe a PC could be made to do it. Someone needs to make this while external hi-def receivers still have analog outputs. Just a tangent thought to play with.
I pay on average less than $10 US for VHS movies unused. (No I don't go scrounging the bargain bins at Circuit City.) If a movie lasts for five viewings, it's still cheaper than renting it, and convenient to have on hand.
Sometimes I consider switching to DVD, but with stuff like forced previews, region encoding and uncertain image quality, no thanks. I'll wait for something better.
you damn trolls who have too much time on your hands to be any use to anyone all need to die...
or worse,
GET OFF SLASHDOT!!!
Erutangis ym si siht.
Consider that the article indicates that CC grossed $3 billion in the last reported quarter. They're succeeding in a highly competitive business - like any business, want to protect market share *&* profitability. Walmart has slews of VHS tapes, at discount rates - perhaps CC has learned from K-Mart's folly, in attempting to compete with Wally's World on W's strength - low, low prices. The CC execs are saying "screw that, let's be the Neiman Marcus of A/V retail!" If so, their prices certainly show that mentality.
Then again, who knows? Maybe the conspiracy theorists are right on, & the A/V division of the Secret Order of CFRCIAFBIKGBBuild-a-Burger Brotherhood is making their move... if so, they can take my VHS tapes when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers :P
"He who throws mud, loses ground." - proverb
Circuit City is becoming the first of the mass merchants to state its intent to discontinue sales of the aging video format.
Oooh, intent. They've also stated that they "strive to offer low, competitive prices, high service standards, and a wide selection of products to meet all consumer needs."
Have you ever found a Circuit City with low prices, wide production slection, and a high standard of service?
I give up.. to all the posters below, you missde my point entirely.
I guess I'll have to dumb-down my comment from now on. Or maybe I'll just not, and let people show how little they know.
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
First off, for the people that think the are getting rid of VCRs, they are not. CC is just getting rid of the movies on VHS. I work at one in Calif., in the music/movie dept., starting 4 or 5 months back we would only sell 1 or 2 videos a day. No suprise we would decide to get rid of them. thats wasted space. For those who think CC needs to lower the price on dvd movies/players. Currently we have a dvd players starting at 69.99. As for the movies we usually sell them $5 dollers less than say Suncoast. Most of the time new releases are sold under cost. We don't make much money on the dvd software. I'm glad we are dedecating more space for something that people really want.
It's about time. I always get a kick out of people who insist DVD's will fade out like Laserdiscs dis.
hey renters, try out netflix.com. far better than a rental store. 20 bucks a month, sent through the mail, no extra shipping costs, 3 movies at a time, unlimited rentals a month, no due dates, over 10,000 titles. simple, simple, simple.