Variety Declares VHS Dead

An anonymous reader writes "Variety has written an obituary for the VHS format only 3 years after it was surpassed in popularity by the DVD." While VHS is hardly the format of choice these days, there are still many, many home movies and other favorite recordings and commercial releases floating around in VHS. How long until VHS players themselves go the way of the 8-track player?

Comments

the real question

[User 956]

How long until VHS players themselves go the way of the 8-track player?

With the cost of storage plummeting and the rise of digital distribution and on-demand services, the real question should be: "How long until physical distribution of media goes the way of the 8-track player?"

Re:the real question

[LindseyJ]

If you need an example of why we're not ready for a paperless society (or even an example of why it may just be completely unworkable altogether), look no further than Diebold.

More like the cassette than 8-track.

[winkydink]

Still around, still useful, just not commonplace.

Re:More like the cassette than 8-track.

[gosand]

Still around, still useful, just not commonplace.

Hmm, I wonder how commonplace it is. I still use mine. Not so much to watch movies, but I will record things and watch them. I just don't have that big of a desire or need to get a DVR. I had a friend that used his VCR a LOT. He had probably 100 video tapes of things he had taped that he needed to watch. He upgraded to TiVO, and now he has a more compact way of recording things that he never watches. I honestly don't know what people are recording. I watch about 3 shows, and if I miss them, I miss them - whooptie doo. I just can't really justify the cost of a DVR. But then again, I don't understand why people spend $1200+ on a television, or $300 on a video card for their computer.

Re:More like the cassette than 8-track.

[LiquidCoooled]

Taping with the DVD recorder does not feel as "safe" as with VHS.
We have a recorder here and often I wonder if the old model was better designed for the task.
It was rare a tape just broke.
Sure, it would get slowly grainy and you could basically get one final watch out of them.
The DVDs suck because one error can fuck up the entire show.

I hope NTL hurry up and bring out a PVR.

VHS? Dead?

[segedunum]

Well, as long as I have a huge collection of videos with films and stuff recorded off the TV, and until a usable alternative for recording from the TV that I own and control becomes available, VHS is going to be in my house for quite a bit longer.

I suspect that film studios would like to see the back of VHS and any format that allows easy recording, but it's what people want and why it really accelerated into such a popular format.

Great source of a slashdot article

[east coast]

Why are we paying credence to the likes of Variety on a geek site? And frankly, who cares what they think?

The real answer

[NineNine]

It'll happen when broadband becomes as ubiquitous and as reliable as electricity. We have a loooong way to go before that happens.

Re:Allready been there.

[jcr]

Well, what I take as a pretty serious indicator is the fact that the prices of VHS tape drives is rising, due to the economies of scale going away. Surveillance customers who were buying machines for $300/unit in January are paying upwards of $500/unit now.
-jcr