Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Forgotten Tale of Cartrivision's 1972 VCR

Posted by timothy on from the don't-remember-this-at-all dept.

harrymcc writes: In 1972 -- years before Betamax and VHS -- a Silicon Valley startup called Cartrivision started selling VCRs built into color TVs. They offered movies for sale and rent -- everything from blockbusters to porn -- using an analog form of DRM, and also let you record broadcast TV. There was also an optional video camera. And it was a spectacular flop. Over at Fast Company, Ross Rubin tells the fascinating story of this ambitious failure.

11 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Analog DRM, no way by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Informative

    using an analog form of DRM

    So, that'd be "RM", then.

    In case you're wondering, it was simply that only the rental store could rewind rental tapes (cartridges).

    Not so much rights management as blanket functionality removal.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:Analog DRM, no way by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 3, Funny

      In case you're wondering, it was simply that only the rental store could rewind rental tapes (cartridges).

      I bet that still didn't stop them from having a $1 "rewind fee" policy.

    2. Re:Analog DRM, no way by houstonbofh · · Score: 3, Insightful

      using an analog form of DRM

      So, that'd be "RM", then.

      In case you're wondering, it was simply that only the rental store could rewind rental tapes (cartridges).

      Not so much rights management as blanket functionality removal.

      DRM is "blanket functionality removal." That is it's intention. It fails, but that is not the point...

  2. Innovation: first != successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the history of technology, the first to develop a technology and attempt to bring it to market is usually not the one that is ultimately successful.

    1. Re:Innovation: first != successful by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      In the history of technology, the first to develop a technology and attempt to bring it to market is usually not the one that is ultimately successful.

      That's why Microsoft was so successful: they let the market test ideas, and then stole, bought, or cloned only proven ideas.

      When they did NOT follow this formula, such as for Bob, Zune, their first tablet, and Windows 8 tablet/desktop mishmash, they failed.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:Innovation: first != successful by houstonbofh · · Score: 4, Funny

      In the history of technology, the first to develop a technology and attempt to bring it to market is usually not the one that is ultimately successful.

      That's why Microsoft was so successful: they let the market test ideas, and then stole, bought, or cloned only proven ideas.

      When they did NOT follow this formula, such as for Bob, Zune, their first tablet, and Windows 8 tablet/desktop mishmash, they failed.

      Funny that you mention Bob. Yes it was a failure... But one of the marketing team, Melinda French, did all right by it. ;) Also, Bob was ported into Office as the "Office Assistants" that created much derision, but also saw a lot of use with non-tech types. And the concept behind it, especially the heuristic learning of behavior tied to content, is what eventually became Cortina.

    3. Re:Innovation: first != successful by Jhon · · Score: 3, Informative

      Edison didn't invent the light bulb -- he invented a way to make it cheaply (no platinum) and last longer.

  3. LOL ... porn ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So it really is true ... all new technology must support porn.

    From the first photography, to the first page-flip animations ... it's all porn, and always has been.

    And yet humans still idiotically think they can curb such things, despite hundreds of thousands of years of evolution which says "humans are hardwired for sex".

    All these isms which say porn bad, sex bad ... I figure they're mostly moronic because they completely ignore the fact that it's always been a part of humans, and isn't going to go away because your ism says so. In fact, if you ism wants it to go away, that's probably a sign your ism is crap.

    If the first thing people do is say "in what way does this facilitate seeing boobies?", you're never going to get rid of it.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:LOL ... porn ... by lgw · · Score: 3, Funny

      Eventually they'll be banning them because they will encourage the sexual objectification of robots.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  4. Huh. Imagine that. by jpellino · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The equivalent of $7,172 in 2015 dollars, skip frame 1:3 recording and no rewind. And they failed you say? Early bird gets the worm, second mouse gets the cheese.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  5. Re:Could not rewind rental titles by j2.718ff · · Score: 3, Informative

    One thing the article forgot to mention was that rental titles could not be rewound. You could pause, but not back up (much less watch it more than once during your rental period.)

    Allow me to quote the article:

    Cartrivision employed analog-rights management: rented tapes, offered in red casings, could be rewound only with equipment available at retailers. That ensured that a consumer could only watch a movie once.