I found this nice article on TIME’s 12 Most Influential Gadgets and Gizmos. I thought it would be interesting to post something in relation to them, one by one. Not necessarily about the gadgets, just whatever comes to mind. So let’s get started :)
1976: JVC HR-3300. Weighing in at a chunky 30 pounds, JVC’s hulk of a videocassette recorder was one of the first to work with VHS tapes, and helped sink the rival Betamax format. Movie producers at first fought the spread of taped movies, fearing home viewing would cut into box office receipts. Their fears proved unfounded and opened a whole new market of home entertainment profits for Hollywood, paving the way for DVDs and movie and TV downloads.
I still remember when I was a kid, there was a nearby video rental, and we’d always pass by it on our way home. I’d bug my dad to rent movies, I didn’t really care what movie, as long as it was entertaining. Every once in a while, he’d give in and get some family flick. I didn’t really care about the movie itself, it was the fact that we had something to watch together that really mattered to me. We didn’t go out to have fun much, so those weekends when we’d watch rented videos were good enough for me.
Then the VHS came out, and the Betamax soon became obsolete. By then I kinda cared about what movies we were watching, haha. First VHS tape I personally owned was a “Lion King” tape. I loved that movie, and I still think that in terms of story, it’s the best Disney animated movie to date. Well, that’s my opinion of course heheh.
How time flies. I can’t believe that was so long ago. And now the VHS is obsolete. In fact, VCDs are quickly becoming obsolete, replaced by DVDs, and soon Blue Ray… Wow. We still have some old VHS tapes at home, in a box under the stairs, but I doubt they’re any good to watch now. I guess we just don’t get rid of them, for old times sake.
Technorati tags: jvc, vhs, betamax, technology, video
