Chit Chat
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
Remember VCRs? Production To End As Sales Slump
The machines, which played VHS tapes where viewers could record programmes and also watch films, became popular in the 1980s.
17:07, UK,
Friday 22 July 2016
VCRs played VHS tapes
The world's last maker of VCRs has announced it is going to stop producing the videocassette recorders in the coming days.
The machines, which played VHS tapes where viewers could record programmes and also watch rented films, became popular in the 1980s.
But there has been a sharp decline in sales over a number of years.
VCR technology was superseded by DVDs and Blu-Ray and later streaming services such as Netflix as well as on demand services like Sky.
Sales of VCRs have plummeted from 15 million units a year at their height to 750,000 in 2015 - although some people may be surprised they were still being made at all.
The remaining demand is thought to have been largely down to consumers who have large videotape collections.
A few years ago a poll found 58% of Americans still had one in their home.
The machines have been produced by Japan's Funai Electric and most were sold in North America in recent years, including under the Sanyo brand.
But now production will cease by the end of the month as the company has also found it difficult to source parts.
Panasonic pulled out of the business several years ago, making Funai the last VCR maker in the world, a company spokesman said.
He said: "A company that was making parts for us said it was too tough to keep making them with sales at this level so they stopped, which led to our decision - we can't make them without that part."
Funai has been overwhelmed with calls from desperate Japanese VCR tape owners who have not transferred precious recordings of weddings and other special occasions on to other formats, the spokesman added.
Last year, Sony announced it would stop selling Betamax video tapes, which were superseded in the 1980s by the more popular VHS format.
The machines, which played VHS tapes where viewers could record programmes and also watch films, became popular in the 1980s.
17:07, UK,
Friday 22 July 2016
VCRs played VHS tapes
The world's last maker of VCRs has announced it is going to stop producing the videocassette recorders in the coming days.
The machines, which played VHS tapes where viewers could record programmes and also watch rented films, became popular in the 1980s.
But there has been a sharp decline in sales over a number of years.
VCR technology was superseded by DVDs and Blu-Ray and later streaming services such as Netflix as well as on demand services like Sky.
Sales of VCRs have plummeted from 15 million units a year at their height to 750,000 in 2015 - although some people may be surprised they were still being made at all.
The remaining demand is thought to have been largely down to consumers who have large videotape collections.
A few years ago a poll found 58% of Americans still had one in their home.
The machines have been produced by Japan's Funai Electric and most were sold in North America in recent years, including under the Sanyo brand.
But now production will cease by the end of the month as the company has also found it difficult to source parts.
Panasonic pulled out of the business several years ago, making Funai the last VCR maker in the world, a company spokesman said.
He said: "A company that was making parts for us said it was too tough to keep making them with sales at this level so they stopped, which led to our decision - we can't make them without that part."
Funai has been overwhelmed with calls from desperate Japanese VCR tape owners who have not transferred precious recordings of weddings and other special occasions on to other formats, the spokesman added.
Last year, Sony announced it would stop selling Betamax video tapes, which were superseded in the 1980s by the more popular VHS format.
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 8
|
By:
So VHS only outlasted Betamax by a year.
|
|
By:
"The machines, which played VHS tapes where viewers could record programmes and also watch rented films, became popular in the 1980s."
Makes ya feel old that Sky News have to explain what they were on the basis that most of their readers will not have heard of this ancient stuff  I remember when they were new fangled things . Recording TV seemed like magic  |
|
By:
get them at carboot? for a few quid... tracking was always a pain.
i remember hiring a vhs machine with a couple of tapes from my video hire shop. think it was £5 for the weekend. I bought an 8 track music cassette at carboot for a quid. diane warwick. i remember opening up the cassettes and splicing the tape with sellotape to repair tape snaps. forcing the sectional cogs to reconnect the spool. i'm glad thats all over. |
|
By:
I've got a shelf in my office with a VHS recorder, Walkman and turntable on it. It has now been joined by my DVD/HDD recorder! How times change.
I also have boxes full of old cables going back a long time - i'm hopeless at throwing that sort of stuff out.................... |
|
By:
750k sales seems a lot, surprised some small company doesnt continue producing vhs.
|
|
By:
Too fiddly to set up recordings. We still have ours gathering dust. The Virgin and sky smart boxes are a doddle and made them obsolete.
|
|
By:
I remember when hiring a video was a big thing and porno vids were passed around at work.
|
|
By:
tobermory • July 23, 2016 2:45 AM BST ..
So VHS only outlasted Betamax by a year. So I was not the prat I thought was when I brought a betamax recorder  They was the bees knees in their time video recorders |