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Back in the very late 1950s, the first “VCR” is marketed by the American Ampex. The Japanese JVC quickly saw the possibility of marketing more affordable models, and it was at the beginning of the 1960s that the DV220 model saw the light of day. It was not until the mid-1970s that the first VHS models were discovered, with development initiated by JVC, not only for professional purposes, but also for the general public. Jackpot! During the 1980s and 1990s, VHS became a standard for home video entertainment.
Because we haven't always had a 4K screen in front of our eyes, an OLED HDR smartphone in our hand and wireless controllers on our knees, PasTech will help you offers a refreshing little return to the past, to the (re)discovery of certain emblematic products which have made (or not) the history of tech. So we say 5, 4, 3, 0, and then bam, PasTech!
Before DVD (and LaserDisc), VCR and VHS!
If you grew up in the 80s/90s, you must have known VHS (for Video Home System). This imposing black plastic box, which has a wide magnetic strip wound around a rotating drum, on which both analgesic audio and video streams can be recorded.
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When it was launched (in 1976), VHS had to compete with other formats (U-matic, VCR). However, JVC's creation displays many qualities, starting with an already longer reading time (up to 3 hours), but also its very compact, robust and easy to use side. Perfect for invading homes.
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Quickly, VHS established itself, and became THE medium of the 80s/90s. In addition to recordable VHS, allowing you to immortalize TV shows (such as Télévisator 2 for example, broadcast on Wednesday mornings), the film “Carte Noire” on Sunday evening, Téléfoot on Sunday morning or any other content. Of course, distributors also launched films (among others) in VHS format, which would be broadcast many months/years later on television.
In homes, the VCR then served two purposes: recording TV and broadcasting the content of already recorded VHS tapes. Obviously, the models showed some differences (starting with Pal/Secam compatibility), but also 4-head mono VTRs (in particular to divide the running speed by two, and thus double the capacity of a video cassette) , without forgetting the Hi-Fi Stereo Nicam, or the S-VHS models.
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Note that the most well-off could also have at the time a double-cassette video recorder, which allowed (among other things) to copy the content of a video recorder. one VHS on another (and thus pirate rented films, but shhh, that will be our secret).
A practical format… but not without fault!
When it arrived on the market, VHS was literally overflowing with quality, to the point of eclipsing any form of competition. VHS easily allows two hours (and even more) of recording, and its operation is extremely easy to access. We push the VHS into the VCR, press the “Play” and off we go. The technology is affordable, and everyone (or almost) can afford a VCR.
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However, VHS also suffers from serious shortcomings. If being able to go forward/backward is very practical, like a good old K7 audio in a Walkman, you absolutely had to rewind your VHS to resume playback from the beginning, which required some time.
Added to this is also a very fragile magnetic strip, which can quickly reveal disturbances (flickering, jumps, color problems) in the image , but also sound. Additionally, VHS tapes tend to “s’user” over time, not to mention the fact that some VCRs could “eat” the tape, which would then get stuck in the player when ejected… Horror!
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200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000For many children/teenagers, VHS is the time for “home cinema& ;#8220;, cartoons (Disney in particular), “old classics” to see and rewatch, the films released a few months previously in the cinema and already in the living room… VHS is also the time of “daddy cassettes“, often inaccessible, carefully stored at the top of the shelf, in enigmatic black boxes, on which we found (among other things) two horror films crammed onto a 180-minute cassette, and too bad if the beginning was missing ( or the end)…
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It was this then unprecedented freedom to record films, sports, shows, documentaries, Christmas bloopers or even (and that was crazy!) to plan late recordings (boxing for example on Canal+ or any other late program), hoping, when you wake up early, that everything had worked as planned.
A gold mine for distributors!
At the time, the VHS market (like that of DVD a few years later) was absolutely gigantic for distributors. At Disney, for example, we have sold more than 32 million video cassettes of the feature film The Lion King, enough to rake in more than 500 million dollars. The same goes for Snow White and Aladdin, with more than 25 million VHS releases.
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The release of certain feature films was a considerable event for stores, and we remember in particular the launch of Titanic, the VHS of which was marketed in October 1998 in France.
Same success with the launch a few years earlier of a certain Jurassic Park, with a VHS preserved like a true prehistoric relic by some (including me). Note that the VHS boxes benefited (in Europe) from rigid plastic, like those of the games of a certain SEGA Mega Drive. Practical for conservation and storage.
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Also, the oldest probably remember the video clubs (aaaah Vidéo Futur), these dedicated stores which allowed you to rent VHS. The rental period could vary from a few hours to a few days, with availability slightly early, compared to availability for sale. The French rented nearly 25 million films in the mid-1990s.
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For the record, in France, one of the last VHS released by Pathé was the film Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis, at a time when this same film was also available on DVD and Blu-Ray, with a dedicated pack including the Sony PS3 (yes, yes!).
VHS, a comeback in recent years ?
In the same way that the video games of our childhood are finding a second lease of life with the retrogaming trend, or that music is making a comeback in vinyl format, certain VHS are also (re)finding favor in the eyes of some collectors for several years. Indeed, in the age of 4K, the auction site Heritage Auctionssold a sealed copy of Star Wars (1983) last year for $32,500, and a sealed copy of Rocky (1982) for $27,500. Collectors are particularly looking for popular films from the 70s and 80s, especially horror films from the 80s.~60s~/p>
Moreover, despite their relative fragility, VHS also constitute a form of return of durability, of perenniality, in the face of digital content which can disappear overnight from streaming platforms. This is also the case in video games, with a real love for the physical medium, but also in the music market, with the comeback of CDs and vinyls.
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Finally, let's remember that in the 90s, before DVD, it was another format that tried (in vain) to supplant VHS, namely LaserDisc, a sort of hybrid between CD and vinyl, which offered a better image, better sound, a chaptering system… and the non-necessity of “ rewind ” once the content has been viewed.
Launched at the end of the 90s, the DVD will mark the beginning of a new era in home cinema (and the gradual end of VHS (and Laserdisc)), benefiting in the process of a certain PlayStation 2 (from the year 2000) to quickly establish itself in millions of homes.
And you, have you kept some VHS tapes from your childhood ?
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