VCRs

[ZandraJoi]

Who remembers using VCRs? & an extended question, who actually remembers having Beta cassette tapes? Stood for Betamax & were smaller than VHS tapes. I remember my family thinking about whether we should get Beta or not. I’m glad we stuck with VHS as Beta didn’t seem to go far. Though it did have a good cult following for some people.

It was a pain though to do. You had to remember to set the recording, make sure the tape was in there, & most importantly, know how much time is on said tape. So many times I didn’t record something because the tape ran out!

[The Blackangel]

I remember VCR's. I always set the record speed to LP so that I had 6 hours worth of video time when I recorded something. I also had a rewinder. And I had 2 VCR's linked together because people were always coming to me to make them a copy of something they had on tape, for some reason. Sure, back then I could hook a toaster up to a Nintendo and have it sing you the time, but why the hell was I the go to for duplicates? I still have a lot of VHS tales and do still watch them. I also have one of those TV/VCR combo sets. I remember if you were to buy a complete season of a show on VHS it was a massive block of VHS tapes and there were usually 2 episodes per tape. Like with Xena for example. Now I have the entire series on DVD, and it doesn't half the physical space that 2 VHS tapes took up.

VCR's were great, but DVD is a lot more convenient.

While were on this note, who remembers making mix tapes?

[Sharon]

@ZandraJoi We never got on board with Beta Cassette Tapes. We had our share of VHS' for sure. As a kid a totally wore through The Land Before Time, The Lion King, and Pocahontas. Thank goodness we had a rewinder. I also remember Blockbuster videos! I wonder how many people decided to just pay the fee instead of rewinding their rentals. 

@The Blackangel I remember recording my favorite tv shows and rushing to hit the pause button so the commercials wouldn't be recorded as well. I also remember cassette tapes again recording my favorite songs from the radio and pressing pause before the commercials kicked in. 
 

[killamch89]

It feels like I'm talking a trip back in time because I also remembered when we had VCRs. We could watch all kinds of shows and record some tv episodes as well especially when we couldn't be around to watch it.

[Rain Dew]

I remember thinking that dvds would never become a thing. 

[The Blackangel]

16 hours ago, Rain Dew said:

I remember thinking that dvds would never become a thing. 

So do I. I was thinking that nobody was going to buy DVD's because a DVD player was like $200+, and that was for a cheap one. The discs were typically in the $30-$50 range in the beginning. So for those extortionate prices, I straight up said it would never take off. I was semi-right though. HD-DVD didn't succeed. Hell, I don't know anyone who even owns an HD-DVD disc, let alone the player.

Now we have Blu-ray and 4K DVD. And to be honest, I can't see a damn bit of difference between the three of them. The only reason I ever specifically go for a Blu-ray disc, is if it has a digital code with it, so I can download the movie to my phone.

Edited November 30, 2021 by The Blackangel

[Altair]

I never used Beta cassette tapes. 
I use to have a huge collection of VHS. My sister, mom and I sold a lot of them at a garage sale we held because we thought DVD would become super popular and would be the future. 
It use to be so tiresome to rewind the VHS to the beginning after you finished the movie. I got so spoiled when DVDS that I never did go back to VHS. 

[Jayson]

I was a kid in the 80s and a teen in the 90s, so I remember them.   Anyway, they used to be big business.   Now they are as strange as the 8-track was in those days.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Jayson

[egghead]

I know what VCRs are I have even watched movies on cassette tapes. But CDs were already available in the market, therefore, we did not use those tapes much

[killamch89]

On 3/5/2022 at 7:51 PM, Jayson said:

I was a kid in the 80s and a teen in the 90s, so I remember them.   Anyway, they used to be big business.   Now they are as strange as the 8-track was in those days.

 

I came across a cassette I had as a kid and it took me a good minute to recognize it...🤣🤣🤣

[Empire]

I was a early 90s born 🙂 And so I have been around when VCRs and old tab recorder 🙂 ALways had videos to watch, had so many VCRs that space was a proplem and back then you had to touch and fill them, the size and the tabs inside as you pulled them out as you wounder what it was back as a kid 😛 Watching Toy Story 1 in 1999 😛 

We never got straight into DVDs for years after the release as it was so COSTLY, But then we did. It got cheaper and cheaper as years go on. Till BlueRay came out. 

[The Blackangel]

6 hours ago, Empire said:

I was a early 90s born 🙂 And so I have been around when VCRs and old tab recorder 🙂 ALways had videos to watch, had so many VCRs that space was a proplem and back then you had to touch and fill them, the size and the tabs inside as you pulled them out as you wounder what it was back as a kid 😛 Watching Toy Story 1 in 1999 😛 

We never got straight into DVDs for years after the release as it was so COSTLY, But then we did. It got cheaper and cheaper as years go on. Till BlueRay came out. 

I was a child of the 80's, and I remember when VCR's came out. You could actually rent a VCR when you rented movies to watch. They did that because VCR's were so expensive in the beginning that not many people could afford them. It was the same with DVD's. In the beginning not many people could afford them. But like you said, as time went on they got cheaper and cheaper. Now you can buy one for $25. With Blu-ray and 4K, I don't go in specifically for that as I can't see a damn bit of difference. Also Blu-ray is a pain in the ass, so I tend to stick with DVD's.

Edited June 16, 2022 by The Blackangel

[killamch89]

6 hours ago, The Blackangel said:

I was a child of the 80's, and I remember when VCR's came out. You could actually rent a VCR when you rented movies to watch. They did that because VCR's were so expensive in the beginning that not many people could afford them. It was the same with DVD's. In the beginning not many people could afford them. But like you said, as time went on they got cheaper and cheaper. Now you can buy one for $25. With Blu-ray and 4K, I don't go in specifically for that as I can't see a damn bit of difference. Also Blu-ray is a pain in the ass, so I tend to stick with DVD's.

I was born in the late 90's and I remember VCRs and cassette players all too well. I remember going to Blockbuster to rent movies (time really flies doesn't it?) with my big bro.

[Empire]

On 6/16/2022 at 6:33 PM, The Blackangel said:

I was a child of the 80's, and I remember when VCR's came out. You could actually rent a VCR when you rented movies to watch. They did that because VCR's were so expensive in the beginning that not many people could afford them. It was the same with DVD's. In the beginning not many people could afford them. But like you said, as time went on they got cheaper and cheaper. Now you can buy one for $25. With Blu-ray and 4K, I don't go in specifically for that as I can't see a damn bit of difference. Also Blu-ray is a pain in the ass, so I tend to stick with DVD's.

Those ar ethe great days, remember as a kid going to a video store to rent videos for the day 🙂 Going with family or with a family member 🙂 

Also remember when DVDs came out and video stores started doing DVDs rentals but failed as then they all closed down as time goes on. Nowdays DVDs are fading out now XD 

[Grungie]

I still have one. I barely use the device though. It does fit the aesthetic of my retro setup. Having it paired with the old consoles and a CRT adds to the flair.