On the brink of a new civil war of video formats, we take this moment of silence to recognize the death of the Video Home System. We knew him fondly as VHS, but as it lived a long and full life, it is now officially over.
After a long illness, the groundbreaking home-entertainment format VHS has died of natural causes in the United States. The format was 30 years old.
No services are planned.
The format had been expected to survive until January, but high-def formats and next-generation vidgame consoles hastened its final decline.
“It’s pretty much over,” concurred Buena Vista Home Entertainment general manager North America Lori MacPherson on Tuesday.
VHS is survived by a child, DVD, and by Tivo, VOD and DirecTV. It was preceded in death by Betamax, Divx, mini-discs and laserdiscs.
Although it had been ailing, the format’s death became official in this, the video biz’s all-important fourth quarter. Retailers decided to pull the plug, saying there was no longer shelf space.
The VHS had shown very little signs of life before giving in. Many thought it was dead already, but today its official. And like an aging Rocky Balboa, he will always be remembered as a champion for rising above and against unsurmountable odds as the victor of the Format War. We will never see a Format War quite like it. Many claim we are on the brink of a new format war, but I disagree. Its a Civil War of Video Formats.
The reason I call this a Civil War of Video Formats, as opposed to the iconic “Format War” is that this new conflict, unlike its predacessor, is truely a polarized war. Back when VHS and Betamax were going toe to toe, there were video stores that rented movies on both formats.
As my memory recalls it, you would walk into the National Video (the chain closest to my childhood home) and choose a movie from the shelves. The store was separated into two sides. VHS on the left, and Beta on the right. Down the middle was the employees’ register desk and heaps of candy and popcorn you had to pop on the stove.
As history will reveal, the superior quality and compact format of the Betamax tapes were eventually trampled by the low cost to produce and cheaper players that VHS produced. VHS ruled the 80s and 90s. Some competitors like Laserdisk challenged the throne, but VHS still rose above.
Now with this new dispute of Formats, we have complete studios offering their movies on only one format or the other. Unlike the gentlemanly war that VHS fought against Beta where all movies were offered fairly on both formats, this new civil war polarizes and forces the movie viewers to choose sides. No matter what player you choose to take a second mortgage out on, you will inevitably be left out of the loop when your new favourite title releases on a different format.
This is war. Bloody and raw. The only loser? The movie viewing public.
We still sell thousands of VHS everyday. I wish I had a few more “dead” formats that made so much money.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Canada is a very different place than the US, but we are still very much the same.
But even an exteme diabetic knows that a candy is sweet.
So…your not American, your your an expert on whats going on in America? hmmmmm I once drank a Molson…does that mean Im Canadian?
How do you figure that if your particular tastes demand a movie be put on dvd, that they SHOULD.
There are plenty of independent titles that I am sure are good, but the bottom line is that if it wont sell, they wont put it out. I didnt say those movies were not WORTH seeing, I said its not worth the studios producing dvd releases of dead forgotten unpopular or niche market titles that barely a handful of people will bother to buy. No matter how you feel about the movie yourself.
I dont care if you LIKE your VHS, its a dead technology.
Rodney: No, in fact darkbhudda hit the head on the nail with his comment…
Who cares about over-all public demand, if there’s a certain title that you want. It could be Italian sleeze (post-apocalyptic trash like 2019: DOPO LA CADUTA DI NEW YORK), blaxploitation and exploitation, old b-movies, strange foreign versions of Hollywood blockbusters (THE INDIAN SUPERMAN), documentaries (many by Martin Scorsese or Phie Ambo’s GAMBLER about danish genre film-director Nicolas Winding Refn), art-house movies (Danish Dogme, Italian neo-realism), Hollywood oldies, concert-recordings, interesting unreleased stuff by great directors (example: Quentin Tarantino’s MY BEST FRIEND’S BIRTHDAY or Coppola’s APOCALYPSE NOW! 5-HOUR UNCUT VER.)
The point is that there’s lotsa stuff that one could be interested in, which isn’t necessarily Hollywood stuff. But essentially, there is, as you say, not enough public demand for it. Yet that’s just not a good argument to make me NOT wanna see it. Hell no, then I’ll just try getting it some other way. Preferably on DivX or, if necessary, VHS.
In fact I just saw Ebert & Roeper today with guest-star Harold Ramis. He recommended one to see this comedy classic ENTER LAUGHING, if you can… because guess what, it’s only available on VHS.
You clearly missed the point darkbhudda.
There are some movies that studios WONT put them out on dvd simply because its not worth it.
[i]Mike, name ONE Hollywood blockbuster released in the last 10 years that is ONLY available on VHS? [/i]
What’s your point? There are more movies than just the Hollywood blockbusters. There are also Hollywood blockbusters from more than 10 years ago that haven’t been released. There are also some only released in certain regions not others, so good luck with your Spanish region 2 version. There are also plenty of movies that aren’t Hollywood blockbusters.
I’m sure with some digging that someone would find a “Hollywood blockbuster” from the last 10 years that was not available, due to distribution rights or some other reason. If you would be so kind to list all the “Hollywood blockbusters” from the last 10 years someone can check that for you.
Wait — DivX is dead? That’s news to me…
for the record,i am not an american. i did not vote for them. once again,i point out that i only made a comparison/analogy. i’ll refrain from further mentioning it again. you ,however are in a state of denial if you believe that product (regardless of what it is) is not given the hard sell especially by the corporates.
sorry you misundertood the intent of my posts on this article.ok done now.
I was in my teens when that movie came out and it wasnt much of a blockbuster then either.
Fact remains that in order for a studio to bother to put something on DVD they first have to figure if it might sell. Clearly, that one woudlnt.
Advancements in technology are not “forced” on us. If its not an improvement it wont surpass the original.
There is no more need for VHS in today’s world than Leaded Gasoline. You cant blame your government for progress. Your rant against your own voted government has NOTHING to do with entertainment, nor does it have to do with movies. It has no place here on TMB.
i might’ve phrased it wrong as i am running off fumes & not slept much,but i digress Rodney..i was making a COMPARISON between dubya’s party & their friends in the corporate world:
bush & co have slowly been taking away people’s rights & civil liberties since 9/11.
the corporates are slowly taking away our options with many things. my EXAMPLE being home entertainment formats. the want to flog their HD & Blu-ray stuff at us but the response isn’t all that & a bag of chips. the format of choice is still VHS & regular DVD. so what do they do? take away one of those formats. the public are then left with just DVD or the new crap. they’re basically of the attitude “if the hard sell doesn’t work,we’ll practically force the idiots into buying our new shiny shit”.
as for your jibe at my Electric Dreams comment, i’m guessing you were still in diapers (or something like it) when it made a lot of money at the box office & then VHS during the 80s. either that or you ain’t done your homework.
i can’t believe you used Vanilla Fucking Ice as your lameass rationale for what & what doesn’t get released on dvd. puh-leeze!
but if you wanna go there,the studio that owns it is probably still trying to turn a profit or recoup the salery they paid that wannabe rapper.
Dre is either drunk or purposely being dumb.
Nobody could possibly be that stupid.
Dre, are you out of your fucking tree?
How does a video format that has been replaced by a SUPERIOR, longer lasting, easier to store, less costly format have ANYTHING to do with your “facist admin” I guess it was GW Bush’s administration that is responsible for the onset of widescreen technology as well? or the death of the 8track player??
Most of these technologies are not even invented or developed in the US, and the Government has NO SAY in what becomes more popular in technology.
Save your soapbox buddy, your not scoring any points with your lame conspiracy theory. In fact you are scoring points AGAINST your theory.
And on your other note I dare anyone to care why a movie no one saw in 1984 never made it to DVD. Its called market demand. Even the Vanilla Ice movie had enough demand to make it to DVD.
maybe it has everything to do with it. i’ve noticed since that fascist admin took the reigns,technology along with everything else is forced down our throats whether we like it or not. basically it’s FORCE YOUR PRODUCT ON THE PUBLIC by taking their options away.
on another note,i dare anyone to find Electric Dreams on DVD!
First off, Dre, how does your political rant about George W Bush have ANYTHING to do with the passing of old technology???
Secondly, Mike, name ONE Hollywood blockbuster released in the last 10 years that is ONLY available on VHS?
The last XXX video was “Britney Rears 3: Britney Gets Shafted”; released on August 29th, 2006.
My family was one of the last in my neighborhood to get a VCR, and I can still remember the first two VHS tapes that I bought with my own money: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Star Trek IV. Seems like a lifetime ago.
**sniffsniff** Oh, VHS! It almost seems so soon before you left us! That’s it! I going to watch Jurassic Park on VHS to honor the spirit video tapes brought us during those harsh cold times…
especially at school. Bastards!
Why am I now starting to fear for the Alien franchise?
goodbye old friend,its hard to die….
Damn, good times we had with you VHS friend, you will be remembered forever. I need to get that video player fixed though, it starts singing every time i put a tape in. OH NO! ITS OVER! Jeez. Well I guess we’ll have to bow down, technologies coming at us pretty fast. Scary huh.
A bunch of movies are still available only on VHS, not on DVD.
For me VHS wont die till Febuary, ill still b using em to record all my fav shows, its easy and re-recordable and CHEEP! :D
I’ll miss you VHS. You got us all through the hard times. We won’t forget you.
i think us moviewatchers starting losing around about the time the dubya admin solidified their position after 9/11. that’s when all our rights,choices & options started getting taken away. home entertainment formats being a part of it.
Damn….I’ll have to go buy a dvd now..