The use of modern technology has increased throughout the years. The use of beepers or pagers has been replaced by cell phones. The use of cassettes was replaced by compact discs or CDs. Even the selling or renting of video cassettes has decreased with people now purchasing and renting DVDs. Now, it seems as if video cassette recorders, more commonly called VCRs, have almost entirely been replaced by DVD players.
VCRs were once the hottest item on the market. They made their debut in 1971. Like any new item that arrives on the market, they were very expensive, costing well over $500. Many people flocked to VCRs because they allowed people the freedom to watch an episode at their leisure, instead of having to watch a program at a certain time. They were also the key to taping movies and television shows that we wanted to watch over and over again.
As the years progressed, VCRs went down in price and were able to do many things. VHS tapes could hold hours and hours of different programs. When camcorders became very popular, many bombarded the stores to purchase VHS tapes to record home movies and celebrations. They would then go home and pop their movies into their VCRs and recall their memorable events.
Now, there has been a halt in the business of VCRs. DVD players burst on the scene causing VCRs to take a backseat. People were ready for some new technology. The DVD player quickly gained approval by the public because of its speed, look and entirely modern functions. America had already been swept off its feet by CDs, and now that movies could be placed on a disc rather than in VCRs, it was exciting. Even CDs could be played in your DVD players — an option not available on VCRs. No one had to wait for several minutes for a program to rewind or fast forward. You could even jump directly to a scene in the movie by the click of your remote control — options that VCRs could not handle.
However, were these little discs the way to go? No one would argue that the speed of DVD players put VCRs on the back burner. But, because discs can be so fragile (easily scratched and broken), their edurance over VHS tapes is questionable. Although there have been countless improvements on the DVD player, as of right now, you cannot record directly from the television to the player. VCRs, on the other hand, still offer that function.
Companies do recognize that there is still a need for VCRs. They have been manufacturing DVD players with built in VCRs for the best of both worlds. The familiarity of the unique functions of VCRs and the convenience of DVD players make these dual players great sellers.
Whether or not you are completely satisfied with the advances of the DVD player, there is no doubt that for right now, you could still use VCRs. They may not be as advanced with high quality speed and a fancy appearance, but they are still useful. Even if you do not decide to tape anything or rent videos, there are still some home movies and other programs that have been prerecorded that you may still want to enjoy. That incentive alone, included with the notion that VHS movies are still being manufactured, will ensure that VCRs will be on the market for at least a little while longer.
By Jaime Cannon