VHS: The Scoop
VHS was a technology that allowed people, for the first time, to control when they watched TV and what they watched on TV. All people had to do was pop in a blank tape, set the timer, tune into the desired channel, and walk out the door. Later, when they came back, their program that they had missed while it aired live was already sitting on the tape. This program that was now recorded also could be played back at anytime in the future. Now, a little history of the VHS: it was developed in the 1970's by JVC, and at the time it was a competitor for Sony's new Betamax format; this started a "format war" between VHS and Betamax. Eventually, at least in the North American market (where NTSC was used), VHS won because of its extended playing time (in PAL/SECAM countries, the war wasn't fought over playing time or quality because those two things were approximately the same). In the early 2000's, VHS was surpassed by DVD (and eventually Blu-Ray) because of their durability, higher picture and sound quality, and their portability. Standalone VCR's were no longer produced as of the mid-2000's: right now, even though they are not too common, VHS/DVD combos are still being made. Enjoy the collection!
VHS: The Gallery
The machine shown is a 2005 Allegro-Zenith VCR/DVD combo. Scroll down to the bottom to see the machine loading a tape.