Wayback Wednesday – VCRs & VHS Tapes Are Not Dead in 17% of American Households

Do you remember when the videocassette recorder or VCRs changed American’s home entertainment centers? We were able to record our favorite television shows and movies to watch later and this was pre-DVR.

Every kid born in the 1980s and ’90s knows about the VCR and VHS tapes, and those of us from the earlier generations may even remember the Betamax! The VCR was the machine that became a fixture under the television sets in households across the United States, as well as around the world.

Not only did we watch pre-recorded television programs and movies we could also watch recordings of weddings, church events and of course other family milestones and Nana would never have to miss another soap opera again.

For those of you who don’t know what a VCR is: A videocassette recorder, VCR, or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other sources on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recording. Use of a VCR to record a television program to play back at a more convenient time is commonly referred to as timeshifting.

VCRs can also play back prerecorded tapes and in the 1980s and 1990s, prerecorded videotapes were sold and were also available to rent, blank tapes were sold to make recordings.

Remember when Blockbuster would charge you for not rewinding a tape before returning it?

The VCR’s demise may come as a shock, however, did you know that a recent study reported that 17% of Americans still use a VCR – are you one of them?