"kaboom" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 05:34:23 GMT, "NSM" wrote:


"James Sweet" wrote in message
news:OMK2e.35060$mq2.29455@trnddc08...

DVD players are
cheaper and offer far superior performance and have been for at least a
few
years now yet VHS clings to life. It's well on it's way to obsolesence
but
even so it'll be around for a few more years.

I hope. I hear many retailers are getting out of VCRs for HD/DVD
recorders.
No margin in VCRs anyway.

**I love my VCRs *and* I love my DVD recorder as well as my DVD
players I use them all. It's a bummer that VCRs are hard to get in
brick and mortar stores (well, except for the el cheapos). It just
forces people to the Internet if you want a better VCR, hmm, maybe I
should just say more expensive. It's sad that you can't get good VCRs
anymore.


kaboomie

In the not-too-distant future, you'll be forced to mail order blank tapes as
well. A few years ago, I could buy high-grades -- the only kind I ever used
in my machines -- just about anywhere. Target, in particular, stocked lots
of different brands. Now, the only high-grades in town are at Wal-Mart, and
they have only Maxell. Maxell is fine, but I prefer having a choice.
Those who once stocked high-grades now barely bother with "everyday" blanks.
With blank DVD's being much cheaper, on average, than blank VHS tapes, it
won't be long till optical media will be the only type available locally
(for most people).
I still have an old Toshiba beta machine. I always preferred Beta over VHS.
The only store that still stocked blank betas last time I checked was Fry's
Electronics and the closest store is about 23 miles away.

DVD's have another major advantage over video tapes: they save space!
I'm transferring all my old VHS recordings which can't be had elsewhere
(broadcast specials, personal stuff, etc.) over to DVD because I can store
100+ DVD's in a 10" x 5.5" case. The same amount of material on VHS is
currently consuming a good chunk of the room!

When NTSC is gone, HDTV playback (i.e., Blue Ray or whatever dominates) will
the order of the day and the vast majority of viewers will want playback
that matches the capabilities of their new HDTV display. For this reason,
expect today's DVD's to disappear in the not-too-distant future in favor of
the newer, higher-density media.
Sure, there will be disgruntled holdouts who will be utterly satisfied with
their old convex GE screen and VHS-quality video, but the majority will be
ready to upgrade.