VHS format officially dead

[SatStorm]

On 27/10/2008, after 33 long years, VHS is "officially" dead!
JVC was the last manufacturer of VHS standalones and stopped manufacture them.

Anyone feel nostalgic?

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/15159-VHS-format-officially-dead.html

I bet now we only have our memories... (and a huge stock worldwide to buy them for many more years to come if we need to for our convertions)

[computeguy]

LONG LIVE VHS

[gadgetguy]

OHHHHH NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! What are we going to do now? How are we going to watch the shows we like on our own schedule? How can we possibly make home videos and mail them to our family and friends? How will all of those aspiring porn stars get their start? What, oh what will we do?

[ZQX]

I could list many movies that I want that exist on VHS but have never made it to DVD (yet?).

I just hope those VHS ex-rentals aren't being destroyed!

Just a few:

The Devil's 8 (aka Moonshine) - '69
Escape Of The Birdmen (aka Operation Braindrain: Codename Chessbook) - '71
The Gamma People - '56
Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em - '88
Whatever Happened To Susan Jane - '81
The Wishing Machine (aka Automat Na Prání) - '67
Cyborg 2087 - '66
The Bamboo Saucer - '68
Battle Beneath The Earth - '67

...And many many more!

Blu-Ray can get stuffed as far as I'm concerned.

[yoda313]

Well players may be dead now but are any new releases being issued on vhs still????

EDIT - also does that mean those vcr-dvd combos will no longer be produced? Or is this simply the end of standalone vcr decks?

[MOVIEGEEK]

EDIT - also does that mean those vcr-dvd combos will no longer be produced? Or is this simply the end of standalone vcr decks?

I'm still waiting for a VHS->BD recorder,my VHS collection will look better than ever! :P

[jman98]

ZQX - Those are some pretty obscure movies. Heck, there are still a lot of old LPs that have never been released anywhere on CD. Did you know that because of ongoing litigation since the early 1990s that a large number of Buddy Holly songs have never been released anywhere on CD yet? All of his big hits are out on CD for sure, but more obscure album tracks and alternate takes are not. My point is that there will always be movies that never make it to DVD just like some LPs never made it to CD. And some of those titles might be available in other countries.

[SatStorm]

Don't mention dance music videos from the 80s and early 90s! Especially all the european dance videos from the 80s, are coming from VHS sources!

Yes, we are doomed! This is the end of the world!

yoda313, combo and pro VHS standalones won't stop yet. For a decade or so, VHS gonna be with us for sure. 33 years can't be replaced that easy.

After all, the Audio cassette tapes stopped around 2000 and are still available on the market, 8 years later.

[rumplestiltskin]

Putney Swope was only available on VHS. I transcoded it over to H264 and now have it in my library for play on my AppleTV.

BlueRay? What's that? Oh yeah; I remember. That was the answer to a question no one asked.

[Constant Gardener]

Putney Swope was only available on VHS. I transcoded it over to H264

It's available on DVD now - and I have it on my shelf. One of my favorites.
http://www.amazon.ca/Putney-Swope-Sr-Robert-Downey/dp/B000FUF7DK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=...5746047&sr=1-1

[redwudz]

I still have about 200+ VHS tapes to convert to digital format for storage, mostly TV caps. Hopefully my two VHS players will last that long.

[yoda313]

I still have about 200+ VHS tapes to convert to digital format for storage, mostly TV caps. Hopefully my two VHS players will last that long.

Still procrastinating huh??? Yep me too.. though most of the real ones I want I have bought on dvd already or don't care enough to really do the job...

Amazing how "the day after tomorrow" never really gets here and stuff still hasn't been done isn't it??

(mind you I'm not talking about the movie I'm talking about putting stuff off till later )

[SatStorm]

Me too. 250 VHS tapes are waiting to became DVD-Rs. Restored, filtered, etc. Yeah, sure...

Well, maybe it's time to get a DVD recorder...

[redwudz]

I did get a hardware Divx converter a while back. And I have a TBC. Just need to set up a dedicated computer and start capping. Most of the VHS is not great quality, but I still want to preserve it.

[ZQX]

ZQX - Those are some pretty obscure movies. Heck, there are still a lot of old LPs that have never been released anywhere on CD. Did you know that because of ongoing litigation since the early 1990s that a large number of Buddy Holly songs have never been released anywhere on CD yet? All of his big hits are out on CD for sure, but more obscure album tracks and alternate takes are not. My point is that there will always be movies that never make it to DVD just like some LPs never made it to CD. And some of those titles might be available in other countries.

Half those movies I listed I wouldn't call "obscure" - most were played heavily on TV back in late-70s/early-80s. ("Escape Of The Birdmen" - one of the best WW2/prison-escape movies ever made!). There are many more titles I have listed down somewhere. And "The Devil's 8", starring Christopher George, Fabian (!), etc - a bit of a "Dirty Dozen" rip-off - why hasn't this classic ever been released?

I guess MY point is this - DVD has done very well capturing very nearly MOST movies out there, from commercial to independent/obscure. Will Blu-Ray ever catch up and re-release this rarer stuff? I doubt it. Blu-Ray doesn't interest me. I'm not interested whatsoever in watching "Waterworld" in Full-HD ha ha ha. "Battle Beneath The Earth" on Blu-Ray? LOL, will never happen...

[zanos]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

[Marvingj]

I will continue to use SVHS just I did Betamax because certain shows and movies are not on DVD and will probably will never be..........I can always transfer it to DVD...

[rgs_uk]

[quote="yoda313"]

I still have about 200+ VHS tapes to convert

I have 1800

[bendixG15]

Mine are all done :P

[orsetto]

1600 down, 1400 to go. Really glad I stocked up on good-quality VCRs over the last few years.

I'm surprised it took this long for standalone VCRs to disappear: with current economies of scale, its probably cheaper for mfrs to sell the VHSrecord/DVDplay combo decks. The combos will be with us for a long time yet: they remain the best-selling variation of DVD recorder. And we've already seen announcements of a pending BluRay/VHS combo: a shotgun marriage if there ever was one.

[yoda313]

announcements of a pending BluRay/VHS combo: a shotgun marriage if there ever was one.

Not necessarily. It would make tremendous sence if it were one of those digital vcrs designed for high def.

[RLT69]

There's alot of VHS stuff that haven't made it to DVD. Lot's of Music videos from the '80s and '90s that won't be released on DVD.

Better start converting....I mean why hasn't Front242's "Integration Eight X Ten" been put on DVD...it's crime! 8)

[rgs_uk]

I am nostalgic for VHS. It has been a massive part of my life. Getting the first recorder in 1980 and then a 'portable' with camera the following year...

Is it really worth the time, converting all of a huge collection? Or better to convert the most important few tapes and then store a few VCRs away so you can keep viewing tape for the next 20 years?

I definitely won't have time to convert my 1800.

[orsetto]

announcements of a pending BluRay/VHS combo: a shotgun marriage if there ever was one.

Not necessarily. It would make tremendous sence if it were one of those digital vcrs designed for high def.

No, the announced specs say its plain ole analog VHS, not DVHS: HD on digital vhs tape is dead and buried.

[orsetto]

Is it really worth the time, converting all of a huge collection? Or better to convert the most important few tapes and then store a few VCRs away so you can keep viewing tape for the next 20 years?

It sort of depends on your circumstances. If you have a large house with storage space for all those tapes, and you're of a "certain age", and don't expect to ever move to another house, it does make sense just to convert your favorites to DVD and leave the rest as tapes. The reality is those of us with huge collections don't actually watch 90% of what we have: we just like the idea of having the library handy if we DO decide we want to see something we recorded long ago. As long as the tapes are stored carefully and you have a supply of good VCRs to play them, this could be a workable plan.

In my case, and I'm sure this is true for many others, the greatest allure of DVD recorders is that the discs take up a fraction of the storage space needed for VHS tapes. I am literally being run out of my home by VHS tapes: they're everywhere I look, I can't stand it. I'm not going to stay in my present home much longer, and the thought of packing and moving all these tapes gives me nightmares. So even though it is extremely tedious, and the results are not always as good as I'd like, I invest the time to convert *all* my VHS over to DVD-R. When I finish (hopefully this spring, but I said that last year ), I will have reduced my video library storage space from three entire rooms to three shelves in my living room. I was about to say, "then I can die happy", but with my luck thats exactly what would happen as the last disc is finalizing. So I won't say it...

(BTW, I don't know about the timetable for other countries, but in the USA there is a pending complete and total elimination of all analog-connected audio/video hardware by 2013. After that, no hardware sold in the USA will be allowed to have analog inputs or outputs. Once your existing players and displays fail, there will be no replacements available. So if you do intend to hold onto your "classic" analog VHS tapes, make sure you stock up on spares and spare parts to keep your VCRs and TVs working long-term.)

[Seeker47]

ZQX - Those are some pretty obscure movies. Heck, there are still a lot of old LPs that have never been released anywhere on CD. Did you know that because of ongoing litigation since the early 1990s that a large number of Buddy Holly songs have never been released anywhere on CD yet? All of his big hits are out on CD for sure, but more obscure album tracks and alternate takes are not. My point is that there will always be movies that never make it to DVD just like some LPs never made it to CD. And some of those titles might be available in other countries.

True, and it's always been that way. Significant LPs that never made it to CD, not-so-obscure film titles that only came out on Beta or on LD, not just with VHS. I'm sure we could make some lengthy lists. Notable films, well-respected directors (Nicolas Roeg, Alain Resnais, Melville, Alex Cox, etc. etc.) Until a couple years ago, if you wanted to see Melville's "Le Samourai" (an influential gangster film), you had to buy a U.K. Pal DVD (for your multi-system player, if you had one), which import DVD might be sold at very few places in the U.S. for around 50 bucks or more. That is still the case for Cox's "Highway Patrolman." Resnais' "Je'Taime, Je'Taime" (existential French sci-fi) is only out as a bootleg; his "Providence" was last seen on Beta, not yet on DVD. You might think that Criterion would have caught up with some of these by now, but you'd be wrong !

In some cases all it takes is the threat of litigation over some disputed rights, like use of music; in other cases, you're left scratching your head as to why titles have remained totally unavailable. I can think of cases where only one or two decent prints were known to exist, and the film's legal owner or heirs could not be found, but it was definitely not a public domain situation. Even other country sources -- which can skirt some legal issues -- won't necessarily bail us out here, even if the extra cost was not an objection.

[TheFamilyMan]

(BTW, I don't know about the timetable for other countries, but in the USA there is a pending complete and total elimination of all analog-connected audio/video hardware by 2013. After that, no hardware sold in the USA will be allowed to have analog inputs or outputs. ...)

WTF!!!! Will this pertain to stand-alone music equipment such as amp, CD players, and the like? If so, the audiophile community will be devastated. Got a reference on this?

We are finally retiring our VHS VCR and replacing it with a DVR. I got my trusty ol' jvc sr-v10 connected to my computer to digitize any worthy stragglers we find lying about. I'll keep it until it's worth $1,000 on ebay.

[yoda313]

@thefamilyman - I'm sure that doesn't include audio devices.

I can't see them forcing bluetooth headphones on things as simple as a lowly fm walkman. They'd HAVE to allow headphone jacks on that.

Orsetto might be thinking about the bluray hdcp enforcement that will gradually eliminate analog components.

I can't ever imgaine a portable cd player that ONLY has a fiber optic output. Even fiber optic is copyable. I'm sure if it was that extreme they'd have to force an HDMI output on all audio and video devices so that the content could be fully controllable.

HOwever I don't see how they could implement these on those elcheapo brands.

THough if orsetto has a reliable reference that ALL analog connections are being phased out I'd like to see that as well.

[orsetto]

Sorry folks, I didn't mean to start a panic: I only meant to give a "heads up" to those who might be expecting to use VHS undisturbed for another 20 years. I can't find my references regarding this pending cutoff of the "analog loophole", because I can't for the life of me remember the specific phrasing of this event that brings up the correct info on google. (This is why it isn't really being discussed much yet: the terminology is so arcane that unless you already know exactly what to call it, you won't hear about it. Talk about skunkworks!) It was documented awhile back, here on VH or on another forum like AVS. I remember being surprised it was now definite, because it had been a Hollywood/CE mfr pipe dream for so long I stopped keeping track of it. Yes, there will likely still be analog jacks on portable devices for headphones, mikes and earpieces but long-term analog line/out is going bye-bye. The data I've seen on audio hardware was more sketchy, but analog video is definitely on the chopping block. With traditional two-channel simple stereo in a death spiral, we'll probably see everything move at once to some sort of unified multichannel A/V digital connector, like the way USB2 took over on computers for nearly every purpose.

The biggest inconvenience will be to formats like laserdisc and VHS/Beta, which don't have any digital connection possibilities and require display panels with analog inputs. At some point you won't be able to buy a compatible television, and if you haven't transferred those libraries to digital by then it will create more hassle. But no matter the regulations, someone will probably step in with a third-party solution: the marketplace almost never allows a need to go unmet. We might see accessory analog-digital converter boxes to connect old gear for playback on new displays. I can't see how this would run afoul of any "analog ban", since the primary intent of this plan is to block all *new* HiDef digital delivery systems from "leaking" thru an analog back door (as happens now with DVD).

[usually_quiet]

"Analog sunset 2013" turned up a few references for me.

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/analog-hole.ars

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060224-6255.html

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=11544267&postcount=1

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/ht-software-high-definition/230184-rip-analog-dec-31-2013-a.html

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=17298

If I'm understanding correctly, it's not a law, but an agreement between equipment manufacturers and the folks who control licensing of AACS technology.