Is the VHS dead?

Is the VHS dead?

Just wondering. VHS

With the prolifiration of VCDs and DVDs at your suking bangketa, is the reign of the VHS long gone? Are they totally gone off the shelves?

I never bought a VHS player ever. Got a Super VCD before as well as a DVD player somewhere in Makati Cinema Square. My JVC player is too picky so you have to have a backup player.

The last time I watched a movie on VHS was way back in 2000. I think this generation has practically forgotten about the VHS.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

11 Comments

Carlo says:

18 years ago

They’re still in use at some buses hehe… but a lot of buses now uses DVD! We still have a VHS player at home but we don’t use it anymore though…

I guess it’ll totally disappear in the following years since DVD camcorders are now available and you can also transfer Video 8 to VCD or DVD so what’s the use of VHS?

Also, DVD and VCDs in sidewalks are cheap yet clear copy (Some, there are still pirated copies that are not so good). DVDs and VCDs also lasts more than a VHS tape can. :)
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Miguel says:

18 years ago

I think the VHS died locally when the VCD became popular, circa 1997.
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Dave Starr says:

18 years ago

It’s dead for mass market purposes I believe, but it will not completely disappear for a long time to come. specially in the US, where (outside of the imported porn industry) the VCD is virtually unknown.

I know many folks with rather extensive VHS movie collections and they aren’t going to pay to transfer them to VDV and don’t have the tech savvy or desire to do so.

There’s a tiny company in California still selling Beta tape machines and last time I was in Fry’s they still carried small stocks of Beta tapes … and essentially Beta’s been dead for how many years?

Now if I could just find a good working 8 track for my new car *smile*
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Miguel says:

18 years ago

That’s retro cool, but the problem with VHS, Beta and magnetic media is that they demagnetize and wear out.

Now make a guess why VCDs took off in Asia…
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joseph says:

18 years ago

On the same note, the 3.5″ floppy disk is also on the brink of extinction. I’m an instructor and this sem is the first time i did not require my students to have floppies since most of them have USB drives already.
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Jeff says:

18 years ago

Movies in the VHS format are now seldomly seen in Canada; the big movie rental chains (Rogers Video, Blockbuster, etc) no longer carry them. I’ll still see the odd one at department stores and supermarkets, and they usually sell for under 5 dollars (compared to 25 dollars for most DVDs).

As Dave mentioned, VCDs are very uncommon in North America. DVD is by far the most common format here, with name-brand DVD players selling for under 75 dollars.
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vance says:

18 years ago

it is dead.. or sleeping.

Just by the cheap dvd version found on astroplus (they are cheap. priced at P200 and up) the reason for this is that they are plain dvd video and a few throw ins, still is legal DVD and better quality. Of course if yur rich you can buy the 800 and up counter which has complete extra feautures you are looking for.

I also buy this pdvds just to see if the movie is worth my hundreds. whats the purpose of buying dvd if the movie is bad.
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Michael says:

18 years ago

Hi Abe,

Retro tayo ha.

Well here’s my two cents on the VHS: When Sony stop supporting it, VHS died.

Remember Sony practically invented Betamax. The VHS versus Beta in the 80s? Well, Sony’s competitor all supported VHS, while Sony adamantly push Betamax.

In the end VHS wins, even though Betamax has a better video quality. The reason for this is because even though VHS has a lower quality video, it has a longer video recording time. Hindi ka palit ng palit (less hassle in changing the tapes).

Last 2001 Sony stop supporting Betamax and VHS.
The reason for this is suppliers for the parts became scarce. Beta/VHS parts suppliers changed their factories to optimized for VCD & DVD productions.

Sony learned its lessons. The company after the millenium announced to collaborate with its competitors on the DVD format .

Michael
Basang Panaginip
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dustin says:

17 years ago

i’m a movie fanatic and i’ve been hearing a lot of talk about vhs beeing dead or that companies no longer make vhs my only problem with that is what will happen to all the great horror,comedy and action vhs movies that the big companies forget about and dont re issue them on dvd i still love my vhs tapes cause you cant find these movies on dvd.i just hope if it is dead companies search their archives and remake all the movies to dvd format even the b movies which are some of the greats.
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orgl says:

17 years ago

nope they aren’t completely dead coz I am still using a vhs 6 head player (LG Brand) watching our family recorded movies. :)
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Doug Gordon says:

16 years ago

Before hollywood pulled the plug on a guaranteed revenue stream, VHS sales were 300 million a year. Is there a studio out there who wouldn’t want that cash or more back now?

Someone will smarten up at some point, and release selected films on VHS. We might be in the middle of “the Greater Depression” before it happens, but it will happen. Think Vinyl.
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