VHS Is Dead

I have to say, I was a little surprised to even find out that someone was still making VHS tapes but alas, very recently, the final company still making and distributing VHS tapes has given up the goose.

I can't remember the first VHS tape I saw - nor the last. Oddly, I can remember the first Beta movie I saw. My aunts had bought a top-loading Beta player from (what I recall) a Broadway parking lot sale. They had gone to a generic "Video rental" store to pick something up - in this case, the player was to be broken in with Star Wars (duh - what else would it be?) Unfortunately, the rental store screwed the pooch and supplied a copy of First Blood instead. We watched about five minutes before I was sent out of the room. I suppose I got to watch Star Wars later in the day but I don't really remember that either.

I still have boxes and boxes of VHS tapes - mostly old wrestling shows I recorded over the past 20 years. I always think that someday I'll get the time, energy, and motivation to transfer all of those over to DVD but... well, how realistic is that?

It's odd to talk about the death of the VHS format when we seem to be inching ever closer to the death of the DVD format as well. The only question is if Blu-Ray will deliver the death blow or will it become another laser disc as all forms of physical media get passed by by the digital download. I know I'm a lot more tempted by an Apple TV than I am by a Blu-Ray player at the moment.

Farewell VHS - you served us well!