1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello everyone, 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. My name is Chris Poulette 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: and I am an editor and how stuff works dot 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: Com with a cold. Excuse me sitting across from me 7 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: as always his senior writer Jonathan Strickland behind every Man 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,159 Speaker 1: Now a Live stand. Thirty ghosts for that is the 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: ratio by which the dead outnumber the living. That sounds ominous, Yeah, no, 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: it's it's totally ominous because I also have a cold. 11 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 1: So we would like to apologize to our listeners beforehand 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: for all the awkward pauses, coughs, clearing of throats, sneezes, 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: and other shenanigans that are going to happen as a 14 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: result of both of us having a cold at the 15 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: same time, and the one juvenile joke because you may 16 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: think it's funny, but it's not anyway, and Jonathan's giving 17 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: me an now he's beating his head on the microphone again. 18 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: So yes, um, today we're going to talk about the 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: video cassette recorder. Why, Chris, why would we ever talk 20 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: about the video cassette recorder, a technology that is almost 21 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: forgotten about today. Yeah, that's the problem. Uh yeah. A 22 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: while back, Uh my father uhs VCR. He he had 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: it to uh plugged in and during a summer thunderstorm 24 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: or as we call it in the South, a week day, Yes, um, 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: a power surge atomized the transformer inside the VCR. Sadly, 26 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: this did not give the VCR superpowers where it then 27 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: went on to fight villains and you know, various locations 28 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: around the world. That's what happens in the comics, right, 29 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: lightning atomization superpowers. Really real life lightning atomization computers and 30 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: or people don't work very anymore. Yeah. So, so basically, 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: the the power, the thing that makes the power work, 32 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: and the VCR is now gone. And I said, you 33 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: know what, it would be cheaper to get a new 34 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: VCR than it would be to fix this one, which 35 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: is very likely true, which is which is often true 36 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: with electronics. So I recycled it. And my my father 37 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: has a lot of old videotapes that he wants to 38 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: be able to watch. I thought, oh, I'm gonna go 39 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: get him a VCR. I'll just go down to the 40 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: department store and pick one up. As it turns out, no, 41 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: I won't because you can't find them anymore on most 42 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: store shelves. Um even even electronics stores. Yeah they they 43 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: If you find one, you're you're not going to have 44 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: your choice. Yeah, I mean, well one or two maybe. 45 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: But but it's not like it was where like say 46 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: you go look for a smartphone, you have a display 47 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: of smartphones to choose from, You have different carriers to 48 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: choose from. Even even looking for something like a Blu 49 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: ray player or or even a DVD player, there's there 50 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: are a hand full of them to choose from. If not, 51 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: uh you know, pretty good sized display. But where that 52 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: used to be the case with VCRs, uh, it is 53 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: not so much the case. And I was thinking, he 54 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: you know, I'm they're so they're so disposable. I'm sure 55 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: there's gonna be a tiny little VCR that I can 56 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: I can get. It doesn't have to be Hi Fi, 57 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: you know. No, No, they're gone. And I was started thinking, 58 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: who when did they stop making these things? Because I 59 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: just figured that everybody there are enough videotapes out there 60 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: that somebody would still make one. I mean, hey, they 61 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: do it with turntables and people don't. People are starting 62 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: to collect vinyl again. But you know, it almost disappeared 63 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: for a long time there after the CD became popular. 64 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: So I started thinking, and we should look at the 65 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: VCR and and see if we can uncover what happened 66 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: to it. Um. But I think first we sort of 67 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: need to get it back into the technology. And uh, 68 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: it's something that again, uh is something that I thought 69 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: if it went back to a certain point maybe in 70 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: the early eighties, uh, mid seven and needs, but it 71 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: really goes back, uh decades before into the nine really. Yeah, 72 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: now to really set the scene back at this time, 73 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: the way that that you would capture images was using film. 74 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and we've talked about film quite a bit 75 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: in this podcast even recently where we talked about, yeah, 76 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: to use using a chemical reaction where exposing a a 77 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: a film that's coated in chemicals to light activates those chemicals. 78 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: You then process that film with other chemicals to make 79 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: a negative image, not one that is you know, bad 80 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: or ugly, but is negative in this anyway. You've heard 81 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,840 Speaker 1: those podcasts, so right, So even capturing film motion picture 82 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: film was done through this way, and the way you 83 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: would capture sound is you would use, through various means, 84 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: a magnetic tape, and in the way motion picture film 85 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: was working was that you would have a strip of 86 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: magnetic tape that ran down the side of the film 87 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: that was arranged in such a way so that the 88 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: sound you were hearing and the images you were seeing 89 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 1: were synchronized. So someone came up came up with the 90 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: idea and said, hey, wait a minute, we were putting 91 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: sound on magnetic tape, what if we put pictures on 92 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: magnetic tape too? And that became the quest to create 93 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: the the what would become the VCR. But really at 94 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: first it was just getting video onto magnetic tape, and 95 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: there were a lot of challenges associated with that. One 96 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: of the big ones being that that video information, the 97 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: the image information, took up a lot more space than 98 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: audio information did. So you had to find a new 99 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,239 Speaker 1: way to encode that information and put it onto tape 100 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: so it wasn't going to take up too much space. Otherwise, 101 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: what you would have is a mile long tape that 102 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: would be maybe oh a couple of minutes worth of 103 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: video because it had it quared so much space to 104 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: record all that information. Well, people shouldn't be too terribly 105 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: unfamiliar with this this problem. I mean, uh we deal 106 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: with that every day. In the internet. Uh, you know, 107 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: broadband connections can give you full motion video. You can 108 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: uh play games with very low latency where you can 109 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: uh count on being able to round a corner and 110 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: get a shot off at your opponent before uh, you know, 111 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: you you freeze and then find out that you died 112 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: because there wasn't anything you could do. Um, we have 113 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: the same we have the same problem with uh, well, 114 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: with DSL connections. You know that the voice uses a 115 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: certain amount of of the uh telephone line's capacity, and 116 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: that's how they use uh the telephone mine to carry 117 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: the Internet is is there's this unused capacity and that's 118 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 1: how um, that's how DSL works. And you know, kind 119 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: of simplified sure, um, you know, but anybody who's looked 120 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: at an audio cassette and a video cassette knows can 121 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: see exactly what you're talking about, Jonath, because uh an 122 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: audio cassette is uses a much narrower piece of tape 123 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: um than a video cassette can. But there are other 124 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: challenges too, I mean, uh, it sort of depends on 125 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: how much video you want to capture a video cassette 126 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: can be recorded in a number of different quality levels 127 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: and UM to fit when once you've standardized on a 128 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: cassette size, uh, and then you start adding time to it. Oh, well, 129 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,239 Speaker 1: this one can do eight hours instead of six hours 130 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: if you recorded at the correct quality. Then you start 131 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: having to talk about the tape's thickness because the tape 132 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: won't fit in the cassette won't fit in the machine 133 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: if you leave the tape at the same size, and 134 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: it won't work the same way inside the cassette. So 135 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: something has to give. UM. But we could talk about 136 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: the mechanics of that in a moment. We were going 137 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: to talk about the history and so back in the yes, yes, 138 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: and before that of course, uh as as pretty much 139 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: everyone knows we have live TV. UM. You know you 140 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: burps and gaffs and things that fall over and all. 141 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: You might have a a famous Hollywood actor think that 142 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: what he's doing as a walk through rehearsal instead of 143 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: the actual, uh, the actual program which did happen with 144 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: I think it was a Lawn Cheney Jr. Really yeah, 145 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: he was supposed to apparently, Um. Mr Cheney was somewhat 146 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: the worse for wear because he had um had a 147 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: little had a little little drinking pooh, and thought that 148 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: he was going in for a rehearsal for something that 149 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: he was doing, and there was a fight scene and 150 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: in the fight scene he's supposed to pick up a 151 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: chair and it's breakaway chair slammed across the back of 152 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: someone and knocked them unconscious. He, thinking it was rehearsal, 153 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: not realizing it was going out live, picked up the chair, 154 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:46,719 Speaker 1: went through the motion as if he was going to 155 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: swing the chair, then very gingerly set the chair back 156 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: down where it was supposed to be. And I actually 157 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: have this on DVD somewhere, so I'll have to see 158 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,719 Speaker 1: if I can dig that up. But anyway, yeah, it 159 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: was live TV. It wasn't It was and something that 160 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:03,959 Speaker 1: people could mess with and edit things out, and uh, 161 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: you know it went out warts and all. Well. A 162 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: couple of guys working for Ampex, which is again a 163 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: familiar name for people who've worked with professional recording equipment 164 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: UM named Charles Ginsberg and Ray Dolby, UH worked on 165 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: the first commercial real to real video tape recorder and 166 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: that would be Uh. It looks very similar to a 167 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: real to real audio recorder. This was around nineteen six 168 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:33,559 Speaker 1: and uh completely revolutionized the TV industry because at this 169 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: point you could record a TV broadcast to be played 170 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: at a later time. So if you had something like 171 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: Mr Mr Cheney's gaff, uh happened and you know, you 172 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: could go back and do it again if you needed to. UM. 173 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: But before that everything was live and this this really 174 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: changed things for the industry. Of course, these machines were 175 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 1: were not inexpensive. Uh, they were not any as they 176 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 1: later became UM. And so it was really sort of 177 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: the exclusive world of uh, you know, professional TV people 178 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: who are using this kind of equipment, and that would 179 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,199 Speaker 1: that would remain the case for decades. Yeah, I mean 180 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: in uh it was nine one Sony came up with 181 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:27,439 Speaker 1: the first inexpensive VCR. Expensive again meaning industry not consumer. Yeah. 182 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy one, Sony had the U Matic system 183 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: right right, U M A T I C. And that 184 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: was almost exclusively restricted to commercial use. Yeah. They used 185 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: the wider tape and had had the advantage of being 186 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: very high quality. UM. But it was it was much 187 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: larger than what we use today. Uh. You know, those 188 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,320 Speaker 1: of us who still have working videotape players. Um, but 189 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: it was it was really the mid seventies when the 190 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: equipment became inexpensive enough. Yeah, yeah, I actually have something 191 00:10:57,679 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 1: kind of fun fun to say before we get the 192 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: mid Sea yea in nine. This is the first time 193 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: we have a consumer video cassette recorder of This is 194 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: not a VHS or BETA. It's using the same basic 195 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: technology but different format. So the very first consumer VCR 196 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:22,200 Speaker 1: from my research, was a Phillips Model fifteen hundred, which 197 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:24,599 Speaker 1: came out in the United Kingdom, of all places, in 198 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two. Phillips is a British company. Our pals 199 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: in the United Kingdom. Do you get that? Pal? Ah? Nice, 200 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: thank you. There's nothing you can do with NTSC No, no, 201 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: we'll talk about that in a minute. But um yeah. 202 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: They managed to get their hands on one in nineteen 203 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: seventy two, and it cost the Princely some of six 204 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: hundred forty nine pounds in nineteen seventy two. And I 205 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 1: know what you're thinking, Chris, You're thinking, gosh, Jonathan, how 206 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: much would that be in today's dollars? So you would 207 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: have to convert pounds into dollars and then used an 208 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: inflation calculator. Who has time to do that? Will? Sir? 209 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,560 Speaker 1: I tell you I had time to do that this morning. 210 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: Anyone with Wolf from Alpha, which will do it for 211 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,439 Speaker 1: you automatically. I didn't use Wolf from So the answer 212 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: Wolf from Alpha gives may be different from the one 213 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,959 Speaker 1: I have, but based upon the historical currency Conversion website, 214 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: sixty nine pounds in nineteen seventy two would be equivalent 215 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:30,119 Speaker 1: to nine thousand, eighty seven dollars today. So just shy 216 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 1: of ten grand the very first consumer video cassette recorder. Meanwhile, 217 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: Chriss is looking at Wolf from Alpha as we record 218 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: this to see how how far apart the two conversions are. 219 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: Do you have an answer from Wolf from Alpha? Why 220 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: did I get six? Okay? Six? This is good radio 221 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: right here? Oh? I know it is. Well, that's the thing, 222 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: is it? It shows you how expensive this device was 223 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: at the time. I mean, it's not something that everybody 224 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: had in there. Tim Grhant to drop on a VCR. Yeah. Um, 225 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: do you have an answer? No? Because I did it wrong. 226 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 1: So all right, we'll just have to ignore it. I'm 227 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: sure some listener will be very helpfully let us know. Anyhow, So, um, 228 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:21,559 Speaker 1: so yeah, it wasn't until the mid seventies when VHS 229 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: made its debut. Yeah. Actually, uh. In well, in Japan 230 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: it came out in seventy six, but in the United 231 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: States we had to wait till seventy seven before it 232 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:31,719 Speaker 1: came over here. And before that, Sony had come out 233 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: with a competing standard, the Beta standard. Yes, so Beta 234 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,440 Speaker 1: had been on the market for a year before VHS 235 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: managed it to come to store shelves. Uh. And so 236 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: there were there was the videotape wars, which I think 237 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: we've actually talked about in a previous episode we have. 238 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: And and of course Beta as short as someone else 239 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: will point out as short for Beta max UM and uh, 240 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: but you really didn't compete for for quite a while. Um. 241 00:13:56,559 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: Of course Uh. Beta max is still used or was 242 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: used for a long time in um TV work, even 243 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: after it failed as a standard that you would see 244 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: on the store shelves at your local video rental place. Right. 245 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: The biggest differentiator between the two, at least early on, 246 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: was that well, Beta had a slightly better resolution than VHS, 247 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: but only slightly. I mean, the difference wasn't as dramatic 248 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: as say VHS to DVD, but it was there, it 249 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: did have a higher quality image, and also it could 250 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: only record up to two hours, and VHS the big 251 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: thing about that was it could record up to four hours, 252 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: so that that really helped push VHS over Beta, even 253 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 1: though since Beta had been on the market for a year, 254 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: they had managed to bring their prices down, so when 255 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: VHS first launched, it was actually more expensive, right right. Well, um, 256 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: here again, the the average consumer is is going to 257 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: look at it and go, well, I can I can 258 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: buy blank video cassettes for a VHS machine and record 259 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: more video on it. Uh to allow me to record 260 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: more myself, and therefore this is a better value for me, 261 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: even though the marginal difference in quality might make me 262 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: think about a Beta max machine. And the VHS standard 263 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: was introduced by j VC, yes, and that's also going 264 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: to be important in a little bit. But j v 265 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: C the first model they introduced in the United States 266 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: was the hr Dash thirty three hundred, which cost one 267 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: thousand dollars in nineteen which in today's money three thousand 268 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: five dollars. Yeah, that's a that's a healthy chunk of 269 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: change to drop on the VCR. Yeah, and it's it's 270 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: amazing too, because a lot of these machines were top loaders. 271 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 1: I remember that, Yeah, you'd popped the door open, slide 272 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: the cassette in, and then pushed the top of the 273 00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: door down back into the video player. I had one 274 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: of the yeah, and this was um. You know, it's 275 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: interesting to think of that because I think the last 276 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 1: time I actually went shopping for a VCR, I was 277 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: just looking for for one to because I've got tapes 278 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: I wanted to be able to play them. This was 279 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 1: years ago, but I remember running across models that were 280 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: like thirty or forty dollars. So to think of it 281 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: as being almost well, thirty five bucks in today's money 282 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: back then. Uh, that's kind of kind of mind blowing 283 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: right there. And of course, uh you might say, okay, 284 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: so what happened between nineteen fifty six and nineteen seventy six, Uh, well, 285 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: one of the there were there were several things that happened. 286 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: Of course, the like all technology, it seems like people 287 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: find out better ways to achieve the same effect. So 288 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: you know, gradually these machines are getting smaller, they're getting lighter, Uh, 289 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: the qualities going up. They're getting more affordable as as 290 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: people can mass produce them in greater quantities. But there 291 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: was also something else, uh that that is common with 292 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: this kind of technology, and there were people that just 293 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: didn't want VCRs on on people's home entertainment shelves. Are 294 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: you talking about organizations like the Motion Picture Association of America. Yes, 295 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: so you've got these organizations that were legitimately concerned that 296 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: home access to this kind of technology would mean a hit. 297 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: It would take the organization. Organization would take a hit, 298 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: the whole movie industry would take a hit, as people 299 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: would refrain from going out to the movies and instead 300 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: watch things from their homes. Same sort of concern was 301 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: from the television industry. If you didn't require people to 302 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: be at a certain place at a certain time, then 303 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: how can you guarantee that your advertisers are spending the 304 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 1: right amount of money for advertisements during that slot on TV? Oh? 305 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: Oh but what but what? But what happens? I ask 306 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: you when when your favorite one of your favorite movies 307 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 1: comes on on the local station, you could record it 308 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: yourself and then never have to go see it again. 309 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: You could watch it again any time you want it. 310 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: Yeah that's not cool. Yeah, So these were real arguments 311 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: that were brought up against it. That was one of 312 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: the reasons why it took a while for this stuff 313 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: to get to market, was just because there was a 314 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: big resistance on the part of the content providers. So 315 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: it seems like that happens every time there's there's something 316 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 1: that's one of these revolutions in technology. If this episode 317 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: we're all about digital video recorders, it would be the 318 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 1: same story. Or audio cassettessettes. I mean, really, any any 319 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: time you get to any kind of medium where you're 320 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:38,359 Speaker 1: permanently putting something down. Yeah, yeah, there there are people 321 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: who are saying, wait a minute, how are we going 322 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: to make money now? Well? Yeah, I mean that it 323 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: gave rise to uh to these industries. They were able 324 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: to record it the first time and then they could 325 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: show it to you or play it for you any 326 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 1: other time for a fee. Yeah. They were the two 327 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: major industries popped up because of this. You had the 328 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: rental industry. Yes, so companies like Blockbuster and all the 329 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: other rental agencies out there that could rent out video tapes. 330 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 1: They would not exist without this. And then secondly you 331 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: had just the home theater market industry, people who were 332 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 1: purchasing tapes so that they could own these movies that 333 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: they loved in a more permanent fashion, instead of being like, oh, 334 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,880 Speaker 1: I saw this great movie in the theater five years ago. 335 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: It's called Star Wars. I really wish that I could 336 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: watch it again, but no theater is showing it, and 337 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,919 Speaker 1: there's no I mean, why would a theater release it again. Well, 338 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 1: suddenly this created a whole new market for these old films. 339 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,360 Speaker 1: So once the industries realized this, they started to reverse 340 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: their decision. Oh now, I get it, and they made 341 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: stupid amounts of money on Oh. I remember buying UH movies, 342 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: movies when they first came out on video cassette, and 343 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:54,399 Speaker 1: they were exorbitant for a film. Well, and in a 344 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: lot of cases that was because those movies were priced 345 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: for rental agencies, so that you would have a cup 346 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,400 Speaker 1: any like Blockbuster. I always use that one because that's 347 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 1: the one that most people are familiar with. But Blockbuster 348 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,359 Speaker 1: would say, all right, we'll pay a hundred dollars per 349 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: UH copy of this film, and then we'll make it 350 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: up by renting it out to X number of customers, 351 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: and so it will take us, you know, a certain 352 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: number of times before we make our money. Back. But 353 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: after that, it's all profit as long as that tape 354 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: is undamaged, you know, as long of that tape is 355 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: is is lendable. Yeah, so, uh yeah. There were a 356 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,719 Speaker 1: lot of videotapes that never went on sale for a 357 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: price that the average consumer would consider reasonable because it 358 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,880 Speaker 1: was never meant for the mass market. It was meant 359 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: for the rental agency market. One of the movies, there's 360 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: a movie that I talk about among my friends all 361 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,720 Speaker 1: the time called Blood Salvage. The tagline is if Jake 362 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: can't fix it, it's been dead too long. It was 363 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: a gothic Southern horror movie about a a guy who 364 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: runs a wrecking facility. He Um. He has drives an 365 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: old tow truck and he um salvages parts from from 366 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: vehicles and people. Anyway, I was an extra in this film. 367 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: Don't even bother trying to find it if you want 368 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: to look for me, because you first you don't know 369 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: what I looked like when I was twelve and two. 370 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: You would have to have eagle eyes and your hand 371 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: on the pause because it's gone in a flash. But anyway, 372 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: I wanted to copy this movie because I actually enjoyed it. 373 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 1: It's a goofy horror movie, can't be tongue in cheek 374 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: kind of gross, you know, right up my alley. Right, 375 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: So I went looking for it the only place. Finally 376 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: I got it on eBay when someone got it from 377 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,680 Speaker 1: like a fire sale from some rental company. But yeah, 378 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:51,159 Speaker 1: that's why those those tapes were that expensive. Soe alright, 379 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: So the VHS has been on the market for just 380 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: four years or so, in VHS made up sev of 381 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: all cassette sales. By then Beta had dropped down to 382 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,399 Speaker 1: and it was all VHS from there on out until 383 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,880 Speaker 1: really the late nineties nineties, and it didn't really start 384 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: dropping off until the two thousand's. But we'll get into 385 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: that after we talk about how this stuff works. Yeah, 386 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: I mean, that's that's one of the important things too, 387 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: is UM in general, these machines all kind of work 388 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: the same. We're talking about Beta max and U uh, 389 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:31,640 Speaker 1: you know three quarter for the television industry, UM, three 390 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 1: quarter inch UM for VHS. There basically, they're all a 391 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: reel of magnetic tape inside a cassette. And that's one 392 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,199 Speaker 1: of the cool things about video cassette recorders is that 393 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:46,640 Speaker 1: these devices, I mean, and I talked about the cassettes. 394 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: The cassettes themselves are designed to protect the tape, which 395 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 1: is necessary because uh, certain young people I know would 396 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 1: gladly reach in and grab the tape and pull it 397 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: right out of the cassette if it was possible to 398 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: do so easily. Um, it is if you know what 399 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: you're doing. But it's got protections on it to keep 400 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: it from getting stuff spilled on it or getting spooked 401 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,679 Speaker 1: on something by accident. Um, So it's very wise of 402 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: the people who made these cassettes to build in some protections. 403 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: It's got a little door and if you hit a cassette, 404 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: if you hit the little button, springloaded button, you can 405 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,640 Speaker 1: pull the door open and actually look at the tape. Um. 406 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: But it's got, you know, two reels the tape. The 407 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: tape starts on one side, moves to the other side, 408 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: but it's the cassette also has some features to to 409 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,439 Speaker 1: prevent that from being done casually. Yeah, there's some spring 410 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: loaded uh brakes on there that have to be engaged 411 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: in order for them to release the tape. And the 412 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: VCR actually has a little pin or a pair of 413 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 1: pins relate that that insert into the bottom of the 414 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: tape that releases that spring loaded brake. Otherwise it's much 415 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 1: more difficult. If you've ever tried to manually wind a 416 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: v A chest tape, you realize this isn't moving very 417 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,479 Speaker 1: easily at all. It doesn't work like an audio cassette 418 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: where you can take a pencil and yeah and rewind 419 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: it that like, especially if if the tape had come 420 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 1: out a little bit. Yeah, boy, I've had fun with those. 421 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: Um So. Also, the the information that stored on this 422 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:24,520 Speaker 1: magnetic tape is not recorded linearly left to right or 423 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,160 Speaker 1: right to left. It's if you did that, the tape 424 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: would have to be enormous because, like we said that, 425 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: that visual information takes a lot of space. So this 426 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:37,880 Speaker 1: was one of the clever ideas that the video cassette 427 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 1: industry came up with early on, was instead of recording 428 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: it like a straight line, like imagine you have a 429 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: really wide sheet of paper, all right, So it's like 430 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 1: a roll of paper maybe yeah, like a roll of paper, 431 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,160 Speaker 1: and you've you've rolled it out from left to right 432 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,400 Speaker 1: and you're going to write a message. Well you cut 433 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: off cut off at ten feet, all right, So at 434 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: ten feet you're writing and you can only write one 435 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: line from left to right. You can't you can't go 436 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: back down underneath after you get to the end. There's 437 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: a limited amount of information you can write on there. 438 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: But let's say that instead of writing it directly left 439 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: to right, you tilt the paper. Okay, so you're writing 440 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: at a diagonal from the let's say the the the 441 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: top the bottom edge to the top edge, you know, 442 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: and at a at a slant, right, all right, And 443 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 1: then you write one little bit of information, and then 444 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 1: you go take a little space and you write again 445 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:35,639 Speaker 1: in a diagonal from the from the bottom edge to 446 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: the top edge. Uh. And then you go a little 447 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: bit further down you write from bottom edge to the 448 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: top edge. And again you're doing this at an at 449 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: an angle, so it's maybe like a forty five degree 450 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: angle across the paper. You can fit more information on 451 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,200 Speaker 1: that same sheet of paper by recording it at that slant. 452 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 1: That's true. That's what is going on with VHS tapes there. 453 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 1: The information is recorded at a bias on the tape. 454 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: It's not a direct horizontal line of information. It's several 455 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 1: diagonal lines of information arranged in a horizontal row. And 456 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 1: the way the the VCR copes with this is that 457 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: the device that reads and writes to the U to 458 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,880 Speaker 1: the tape itself is tilted. It's it's it's not uh, 459 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,959 Speaker 1: it's not perfectly vertical. That the drumhead that does this, 460 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,679 Speaker 1: it's actually at a tilted an angle so that it 461 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:33,120 Speaker 1: can read and write this information at this angle. So 462 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: I guess we need to kind of dive into what 463 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:39,120 Speaker 1: a VCR looks like if you were to open one up. Okay, 464 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,439 Speaker 1: all right, um, well of course, uh, we were just 465 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: talking about the the information recorded on the tape and 466 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 1: the drum. Uh. When you pop a video cassette inside 467 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,440 Speaker 1: a VCR, um, what it's going to do is it's 468 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 1: going to engage all the pins and things to get 469 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: the tape ready to play, and it actually pulls the 470 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,640 Speaker 1: tape outside the case of the cassette. Yes, yes, the 471 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: the little protective door lifts up, the brakes are released, 472 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: and a couple of of guides which are inserted behind 473 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:17,239 Speaker 1: the tape inside the cassette itself. When you push it down. 474 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 1: It's part of the VCR. These two guides pop up 475 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: inside the tape the cassette itself behind the tape, the 476 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: door releases up and the guides pull the tape like 477 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: a ribbon up to the innards of the VCR itself. 478 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:35,199 Speaker 1: So if you've ever popped a tape in and you 479 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: hear that that mechanical were as it as a tape 480 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: gets ready to play, that's what it is. It's the 481 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: the the mechanics inside engaging that tape. And then there's 482 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: that that big drum that you said, uh was at 483 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,760 Speaker 1: an angle, Yeah, the rotating head drum. This is this 484 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: is the all the visual information stuff is all based 485 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:58,679 Speaker 1: off of this drum. The ones I've seen are silver 486 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: in color and it's it's charge you can It's probably 487 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: the easily most identifiable part of the inside of the VCR. 488 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: I would say this is the piece that that rotates 489 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: and will drive the helps drive the the progression of 490 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: the tape from one reel to the other reel. There 491 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: are other rollers that are in there too that will 492 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,159 Speaker 1: also help move the tape along. It's not just the 493 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,679 Speaker 1: rotating head drum that that propels the tape through uh. 494 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 1: There's a pinch roller that also does this through uh 495 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,919 Speaker 1: through um uh. There's a a stationary roller called a 496 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: cap stand yes, and a pintroller that's on the opposite side. 497 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 1: Of the cap stand. The tape moves between the two 498 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: and the pressure that the tow create against each other 499 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: that's what allows it to pinch and pull that tape through. 500 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: So you've got the rotating head drum and the pintroller 501 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: that are helped propelling this tape through the system. You 502 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: also have a couple of different UM while they're called 503 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: heads inside the device that are that have specific purposes. Yeah. Now, 504 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: the rotating head drum is there to to read the 505 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: video information, but there is an audio head as well, 506 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: UM which is located over off to the side. It's 507 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: not right next to it UM generally, but what it 508 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: does is it reads the audio track on there. And uh, 509 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: you know, a VCR is designed to record UM video tapes. 510 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 1: And if you've ever had a video tape, let's say 511 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 1: you you recorded UM a show that you wanted to watch. 512 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,200 Speaker 1: For a while before I had a d v R, 513 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: I used to record shows that I wasn't going to 514 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 1: be available to watch, and I would uh you know, 515 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: I had a couple of tapes that I used over 516 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: and over again. Well, there's an e race head inside 517 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: of v c R that will erase the information on 518 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: the tape. So that you can rerecord it with additional 519 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: tape without there being interference or otherwise you would just 520 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: have stuff overlaid on top of each other over and 521 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: over and over again, and it would be unviewable unless 522 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,320 Speaker 1: you were you know, David Lynch or something. Now they're 523 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: just like with an audio cassette. There is a tab, 524 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: a little plastic tab on a v VC AR cassette 525 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: that tells the VCR whether it's allowed to engage the 526 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: race head or not. Um. If you went out to 527 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: buy a copy of your a movie that you liked 528 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: from the shelves, that tape, that tab would be gone. Um. 529 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: And you know if you tried to hit record, you 530 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: could not accidentally record over it. Now as most of 531 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: us with a long history of these things. Now, uh, 532 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: you could put a piece of tape over it and 533 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 1: it would allow you to do this, but you would 534 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: have to actually do something yourself to allow the tape 535 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 1: to be replaced. So that way you would Let's say, 536 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: let's say that you've got that that Sweating to the 537 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: Oldies eight and you're like, this is not nearly as 538 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: good as my Sweating to the Oldies seven. You know what, 539 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: I'm not going to have this debate with you again. 540 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: All right, Well, anyway you might think I want to 541 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: be able to record over this, and then you would 542 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: use a piece of tape to do that because otherwise, 543 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:52,960 Speaker 1: like you were saying, it would prevent you from doing 544 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: that excidentally, because there's nothing like the panic you experience 545 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: when you put a tape in and then you realize 546 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: that you accidentally just hit play and record and not 547 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: just play, and you want to and it's a tape 548 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: that you did not want to erase. There's a there's 549 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: a special level of panic. Yes, I'm not sure that 550 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: I have a word for it, but I have definitely 551 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: felt that more than once. Yes, yes, um. It also 552 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 1: has a VCR also has the ability to read additional 553 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 1: information about the tape. Uh, if you will, it's metadata, 554 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: it's on the tape itself. Um. That tells the VCR 555 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:34,040 Speaker 1: some important things like um, uh when we were talking 556 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: about it just a few minutes ago. There there three 557 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: typically three modes that a VHS tape can be played 558 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:46,200 Speaker 1: in SP, LP and EP. UM. Basically, uh, there we 559 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: won't get into I won't get into that just yet. 560 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: Let's let's but um, you can it tells this information 561 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 1: is along the tape UM that tells the VCR what 562 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: speed to play the video back at. This is a 563 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:03,959 Speaker 1: low the control track, and it also UM you know, 564 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 1: the it also has a sensor the VCR does UM 565 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:10,160 Speaker 1: that tells it has some clear leader tape UM that 566 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: they put before and after the the brown colored magnetic 567 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: tape that tells it basically, hey, there, you're either at 568 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 1: the beginning or at the end of the tape. Go 569 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 1: ahead and prepare to shut down. This is actually start 570 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: the movie. A very simple sensor because all it is 571 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: is trying to detect light. So if the regular tape 572 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: is passing through, it's dark enough so that the light 573 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: does not hit the sensor, and the sensor says, yep, 574 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,280 Speaker 1: it's still good. But then once it gets to the 575 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: clear tape at the end, it says, WHOA got to 576 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: the end of the tape? It actually does not say anything. 577 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: By the way, is there light? No? Is there light? No? 578 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,239 Speaker 1: Is there a light? No? Is there a light? Now? 579 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: I keep hearing voices coming out of my VCO and 580 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: that's a totally different problem and not covered under our podcast. 581 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,959 Speaker 1: But yeah, for the for the most part, opening up 582 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: a VCR, uh, there's not a lot of a glamour 583 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: to it. There are rollers and some pins and pins 584 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: basically being there to hold the cassette in place and 585 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: guide the tape so that it doesn't just you know, 586 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: start snarling on things and then then you've got a 587 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,960 Speaker 1: mess on your hands. The rotating head drum is probably 588 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: the most interesting feature. I mean, first of all, it's 589 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:19,160 Speaker 1: it's one of the largest parts of the and if 590 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: you if you were to look at one and not yeah, 591 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 1: and if you were to look at one and not 592 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 1: know what it was, you might think, my VCR is broken. 593 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:29,360 Speaker 1: This thing is it's tilted. It's supposed to be like 594 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: that because, like I said, it's it's because of the 595 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:36,520 Speaker 1: direction of the information being stored on that tape. Uh, 596 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: the whole rotating head thing. Uh, it's called helical scanning 597 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,000 Speaker 1: helical Yeah, because of the way that the information is 598 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:52,880 Speaker 1: encoded along the the tape. It's almost like a helix. Now. Um, 599 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 1: we were talking a moment ago about the speeds. Uh. 600 00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:59,760 Speaker 1: The an SP mode that's the highest quality mode that 601 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:03,200 Speaker 1: have VHS tape can can use, and it uses uh 602 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: it goes by at about one point three one linear 603 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,799 Speaker 1: inches or thirty three point three five millimeters per second UM. 604 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,800 Speaker 1: LP is the medium it allows you. Oh that that's 605 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 1: a that's not only about two hours. LP runs about 606 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 1: four hours UM. And in order to do that, it 607 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:23,640 Speaker 1: runs the tape about uh point sixty six um inches 608 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:27,319 Speaker 1: per second and uh are linear inches per second and 609 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,280 Speaker 1: uh that's sixteen point seven millimeters per second, and EP 610 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: gives you about six hours on an average cassette UM 611 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:38,240 Speaker 1: when it's running up at about point four four linear 612 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:42,560 Speaker 1: inches per second or eleven point one two millimeters per second. 613 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:46,920 Speaker 1: The thing is, uh, you know, as you increase or 614 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 1: actually as you decrease the speed, you're getting poorer quality. Yeah, 615 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: which might sound strange too to uh to people who 616 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: are just listening to this and like, wait, what do 617 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 1: you mean? How how is it that going slower means 618 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:04,400 Speaker 1: poor quality? And it's because you're using you're using a 619 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: less space to store all that information. Yes, that's the thing. 620 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:10,560 Speaker 1: Is that deal. If you're if you're going faster, then 621 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,640 Speaker 1: you're using up all that tape to store a smaller 622 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: amount of information then you would be if you're going slower. 623 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,560 Speaker 1: It's it's almost counterintuitive when you first think about it, 624 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:22,040 Speaker 1: but then when you actually sit there and say, oh wait, 625 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: if I have a piece of paper that's going past 626 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,400 Speaker 1: me at a certain speed and I'm I'm I'm able 627 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: to write really really fast. Uh, you know, it's I'm 628 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:34,879 Speaker 1: not gonna get as much Um, I'm not gonna get 629 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 1: as much quality craned in there. It's just weird. Man. 630 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:40,840 Speaker 1: I sit there and try and think about it, and 631 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:44,760 Speaker 1: then my brain breaks. Yeah. But no, Yeah, the slower 632 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: it goes the less the lower the quality. It's not 633 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,120 Speaker 1: able to to store as much information and um uh 634 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:53,759 Speaker 1: as you would if you were running it faster. True. 635 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 1: And and some VCRs to have a flying a race head, 636 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,879 Speaker 1: which is not what happens when you get really fed 637 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 1: up because your VCRs open and you fling it across 638 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: the room. Nice. Um the race head that we were 639 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: talking about before, UH found in uh the less expensive 640 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 1: VCRs is basically just gonna erase the entire tape um. 641 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,919 Speaker 1: But a flying erase head is is you can find 642 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: it on the rotating drum itself, and it actually can 643 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: take individual bands and erase them. And uh that allows 644 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 1: you to be more precise when you erase material from 645 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:35,399 Speaker 1: the VCR tape um. Also, if you're going to use 646 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: the two faster speeds. Uh, you're going to need a 647 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:44,120 Speaker 1: forehead VCR. UM. Again, this is not some sort of mutant. Uh. 648 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 1: The sp tape only needs two heads, but a forehead 649 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: VCR can run the other speeds. Basically, the other heads uh, 650 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:54,279 Speaker 1: play heads need to be there so that they can 651 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:57,800 Speaker 1: run the other speeds. Um. So it's just one of 652 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: those technological things that needs to take place in order 653 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,440 Speaker 1: to do that. But if you've ever wondered what that 654 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,799 Speaker 1: meant when you saw it on on the cards, because 655 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:08,759 Speaker 1: because you aren't going to see it now at your 656 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:11,880 Speaker 1: local department store, I can tell you, um, you know 657 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:13,719 Speaker 1: that that was That was one of the marks of 658 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:18,360 Speaker 1: a more sophisticated VCR because you had more flexibility to 659 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 1: record other other speeds with that. And there are multiple 660 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:28,680 Speaker 1: standards for encoding information onto cassettes. And anyone who has 661 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:33,600 Speaker 1: tried to bring back a tape from another country into 662 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: their home country and then realize that doesn't play on 663 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 1: their machine has experienced this joy. Because the VHS tapes 664 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:43,880 Speaker 1: from from various countries tend to be the same size. 665 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: I mean physically, there doesn't appear to be anything different 666 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:49,520 Speaker 1: about them. It's convenient, right, they don't have to make 667 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: a new size cassette, right, But the the saves money. 668 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:58,840 Speaker 1: The encoding process is different, and the playback process is different. 669 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:02,279 Speaker 1: The speeds are different and uh, and they're not compatible. 670 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: So we could lead to a flying race head. So 671 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 1: our folks overhead, our friends in in in the UK 672 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:13,919 Speaker 1: they used the the Powell standard PL which was also 673 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: very popular throughout Europe and other countries as well, and 674 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:19,280 Speaker 1: then the United States and then a few other countries 675 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:23,760 Speaker 1: and cluing Japan in TSC was the standard. And these again, 676 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: we're not compatible. So if you went over, like if 677 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: I hopped on the plane and flew over to Old 678 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,919 Speaker 1: Blighty and decided that I wanted to pick up the 679 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:37,239 Speaker 1: full series of Doctor Who from the classic era and 680 00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:39,160 Speaker 1: then come back and watch them, I would be very 681 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: much disappointed when I tried to play those in my 682 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:47,040 Speaker 1: my United States VCR because it would not play back. 683 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,400 Speaker 1: You would really need to buy a VCR there and 684 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: bring it back with you, and then possibly adapters as well. Yes, 685 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:56,239 Speaker 1: and and and and then eventually someone would show up 686 00:38:56,239 --> 00:38:57,759 Speaker 1: at my door and asked me if I had my 687 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,719 Speaker 1: television license, and I'd say, why do you talking about Yeah, 688 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,400 Speaker 1: I'm sure customs would love that they're to bring back 689 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:08,320 Speaker 1: a trunk full of electronics and plastic. Yeah. Well, you know, 690 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:10,360 Speaker 1: they didn't say a thing when I brought back the 691 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: police call box, so UM, I thought the police call 692 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,840 Speaker 1: box brought you back. Let's rune a bypass customs. I 693 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: just got on another list. That was a joke. But 694 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,040 Speaker 1: all of those things were jokes. So yeah, the different standards, 695 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,239 Speaker 1: but that's that's why they're not compatible. Um. Yeah, And 696 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,520 Speaker 1: that control track also holds the information necessary like usually 697 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,959 Speaker 1: the tracking is is fairly automatic. You know that that 698 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:41,759 Speaker 1: tape over time warps. Yes, you can stretch. UM. The 699 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:43,759 Speaker 1: more you know, you're putting we think about it, you're 700 00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:46,799 Speaker 1: putting stress on it. You. UM, let's say you uh 701 00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:49,480 Speaker 1: fast forward and rewind the tape over and over again, 702 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,799 Speaker 1: and then there's that sudden stop. I remember, UM, I 703 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:57,280 Speaker 1: got a the VCR I have now, which is thankfully 704 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,840 Speaker 1: still working. UM has a mechanism in it to determine 705 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:02,879 Speaker 1: when it's getting close to the end of the tape, 706 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: and it starts to slow down when you're rewinding or 707 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: fast forwarding the entire tape. UM to prevent it from 708 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:14,280 Speaker 1: getting that sudden stop, which could potentially make the tape snap. Yes, 709 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,520 Speaker 1: and uh, you know the tape is the tape is 710 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: very thin. It's made of essentially it's plastic, which is 711 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:24,440 Speaker 1: known to stretch over time. Uh and uh yeah, I 712 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,319 Speaker 1: mean you've spent the money on a movie or or 713 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:30,400 Speaker 1: something a show that let's say you've recorded your wedding 714 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:33,640 Speaker 1: or you noted it and you don't own it. Yes, 715 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:39,000 Speaker 1: be kind please rewind. Um. So yeah, I mean you 716 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: want to take care of the tape because otherwise, uh, 717 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:43,680 Speaker 1: it could get out of whack. That's um if you 718 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,040 Speaker 1: have to mess with the tracking control. You know about 719 00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: this because the tracking basically controls how the tape is 720 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:53,040 Speaker 1: reading it. When you start to see uh static little 721 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 1: lines in the in the video playback, you realize that 722 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: the tape has started to warp or stretch. It's not 723 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 1: quite aligned properly, so the the drumheads having trouble reading 724 00:41:02,719 --> 00:41:06,040 Speaker 1: the information. So with the tracking. Some of some of 725 00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:09,239 Speaker 1: the VCRs, especially the later ones, have automatic tracking, where 726 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 1: it just a text that that's the things are not 727 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:13,759 Speaker 1: quite right and it will start making adjustments. Others have 728 00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:18,080 Speaker 1: manual tracking. Others have manual tracking where you have to 729 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: change a little dial or whatever and try and get 730 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:22,920 Speaker 1: it as closely aligned as possible so that you have 731 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: the best possible picture. I remember doing that a lot 732 00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:28,920 Speaker 1: with stuff that we had taped off television back when 733 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:31,000 Speaker 1: I was a kid. Yeah. Yeah, Well, especially if you 734 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:33,879 Speaker 1: use it over and over again, the more the more 735 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,799 Speaker 1: likely you uh, the more you use it, the more 736 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:39,000 Speaker 1: likely it is to you start to stretch and and 737 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:41,239 Speaker 1: uh and warp. So well, let's talk a little bit 738 00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:46,839 Speaker 1: about what has happened to the VCR and VHS. DVDs. Yeah, 739 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:50,120 Speaker 1: that was a big one. Okay, Yeah, so DVDs when 740 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:54,719 Speaker 1: they premiered, well, first, it wasn't a huge blow to 741 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: VHS at all. Well, for the same reasons we were 742 00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,800 Speaker 1: talking about earlier in the podcast. They were the machines 743 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:03,440 Speaker 1: were expensive, DVDs were expensive, and there weren't nearly as 744 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,560 Speaker 1: many I mean, you know, you could find the odds 745 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,040 Speaker 1: of finding a popular movie in those days on VHS 746 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:14,440 Speaker 1: pretty high, but finding that same film on DVD could 747 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,480 Speaker 1: be really a challenge because there just wasn't as much 748 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:21,239 Speaker 1: content available and that form factor at that point, so 749 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:25,680 Speaker 1: stop DVD players from selling very quickly. Now they had 750 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 1: a pretty relatively fast ramp up. I mean it. I 751 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:31,319 Speaker 1: do remember that it was a couple of years before 752 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:34,359 Speaker 1: I got a DVD player because they were they were, 753 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: you know, luxury items for a long time. But you 754 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:40,640 Speaker 1: did start to notice things like if you went to 755 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:43,360 Speaker 1: one of those rental stores like Blockbuster, you started noticing 756 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:47,720 Speaker 1: that the VHS section was getting smaller and the DVD 757 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:50,719 Speaker 1: section was getting larger. Same thing in retail stores. You 758 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:52,560 Speaker 1: would go to a retail store that would sell movies, 759 00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:55,800 Speaker 1: and you notice that the vhs would get smaller and smaller. 760 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,200 Speaker 1: But DVDs started to really take over. Uh. Well, I 761 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:01,520 Speaker 1: mean DVDs have some advantages. You know, there is no 762 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,640 Speaker 1: warping or stretching. Well, I mean there's there's the possibility 763 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:08,480 Speaker 1: that you could scratch them. Um, but even even depending 764 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:11,880 Speaker 1: on how they scratch, they may not they may not 765 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: be damaged enough to affect the playback significantly. Plus you 766 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:20,080 Speaker 1: have a lot more control of over where you can 767 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 1: start and end. The resolution was far better than vhs. 768 00:43:25,719 --> 00:43:28,640 Speaker 1: You can you can watch them in computers and even 769 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:33,480 Speaker 1: include extras that allow you to interact with them. Uh 770 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:37,560 Speaker 1: you know, games and other things tracks, yeah, and and 771 00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,600 Speaker 1: things like that that you couldn't do with a with 772 00:43:39,680 --> 00:43:43,080 Speaker 1: a videotape. Yeah, if I ever wanted to, uh to 773 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:47,400 Speaker 1: watch a movie like let's say Indiana Jones and Raises 774 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:49,279 Speaker 1: the Lost Ark. I never wanted to watch Rails Lost 775 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:53,440 Speaker 1: Ark and and have a commentary track while I was 776 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:57,279 Speaker 1: watching it on VHS. I had to kidnap Steven Spielberg 777 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: and and tie him up and have him sit next 778 00:44:01,680 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 1: to me as I watched it. And that only works once, folks. 779 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,640 Speaker 1: Thanks to the restraining order, he won't be doing that again. Yeah. 780 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:11,080 Speaker 1: They they recognize you even if you dramatically change your look. 781 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:13,960 Speaker 1: It's amazing. Steven Spielberg has this ability if he does 782 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 1: not forget a face. Yeah. So, Uh, DVDs really became 783 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:25,120 Speaker 1: popular quickly enough that it started to put a It 784 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,120 Speaker 1: started to clue the movie studios in. And of course 785 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:30,400 Speaker 1: at this point they were a little less likely to 786 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,399 Speaker 1: be upset about the DVDs, which were Uh. You know, 787 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:36,920 Speaker 1: when you buy a DVD from the store, you can't 788 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:40,719 Speaker 1: record over it like you could with a VHS tape. Uh. 789 00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:42,359 Speaker 1: You know, all it takes a little piece of tape, 790 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:46,000 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen. For a long time. Uh, the the 791 00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:49,600 Speaker 1: ability to record to DVD at all was even greater 792 00:44:49,680 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 1: luxury than a DVD player. Yeah, so they you know, 793 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:55,359 Speaker 1: the movie studios, I don't remember them making as big 794 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:57,239 Speaker 1: a fuss about DVD as they did for some of 795 00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:00,560 Speaker 1: the other stuff, and so, uh they people adopted it 796 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:04,439 Speaker 1: fairly quickly. It still took a while, though, before VHS 797 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:09,240 Speaker 1: started really tapering off in popularity. In two thousand three, 798 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:13,360 Speaker 1: that was when DVD rentals began to finally outpace VHS 799 00:45:13,440 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 1: rentals and rental agencies. And in two thousand five, DVD 800 00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 1: sales hit twenty two billion with a B dollars and 801 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:24,279 Speaker 1: VHS was down to one point five billion with a 802 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,080 Speaker 1: B dollars. So the writing was on the wall at 803 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:30,160 Speaker 1: that point. But the real blow came in two thousand eight. Yes, 804 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:32,880 Speaker 1: that's when j v C, which if you recall, was 805 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:38,839 Speaker 1: the company that introduced the VHS format, stopped producing standalone 806 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:42,240 Speaker 1: VCRs and that was that prompted a lot of people 807 00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,000 Speaker 1: to say that two thousand and eight marked the death 808 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:49,359 Speaker 1: of the VCR. Yeah, although I think it's as dead 809 00:45:49,400 --> 00:45:53,799 Speaker 1: as any of these other technologies are, like, uh, the 810 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,960 Speaker 1: vinal turntable, UM, the laser disc and some of these 811 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,480 Speaker 1: other the other for us there. And the thing is, 812 00:46:01,520 --> 00:46:03,920 Speaker 1: I mean you've you told me too before the podcast 813 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:06,480 Speaker 1: that you have some movies that you have on on 814 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,520 Speaker 1: VHS cassettes that you can't find on dv Blood Salvage, 815 00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:14,680 Speaker 1: it's been dead too long, so it's not available on DVD. 816 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:17,960 Speaker 1: So there you go. Um, there are reasons that that 817 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:20,839 Speaker 1: you that people are still going to want to make 818 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: them available. Of course, libraries and other people who have 819 00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:28,520 Speaker 1: uh large who spent money on these have to find 820 00:46:28,520 --> 00:46:31,800 Speaker 1: a way to either convert them or maintain the equipment 821 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:34,960 Speaker 1: long enough to keep it out there. So uh, I 822 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:37,400 Speaker 1: think it's um, it's sort of turned into a zombie 823 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:39,600 Speaker 1: technology at this point. But I just hadn't realized how 824 00:46:39,640 --> 00:46:41,759 Speaker 1: far I had gone until a few days ago when 825 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,399 Speaker 1: I went to find one. Yeah, I was thinking I'll 826 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:47,080 Speaker 1: probably be able to get one for twenty dollars or so. 827 00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:51,520 Speaker 1: Seen it recorded that the last major supplier of VHS 828 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:54,759 Speaker 1: tapes in the United States shifted its final truckload in 829 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:58,640 Speaker 1: December eight. Wow. Well see that it shows you how 830 00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:00,239 Speaker 1: long it's been since I've tried to find a movie 831 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:02,760 Speaker 1: from h Yeah and well, and a couple of films 832 00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:04,960 Speaker 1: have come out on VHS, but it's been more like 833 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:09,920 Speaker 1: a gimmick, like especially films that are uh kind of 834 00:47:09,920 --> 00:47:14,200 Speaker 1: an homage to to certain genres that were really that 835 00:47:14,280 --> 00:47:17,040 Speaker 1: came to prominence in the nineteen eighties, which you know, 836 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:19,520 Speaker 1: that's sort of the same thing we saw with bands 837 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:22,080 Speaker 1: and vinyl for a while, because the Vinyl was kind 838 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:24,120 Speaker 1: of a gimmick like saying, hey, look, we're this cool 839 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:28,399 Speaker 1: independent group and we're supporting this what some would call 840 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:34,799 Speaker 1: obsolete form factor. But you know, although Vinyl managed to 841 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:39,319 Speaker 1: to have a second gasp, I'm not sure that VHS will. 842 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:43,600 Speaker 1: And the big reason behind that DVDs definitely were a 843 00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:47,640 Speaker 1: blow to VCRs. Digital video recorders was like that was 844 00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:51,200 Speaker 1: the death blow. The DVR was a death blow to 845 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 1: the VCR because now you had DVDs where you could 846 00:47:56,080 --> 00:48:01,160 Speaker 1: get a better quality picture and experience from the content providers, 847 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:03,680 Speaker 1: and you have DVRs, which that's what took care of 848 00:48:03,719 --> 00:48:07,520 Speaker 1: the time shifting element of VCRs. Yes, definitely, because I 849 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:12,160 Speaker 1: actually had um VHS or VCR Plus, which was this 850 00:48:12,239 --> 00:48:16,000 Speaker 1: technology that people came out with that would allow you 851 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:18,480 Speaker 1: too if you knew a code and your VCR was 852 00:48:18,520 --> 00:48:20,520 Speaker 1: equipped with it, you could enter that code in your 853 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:22,680 Speaker 1: VCR and it would pick the right channel on the 854 00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:26,000 Speaker 1: right date. Of course, some my VCR didn't have the 855 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:29,480 Speaker 1: ability to change channels like my DVR does because it's 856 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:31,719 Speaker 1: built in so it can change that. It knows what 857 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:33,560 Speaker 1: channel to change it too, it knows when, and I 858 00:48:33,600 --> 00:48:37,120 Speaker 1: can subscribe to an entire series, so I can say 859 00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:40,640 Speaker 1: I want you to record this show which comes on 860 00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:44,160 Speaker 1: Tuesdays at eight, and the network makes a decision, no, 861 00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:47,200 Speaker 1: we're going to move that to Thursdays at nine thirty. Well, 862 00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:51,160 Speaker 1: the DVR can handle that. And again there's meta data 863 00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:54,080 Speaker 1: there that the DVR can follow. I can say I 864 00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:56,640 Speaker 1: want to record new episodes only don't record reruns, and 865 00:48:56,680 --> 00:48:59,319 Speaker 1: it goes, Okay, this one's a rerun, I'm skipping it. Yeah, 866 00:48:59,320 --> 00:49:01,200 Speaker 1: whereas your v c R would just be like, Nope, 867 00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:02,839 Speaker 1: I'm going to record at this channel at this time 868 00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:04,879 Speaker 1: because that's what he told me to Yeah. And it's 869 00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:08,200 Speaker 1: it's so much more. The DVR is so much more flexible, 870 00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:12,719 Speaker 1: much more versatile that then a VHS recorder is. And 871 00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:15,719 Speaker 1: it's just once between the two of those. Once the 872 00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:19,279 Speaker 1: move to digital happened, VHS really had no hope. And 873 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:22,279 Speaker 1: then on top of that if that weren't enough, even 874 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:24,920 Speaker 1: the DVR at this point I think is starting to 875 00:49:25,040 --> 00:49:27,680 Speaker 1: have a bit of a slowdown. You know, people aren't 876 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:30,600 Speaker 1: buying DVRs as as frequently as they were before, and 877 00:49:30,719 --> 00:49:32,799 Speaker 1: part of that is because the time shifting has gone 878 00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:37,640 Speaker 1: even more dramatic with services like Netflix Incidant or Hulu 879 00:49:37,680 --> 00:49:41,400 Speaker 1: Plus or Hulu Hulu in general, or the Amazon Video 880 00:49:41,840 --> 00:49:45,240 Speaker 1: where people now have access to huge libraries of content 881 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:49,960 Speaker 1: that don't require a DVR necessarily. A lot of them 882 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,040 Speaker 1: have access to it through stuff they already own, video 883 00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:57,200 Speaker 1: game consoles or just on on a computer. So we've 884 00:49:57,200 --> 00:50:00,840 Speaker 1: even seen the DVR have a meteoric eyes and then 885 00:50:01,120 --> 00:50:03,240 Speaker 1: I think I wouldn't say that it's gone or anything, 886 00:50:03,280 --> 00:50:06,040 Speaker 1: but stuff, I think it's in decline. I think companies 887 00:50:06,040 --> 00:50:08,960 Speaker 1: like TiVo are finding it harder to make products that 888 00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:11,920 Speaker 1: consumers are finding really compelling that they feel they have 889 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:17,240 Speaker 1: to go out and get because the the internet delivery 890 00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:22,160 Speaker 1: method has taken off pretty dramatically over the last two years. Yeah, 891 00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:24,880 Speaker 1: I don't think they'll they'll die out like some of 892 00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:27,839 Speaker 1: the other technologies simply because of well, actually live TV 893 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:31,839 Speaker 1: um things like awards shows and sports and things like 894 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:35,759 Speaker 1: that that, um, you you won't be able to get 895 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:38,600 Speaker 1: later on from one of the streaming shows you want 896 00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:43,160 Speaker 1: to watch. Uh, um, let's say the the Oscars. She 897 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:46,319 Speaker 1: wouldn't be able to You're not gonna say, watch the 898 00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:49,440 Speaker 1: Oscars from last week on Netflix. Yeah, those of us 899 00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:51,560 Speaker 1: on the East Coast are sick of the Oscars coming 900 00:50:51,560 --> 00:50:54,120 Speaker 1: on so late at night for us. Yeah, it's the 901 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,799 Speaker 1: afternoon for everyone in California. But for us, we're like, 902 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,080 Speaker 1: can you move it along? I have work tomorrow. It 903 00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:03,399 Speaker 1: But you're right, like the standalone stuff, it's it's it's 904 00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:07,600 Speaker 1: not a thing anymore. It's something you sort of expect, um. 905 00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:11,719 Speaker 1: But yeah, it's it's kind of amazing that VCRs really 906 00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:15,440 Speaker 1: have moved off the map. I guess the store shelf 907 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:19,520 Speaker 1: such a it had such a huge impact on consumer behavior, 908 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:22,000 Speaker 1: on the industry itself. I mean, it was one of 909 00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:25,160 Speaker 1: those pieces of technology that really was a game changer, 910 00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:28,240 Speaker 1: and that multiple I don't really care, Yeah exactly, yes, 911 00:51:28,680 --> 00:51:31,560 Speaker 1: And so you know, to see it kind of disappear now, 912 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:35,400 Speaker 1: it's again a reminder that just because something is popular 913 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:38,239 Speaker 1: doesn't mean it always will be that way. That's right. 914 00:51:38,360 --> 00:51:41,440 Speaker 1: It's it's a lesson that we've had to learn multiple times, 915 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:45,080 Speaker 1: and yet people still forget about it, and they'll still say, 916 00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:47,799 Speaker 1: oh no, I can't see it. I cannot imagine a 917 00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:52,000 Speaker 1: time when this will not be important. Well, there may 918 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:55,200 Speaker 1: come a time, is all I'm saying. And with that 919 00:51:55,239 --> 00:51:58,040 Speaker 1: in mind, the only thing I think you can count 920 00:51:58,040 --> 00:52:00,520 Speaker 1: on is that tech stuff will always be amazing popular 921 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:03,440 Speaker 1: and you should always listen to it, depending on what 922 00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:09,200 Speaker 1: format it's and uh, no matter we transcend, we transcend formats, 923 00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:14,759 Speaker 1: we transcend platforms, we are freaking amazing. All right, So 924 00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:17,600 Speaker 1: just you can in fact that I think that's gonna 925 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:22,120 Speaker 1: be our new slogan, tech stuff. We are freaking amazing. Um. 926 00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:24,120 Speaker 1: So yeah, you know you heard it from me first. 927 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:28,280 Speaker 1: All right, guys, that is our story about the VCR 928 00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:31,399 Speaker 1: and UH and how it works and it's impact on 929 00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:35,600 Speaker 1: technology in general. If you guys have a particular type 930 00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:37,440 Speaker 1: of technology you would like us to talk about, or 931 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 1: any other kind of topic in general, let us know. 932 00:52:40,760 --> 00:52:43,920 Speaker 1: You can contact us through Facebook or Twitter or handle 933 00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:47,680 Speaker 1: at both of those it's text stuff hs W, or 934 00:52:47,800 --> 00:52:49,960 Speaker 1: you can send us an email and our address is 935 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:52,840 Speaker 1: tech stuff at Discovery dot com. And Chris and I 936 00:52:52,840 --> 00:52:57,360 Speaker 1: will tell to you again really soon. Be sure to 937 00:52:57,440 --> 00:52:59,960 Speaker 1: check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Few. 938 00:53:00,040 --> 00:53:02,839 Speaker 1: Sure join House Staffork Staff as we explore the most 939 00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:08,040 Speaker 1: promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The Houstuff Works iPhone 940 00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:15,719 Speaker 1: app has arrived. Download it today on iTunes, brought to 941 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:18,880 Speaker 1: you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, 942 00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:19,480 Speaker 1: are you