Japan’s Funai Electric, which claims to be the world’s last VCR manufacturer, says it will cease production of the machines this month.This company is the only one producing the machine today and parts are getting harder to find.
I had my first VCR when I was living in Germantown MD in 1987. My father had bought one from Service Merchandise and spent the night setting it up, reading over the manual trying to program the clock, this was advance stuff back then. Now its plug in and hook up an HDMI cable to a blu-ray player or Playstation 4. My last use of a VCR was in 2012 showing my ex gf Batman Mask of the Phantasm I had that VHS copy since I was 14, I gave it to my son who I showed Godzilla vs Space Godzilla in 2010 on a VHS. I held onto the devise till the summer of 2012, and left it at an old apartment for the next tenet.
I worked for a mom and pop video store in 2004 ( went out of business) a Block Buster in 2000-2001 ( quit to join the Army) and 2006-2008 ( fired cuz the people of Clinton MA suck and find it easy to crap all over a part time employee). At least two of these locations I still had access to VHS tapes and that was half the fun of working there FREE MOVIES to rent. I would hot my local store for VHS tapes every Friday night. This article can become why I loved rental stores more than about VCRs in no time. The point being my VCR got a lot of use and it was a $40 machine when I bought one in 1998 for my self.
My Friends Kirk, Xtine, had this to say respectively
Xtine —–“The very first movie I ever watched on a VCR was the original Ghostbusters. Not a scary movie I know, but there was one party that made me jump. It was when I took too long in the kitchen getting a snack and the “Pause” feature on the VCR had timed out. I wasn’t expecting the movie to stop and the TV to blare some random show loudly. Thank you VCR for teaching me two things. First, that watching a movie on my own sofa is the most comfortable thing ever. Second, to be efficient in the kitchen always!”
Kirk—-“it was an interesting device; movies at home, on your own time, was a great novelty, and being able to record (both to time shift commercial stuff, or maybe even rent a camcorder) was empowering. Thanks Mr. Rogers!” Mr. Rogers on Mr Rogers neighbor hood on PBS would show us how a VHS works in one episode
Bill Fulkerson from the Outside the Cinema—-“I still own one. I don’t use it often but I fire it up every now and then to watch The Friday the 13th movies.” Bill show and more information can be found here https://www.facebook.com/outsidethecinema/?pnref=lhc
I remember the many times using the machine to try and record episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Comedy Central back in 1991- 1994. A couple years later the DVD player would emerge. Its been the end of an era for a while they are still sold at Best buy, Walmart, and other retail chains, VHS collecting has made these machines very much in demand. Its sad to see it end.
chrisdsav
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