Gone are the days of video stores. We can stream just about anything we want, any time we want, thanks to the overwhelming amount of streaming services. So, why are people still buying VHS tapes? Here’s our take on why they still exist, and more importantly, why people want to enjoy them now.
The Nostalgia Factor
A VHS tape is a revolutionary piece of media, a vast library of moving images that is not available anywhere else. The tapes themselves offer a sense of nostalgia to past viewers of the boxy item. A lot of culture is packed into VHS tapes, including movies that never made it big, clips of old-timey actors and actresses, and so much more that you can’t find online. Which leads us to our next reason on why VHS tapes and VCRs are in such demand. The irreplaceable family home videos that live on them.
Access to Old Personal Images & Video
Not only were movies offered on VHS tapes, but also all family home videos, of course pre-tech boom before digital cameras, memory cards, and cellphones made things a lot easier to record video. But home videos shot on a camcorder tended to be a lot longer than today’s quick cellphone snippets. Full family gatherings, a morning filmed “just because,” or a family vacation – these all warranted full documentation on a camcorder, thus a VHS tape. For a child of the 1980s and ’90s, VHS tapes might be all that you have as a visual reminder of your precious childhood. Now that’s special.
A Look Back at Cultural History
For many, the VHS tape was a way to capture a show that you wanted to watch, but could not watch on live television (so in today’s world, a form of DVR). You’d pop the blank tape in the VCR, and hit the “record” button shortly before the show started, and “stop” once the show was over. What we all didn’t realize when recording those shows was the culture and history that was captured, and we could travel back in time upon viewing. Commercials, snippets from the news, upcoming events, all of those important pieces of a time in history, captured right there on VHS.
The VCR and VHS tapes are like a time capsule compared to no other. Bringing back all those nostalgic feels and a look back in time, we’d all benefit from a little VHS viewing party every once in a while.
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