# TiVo Marks Passing of VCR



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

On Friday, at the Digital Life consumer technology show in New
York City, TiVo brought down the (final) curtain on the VCR.

The DVR pioneer conducted the publicity stunt aimed at
honoring "the passing of the venerable, but clunky VCR that
never (quite) lived up to its promise for easy and convenient
television recording." And as part of the festivities, TiVo
gave away hundreds of 40 hour TiVo Series2 units to consumers
who traded in old videotapes for what it called the "ultimate
VCR replacement"

The memorial service featured a mock funeral, including a
eulogy and a casket overflowing with VCR tapes.

Digital Life was estimated to have attracted more than 35,000
visitors during the weekend.

www.SkyReport.com - used with permission


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

I have 3 VCRs in my house. I don't think any of them are hooked up to TVs any more. I don't remember the last time I used one. 

I also have 3 DirecTivos. THEY get used a lot. While this was just a symbolic publicity stunt, it's coming true for many of us.


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## bobsupra (Jul 12, 2002)

What do I do with the 100+ video tapes that are in a box somewhere? I guess I'll add them to the cassette and 8-track box. I found a recycler who will take the donation and pay for your shipping:

http://www.ecoencore.org/donate/shipping/


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

I bought a DVD recorder, so I could transfer the 300-400 VHS tapes I have to DVD.
It was so complicated, I threw out the DVD recorder and kept the two VCRs.


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## M Sparks (Sep 28, 2005)

bobsupra said:


> What do I do with the 100+ video tapes that are in a box somewhere? I guess I'll add them to the cassette and 8-track box. I found a recycler who will take the donation and pay for your shipping:
> 
> http://www.ecoencore.org/donate/shipping/


Or you could play them on a VCR. 

I don't know why S-VHS didn't become more popular. I tape anamorphic HD movies on them. Obviously, the quality isn't anywhere near HD, but it's quite good. I just do that for movies that are hard to find on DVD, or aren't worth the $5 or $10 dollars to seek out a used DVD.

I've got 400 cassettes, and a hundred or so VHS/SVHS tapes. The ones I really love I replaced with DVDs and CDs. But that doesn't make the old ones obsolete. 8 tracks are obsolete, because you can't buy a new machine to play them. But you can still get a VCR or cassette deck at any electronics or discount store.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

I stopped taping stuff for archival use anymore. Many of the shows are now coming out on DVD, and some of them right before the next season starts. 

I also no longer tape stuff for friends except on rare occassions. I also don't own a DVD recorder.


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## TimL (Apr 24, 2002)

Mark Holtz said:


> I stopped taping stuff for archival use anymore. Many of the shows are now coming out on DVD, and some of them right before the next season starts.
> 
> I also no longer tape stuff for friends except on rare occassions. I also don't own a DVD recorder.


my wife and I have over 150 Video tapes weve recorded on, much of which is rare TV shows that may never get released on DVD, as well as quite a bit of Pre-recorded VHS tapes..I may get a DVD recorder at some point but I may just replace my 2 VCR's with new models before then.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

About a year ago I completed the switch over. Other then a single SVHS tape that I recorded my vacation footage on from Digital 8, I am proud to say I no longer have any VHS tapes. I also threw out all my audio cassette tapes. I still have 2 VCRs in storage that I should get rid of and one actually plugged in. I only keep my VCR around as a pass through device and an accurate clock. Ran out of outputs on my home theater receiver, so I have both my satellite radio systems fed through the VCR. A while back someone needed to borrow an Svideo cable and I never got it back, so the VCR isn’t even hooked up as a video source.

It's only DVRs and DVD+Rs in this household.


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## derwin0 (Jan 31, 2005)

IMHO, it'll be the DVD burners that are the final nail in the VHS coffin, not DVR's. I can't keep a DVR recording on the shelf or loan it, but a DVD I can treat like a VHS.


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

DVHS is still the only archiveable hidef recorder. It will be 2 to 3 years for HD DVD recorders (Blu Ray or HDDVD) another 2 to 3 years before they're affordable. The only reason DVHS isn't sold in large quantites, today, is that only OTA can be recorded over firewire (blame Dan Glickman and crew for that). For many of us, though VHS is a thing of the past. Even, refusing ownership of a computer and owning HDTV, I am among that crowd.


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## ntexasdude (Jan 23, 2005)

And then there the issue of storage. VHS tapes take up a lot of room. Also magnetic tapes degrade over time if not properly stored. My daughter has a combo DVD/VHS deck. The other day it ate an old vhs tape she was trying to play. So I had to take the cover off and manually dig the tape out of the mechanism. How many of you have had to do that at least once?

My wife (not a techie) was simply amazed when I showed her how I could rip an audio cd to mp3 and back up about 50 cd's to a single layer DVD.


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## Flyboy917 (Oct 25, 2003)

Capmeister said:


> I have 3 VCRs in my house. I don't think any of them are hooked up to TVs any more. I don't remember the last time I used one.
> 
> I also have 3 DirecTivos. THEY get used a lot. While this was just a symbolic publicity stunt, it's coming true for many of us.


Ditto that! I have 2 or 3 VCRS gathering dust in the basement. The boxes of tapes will be gone through soon to find only the ones I REALLY want. I'll be hooking a VCR to the computer. (no stand alone VCR to DVD unit for a couple of tapes).
2 DirecTivos and 1 HDTivo are the culprits that nailed the coffin here!


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## zman977 (Nov 9, 2003)

We have two VCR's and I cannot remember the last time I watched them. We have about 100 VHS tapes that we never watch and should probably get rid of. Would save quite a bit of space. The movies we like to watch that we have on VHS we have already replaced on DVD. and we have things on VHS that have not been watched in years. The only reason we have not gotten rid of them is my wife likes to use the statement, "We might want to watch that some day." I figure if we have not watched them in years we are not going to watch them "some day." Just a matter of trying to convince her of this. Our two DVR's on the other hand get used on a daily basis.


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