# Studios Unwinding VHS Shipments



## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

From Video Business:

*Studios Unwinding VHS Shipments
Retailers OK with shift*

Studios are putting a few more nails in VHS' coffin-and many retailers appear ready for the funeral.

As the majority of U.S. households now own DVD players, the Video Software Dealers Assn. estimates that VHS made up 17% of rental revenue year-to-date through July 10. That's down from VHS' 29% share for 2004.

So it's perhaps unsurprising that sources now say Buena Vista Home Entertainment has told a number of rental and sell-through accounts not to expect any new VHS title production in 2006. Indeed, the studio is not bringing out family comedy _Herbie: Fully Loaded_ on VHS.

FULL ARTICLE HERE


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

The VCR, as a consumer electronics product, is dead.


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## bobsupra (Jul 12, 2002)

Nick said:


> The VCR, as a consumer electronics product, is dead.


I've had two VCR's die this year, and didn't replace them. Only one left in the house. We have three DVD players, tho. Sign of the times, I guess.


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## olgeezer (Dec 5, 2003)

The question on the demise of the VCR may not be tied to the ownership of a DVD player, but the % ownership of a DVD recorder or DVR. Remember it is still the only archivable format available for recording HD content (of course the movie industry has their foot in the middle of that one, preventing anything other than OTA).


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## albert71292 (Aug 19, 2005)

Nick said:


> The VCR, as a consumer electronics product, is dead.


I still use mine for "time shifting" TV shows. Refuse to buy a DVR or Tivo until they eliminate those monthly fees... I have enough monthly bills already!


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

There is always the options to build your own DVR box. Personally, I feel that the $5 DVR fee for DirecTiVo (unfortunately $6 now for new subscribers) is well worth it to get 243 hours of storage time to time-shift programs.


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## jpurkey (May 15, 2003)

albert71292 said:


> I still use mine for "time shifting" TV shows. Refuse to buy a DVR or Tivo until they eliminate those monthly fees... I have enough monthly bills already!


I use a DVD Recorder for time-shifting as it gives me the chasing playback and simultaneous record & play features of a DVR. I mainly use the VCR for copying my tapes to DVD.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

My last major client for VHS duplication was just converted last month to DVD. While they still do some VHS business, I have just completed converting a hundred video masters to authored DVD masters. In the first month their sales has quadrupled due to now selling the same titles in DVD. 
DVD duplication is extremely fast and accurate, unlike VHS that was realtime slow and each tape needed to be verified for recording integrity. Cost of DVD is lower but the packaging and printing is higher. Therefore the cost of manufacture is about the same. Cost of storage and shipping is much less. Value per buck for the customer is higher but you all knew that. 
The biggest negative is that with duplication, compatibility is still in the knee of the curve with sporadic complaints coming in from DVD early adopters with legacy machines that cost them plenty and they refuse to buy a better, cheaper player that works. This creates an unhappy customer until they bite the $69 bullet and throw away that $799 incompatible antique. 

Understand that this applies to my level of the DVD business where I deal in lots of titles with small volumes of sales per month on each title.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

> This creates an unhappy customer until they bite the $69 bullet and throw away that $799 incompatible antique.


 Yep. I made the switch from a first generation Toshiba to a $69 Cyberhome a while back. I now burn my own of television programs that I want to keep. The problem was that I was ending up with so many coasters that I eventually suspected the $69 DVD player. I went out and bought an $89 Sony and all has been well with the world (at least the DVD world) since. I guess the moral of the story is that not all cheapie dvd players are created equal.


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