RIP VHS: Death throes of the videotape

By Nicole Lee on 23 December 2008, 10:40am

Christmas is nothing without nostalgia, so Crave had a warm, seasonal moment when we read this report from the Los Angeles Times that the last major US supplier of VHS tapes has shipped its final truckload of the format. We know VHS has been considered dead for years, but now it's officially the end of an era.

Ryan Kugler, the owner of the warehouse, said he'll end up just giving away the rest of the unused tapes or dumping them in the rubbish.

The LA Times article goes on to detail the interesting history of the VHS tape, including what it meant for the home entertainment industry and how it was eventually overtaken by DVD in the mid-2000s. It's particularly relevant now, as it appears even DVDs could well go the way of the dodo, with Blu-ray and online downloads gaining in popularity.

So, does this mean we'll give up our trusty VCR? Not just yet. There are many cult movies and independent films that never made the transition to DVD, and many of them are still available in independent video rental stores. That said, the format is fragile, and brick-and-mortar video stores are dying a slow death, so its eventual unplugging seems inevitable.

What do you make of the end of the VHS? Do you think DVD and Blu-ray will suffer the same fate? What VHS tapes do you still have lying around? Our most notable survivor is a copy of the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings cartoon, which is, er, something of an acquired taste.