(Credit:
Ubergizmo )
Every now and then we come across weird concoctions that tickle our funny bones. But this particular VHS toaster is a cut above the rest.
While we're impressed by the way a working toaster can be jam-packed into a vintage VHS machine chassis, it's the VHS toast marks that really make the connection for us. All you'll need to complete the delicious techie breakfast is a glass of milk, two fried eggs sunny side up, bacon, and a dollop of butter. Yummy!
(Source: Crave Asia via Ubergizmo)
(Credit:
Panasonic)
VHS movies may be disappearing from store shelves, but we saw some evidence at CES 2009 that the VCR just isn't ready to die. In addition to Panasonic's surprising DMP-BD70V--a combo VCR/Blu-ray player--JVC and Toshiba also have new VHS/DVD combos lined up for 2009. Check out the slide show below for a complete comparison.
Panasonic's DMP-BD70V puts Blu-ray, VHS playback in a single box
(Credit:
Panasonic)
It seems weird to put Lo-Fi VHS tapes and 1080p high-definition Blu-ray movies in the same box, but that's exactly what you'll be able to do with Panasonic's DMP-BD70V, which (as far as we know) is the first combination VHS/Blu-ray player. Aside from adding VHS playback, the specs look to be identical to the standard DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player. Here are the details.
Key features ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
On Sale Now: $189.99 - $399.95
View the latest prices for Panasonic DMP-BD70V
Ding dong, the VCR is dead
I've never been very good at giving up on old technology. I held on to my audio cassettes well into the compact disc era; my old Handspring Visor is still sitting in my desk drawer; and I admit that I still have an old Sony VCR taking up space underneath my TiVo.
And so I had a slightly nostalgic moment when I read this report from the Los Angeles Times that the last major supplier of VHS tapes has shipped its final truckload of the format. I know the VHS tape has been considered dead for years now, but now it is officially the end of an era. Ryan Kugler, the owner of the warehouse, said that he'll end up just giving away the rest of the unused tapes or dumping them into the trash.
The LA Times article goes on to tell a pretty interesting history of the VHS tape, including what it meant for the home entertainment industry and how it was eventually taken over by DVD some time in the mid-2000s. It's a particularly interesting story now, as it appears even DVDs might go the way of the dodo, what with Blu-ray and online downloads gaining in popularity.
So, does this mean I'll give up my VCR? I don't know. There are a lot of cult movies and independent films that never made the transition to DVD, and many of them are still available in independent video rental stores across the country. That said, the format is fragile, and brick-and-mortar video stores are dying a slow death, so maybe I will give it up some day.
What do you make of the end of the VHS? Do you think DVD and Blu-ray will suffer the same fate? I would also be curious to hear what VHS tapes, if any, you might have lying around. (The only VHS tape I have in the house is a copy of the utterly lame Lord of the Rings cartoon.)
Peace in our time
They're all born with the best of intentions, but only the strong survive.
Formats come and go. Some are barely noticed, and some die a slow, painful death. So now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD was comparatively brief--unless you're on the losing side, stuck with a slowpoke player and a collection of HD DVD discs. I've already heard from some angry HD DVD supporters. War is tough.
If you're over 35, you probably remember the Betamax vs. VHS wars, which raged from 1975 to the late 1980s, when Sony finally surrendered and started marketing VHS machines.
Like the HD DVD-Blu-ray debacle, manufacturers divided into two camps: Beta had Sony, Toshiba, Sanyo, NEC, Aiwa, and Pioneer. An impressive lineup, but JVC, Matsushita (Panasonic), Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Akai sided with VHS. Even when everyone said Beta was dead as a doornail in the early 1990s (long before the introduction of DVD), the format soldiered on in Japan until 2002.
Pioneer still makes Laserdisc players like this DVL-919
(Credit: Pioneer Electronics)Some formats wither and die on their own--the Laserdisc wasn't competing against anything but a lack of interest. The LD was a 12-inch optical analog disc alternative to Beta and VHS. It looked like an LP-size CD. Yes, it was a better, higher-quality format than tape, and it still garnered only a small yet fanatical market base among videophiles.
The LD fared better than RCA's crippled-from-the-start CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) that came out in 1981. Marketed as "SelectaVision," the grooved, LP-like discs were fragile, and they never stood a chance against VHS tape. Still, RCA stuck to its guns for five long years before snuffing the CED in 1986. Ten years later, the Laserdisc was on its last legs when the DVD finally killed it off--the software, that is. Pioneer still sells new DVD-LD players. How's that for customer support?
DVD was unchallenged but for a brief skirmish with Divx (Digital Video Express, not to be confused with DivX). Divx was a DVD rental variant, but cheaper (a disc sold for about $5) and could be viewed only for 48 hours after its first use. Divx players could play DVDs, but standard DVD players couldn't play Divx discs. Disney, Twentieth Century Fox Film, and Paramount Pictures released their movies in the Divx format.
The Audiophiliac poses with an 8-track cartridge.
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)Audio has had its own share of format wars, but it also had some remarkably stable formats. The LP has been around for 50-plus years, and you can still play the oldest LPs on a brand-new turntable.
It's starting to look like the LP will outlast the CD. But CDs are a long-running success and likewise universally playable, and most surviving cassettes are serviceable.
Analog tape formats like reel-to-reel, 8-track, and 4-track cartridges still have tiny outposts of devout followers, but the Elcaset came and went so fast, I never even heard it. Digital-tape formats like DAT and the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) barely made a dent in the public's awareness.
So how will the HD DVD fare in the format history time line? What do you think: a mere blip or an interesting diversion?
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