RIP: VHS

By
Posted 18 years ago
JoBloJoBlo

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that VHS is dead. I mean the last Hollywood movie to be released on VHS was A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. But did you know that there was still a distributor out there specializing in VHS? There is, though I should say there was as even they are throwing in the towel. The last VHS wholesaler in the United States is closing up shop and taking the last of its inventory and either giving it away to charity (libraries, hospitals and the like) or throwing it away. While it’s virtually impossible to find VHS at a Blockbuster or Best Buy, they were still being sold by this company to dollar stores or local grocery stores. Now that there are plenty of budget titles on DVD (the bargain bins of VHS at Wal-Mart have been replaced with $4 DVDs), the market for VHS has dried up and even the dollar stores are having trouble moving titles. As a household that still has a bunch of VHS tapes, it’ll be sad to see the old girl go. I still remember renting movies from the local video store (before there was even a Blockbuster), setting up two VCRs and taping my own copy of a movie from the rental copy. It was a good racket before the days of DRM. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before we look back at DVDs with nothing more than a bit of nostalgia and wonder how we ever survived…

For more on the final nail in the coffin of VHS, check out this extensive article at the LA Times here.

Source: LA Times

About the Author

Mike Sampson
4,524 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: The Shawshank Redemption, Jaws, Boogie Nights, Goodfellas, The Jerk, Raiders of read more the Lost Ark, The Untouchables (recent) 21 Grams, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anchorman

Likes: German women, the VX-980 hair blower, my chest hair, fighting beach read more crime, my talking black Trans-Am...oh wait, that's David Hasselhoff

The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.

What’s Not Allowed

  • Abusive language, insults, or harassment toward other users or staff.
  • Hate speech of any kind is strictly prohibited.
  • Bickering, bullying, personal attacks, or baiting others to argue
  • Extended off-topic debates, especially those centered on politics or religion rather than the article topic
  • No AI content or SPAM

Latest Movie News

Load more articles

Shop Merch

Top 10 Movies

  1. Avengers: Doomsday
  2. Digger
  3. Dune: Part Three
  4. Street Fighter (2026)
  5. Resident Evil (2026)
  6. Other Mommy
  7. Onslaught
  8. Heart of the Beast
  9. Spaceballs: The New One
  10. I Play Rocky

Breaking News

Desert island movies

JoBlo Originals

What Are Your Ten Desert Island Movies?

Posted 1 week ago
You’ve been stranded on a desert island and you can only bring ten movies to watch. I'll give you my picks, but let us know your choices!

Top Celebrity Stories!