R.I.P: VCR How We Will Miss Thee
As everything good comes to an end so does the VCR. Funai Electric, the Japanese company the only company that still produces the VCR, is shutting down its production center this month, bringing an end to the sacred video playing device. With the end of production comes the end of an era.
A simple era where families gathered to watch a movie on a Friday night; an era where hours were spent fixing the tuning; an era where the family spent many moments arguing in a rental store over which movie to pick; and most importantly an era of genuine excitement when you pushed play and watched a whole new world play out in front of your eyes. The VCR was revolutionary and allowed us to hear and see things we could never imagined.
In the 1980s, the VCR was the must have gadget. I can still remember rushing home so I could record my favorite show. The VCR gave you freedom to record and share your favorite shows with friends and family. Just like the old rental stores that are no more, VCR's future was inevitably going to end because of the internet and the growth of digital movies. VCR's long 40-year lifetime may now be officially over, but that does not mean we can't still sit down with a pizza and our family on a Friday night and enjoy one of the classics.
I for one will miss the rental stores, the family moments, the hours of tuning and even the static. Just remember, be kind - please rewind!