Super-VHS: The Comeback Kid (Update)
VHS VCRs have been the mainstay of home video recording and viewing for over twenty years. Even the superior BETA format couldn't shake the marketing onslaught of VHS, with its longer tape recording times and manufacturer and software support. Although many innovations, such as Laserdisc, DVD, Satellite, and now DTV and PVRs offer the consumer higher quality video reproduction, the good-ol' dependable VHS VCR is hard to part with.
Although VHS has enjoyed great success in the past two decades, what does the future hold for this aging format in the wake of the need for a higher resolution video tape recording format in the digital age? The key to the continued success of the VCR may actually lie in a video recording format that has, until recently, been used mainly by video professionals and prosumers.
Back in the mid-80's such a format was introduced by JVC (developers of VHS) and dubbed Super-VHS (S-VHS). Able to record and reproduce video at 400 lines of resolution (as opposed to the 250-lines on VHS), S-VHS was the answer to the videophile's dream of being able record movies (especially off Laserdisc and cable) and edit camcorder videos while retaining most of the original quality of the source material. In fact, S-VHS (along with Hi8) made its way into many prosumer video studios for recording weddings, industrial, educational, cable access, and other commercial videos.
As a result, you would think that the public would jump on such a format right away. Unfortunately, that was not the case. First of all, S-VHS decks were very expensive and continued to be until recently. Secondly, you couldn't play an S-VHS recorded tape in a regular VHS VCR (A regular VHS VCR can't read the extra information). Third, you had to use more expensive tape to record in S-VHS. Fourth, none of the major film studios supported enough pre-recorded software for the new format.
Even though S-VHS VCRs were backwards compatible with regular VHS tapes and pre-recorded material, the "perceived" drawbacks made acceptance by average consumers difficult. As a result, S-VHS VCRs have languished in the video-editing and videophile niche for almost 15 years. However, they are making a mainstream comeback due to recent price drops and technological improvements that should keep the general VHS concept alive for a while.
The first factor in renewed interest in S-VHS is, of course, the amazing price drops in the VCR market generally. Two, JVC has introduced S-VHS-ET (Expansion Technology), which allows an S-VHS VCR to record a full S-VHS signal on regular VHS tape (although there has always been a way to record S-VHS on regular VHS tape, if you took the time, but the results were not quite the same). Three, higher resolution source material, such as Hi8 and miniDV Camcorder footage, satellite, and DTV transmission have given rise to the demmand for better quality VCR recordings. Lastly, with more consumers owning big tube and big screen projection TV's, the viewing of standard VHS tapes on such large screens, defects and lack of detail in a normal VHS image becomes much more evident.
While Sony still takes the expensive route on its single ($999) S-VHS Editing VCR, JVC, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba and now Mitsubishi have released several S-VHS models with street prices as low as $189-250 (About the price of some regular VHS machines)! Although, some of the less expensive units lack editing features, such as Flying Erase Heads and A/V Dubbing, that are common on many S-VHS VCRs, they are full-fledged 4-Head HiFi Stereo models, which are perfectly suited for time shifting and home theater applications.
In addition to S-VHS VCRs, JVC has taken on the popularity of Hi8 camcorders by making more affordable SVHS-ET camcorders, which can deliver the 400-line video resolution of Hi8 on standard VHS-C video tape.
In conclusion, the VCR has been with us for a whole generation and despite the fact that some have predicted its imminent demise because of the onslaught of digital technology, the VCR still has a useful entertainment function in the home. In addition, with prices of VHS VCRs starting as low as $60 and S-VHS models starting at $189, such bargains enable one to afford a VCR to go with every TV in the house. Although DVD players offer much superior quality for viewing movies at about the same price levels of an S-VHS VCR, VCRs still afford the most economical way to perform the task of actual video recording. So, if you need to purchase a new VCR, especially one for your new home theater system, don't want to loose access to your old VHS tape library, or the ability to timeshift "Survivor", "The Weakest Link", or your favorite Soaps, and that still will do your system justice, then GO S-VHS!
For more information on VCRs, check out my VCR Resources.
If you want to explore some new and exciting Tapeless alternatives to the VCR, check out my articles, Gadget Season 2000: Tapeless Video Recorders and Product Trends For 2001: Recordable DVD.
How do you feel about the future of the VCR? Join in on the discussion on my Forum: VHS VCRs -- Is The End Near? .
