Even after they're obsolete, technologies can take a long time to fully die out. It was only in 2011, after all, that the last typewriter factory shutdown. And now, at long last, it appears the videocassette recorder is suffering the same fate: Funai Electric, the last company known to make VCRs, is ceasing production.

Funai has a long history with the VHS format and VCRs. In 1980, it launched the CVC Player, the first ever compact cassette recorder, which attempted to compete with the more popular VHS and Betamax formats. Funai's website notes that the CVC "attracted a great deal of interest when Japanese television broadcasters used these for a program on climbing Mt. Everest," but they were no match for the more popular formats. In 1983 Funai started making VCRs of their own, applying technology used in the CVC, and haven't stopped until the end of this month.

The VCR changed the way media operated, giving viewers a chance to watch programming whenever they wanted to. The 1983 Supreme Court case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. tackled the issue of making individual copies of a recording for personal use on a VCR. The Court, in a 5-4 ruling, cited the " millions of owners" of VCRs in allowing their continued use. The VCR's ability to "time-shift" a viewing, as the Court referred to it, can be seen as the beginning of a line which leads directly to Netflix's current streaming options.

The reasons for Funai's halting VCR production aren't surprising: they've cited declining sales and difficulty finding parts, which translates to "nobody's buying them anymore." Just because nobody's buying doesn't mean that nobody's using them, of course. VCRs and VHS tapes have garnered a cult fan base, with people coming to appreciate the lack of sharpness in quality as a type of warmth, or nostalgia. This has inspired a trend of appreciation towards older formats. Indeed, as the VCR ends its initial run, Kodak is looking to revitalize the Super 8 under the tagline "Analog Renaissance." So if you're going to miss the VCR, just wait 20 years.

Source: Mental Floss

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