RIP VHS

Progress and innovation are not victimless, as shown by the gradual phaseout of VHS video cassette recorders and videotapes. Consider:

• Worldwide sales of DVD players outstrip sales of VHS players 40 to 1
• Wal-Mart sells dozens of DVD player models, starting at $38, as opposed to only a handful of VHS models
  
• When DreamWorks released Shrek 2 on video at the beginning of this month, 12 million copied were sold in the first week... 11 million of which were DVDs
• Pioneer will stop manufacturing VCRs and related products
• The UK retailer Dixons will stop selling VCRs after this holiday season
• Blockbuster has been cutting back its inventory of VHS movies since 2001
• Police report that burglars who break into homes often don't bother to take VCRs, as their street value has fallen so low
  
• Circuit City phased out VHS videotapes in 2002
  

The speed with which DVDs have been adopted is astonishing. A few years ago, DVDs were on the bleeding edge; today, a DVD player can be had for less than a night out at the movies. Expect to see further VHS obituaries after the holidays.

Sources: C|Net, Techdirt