Even though the '80s was the absolute peak of cassettes' popularity, doesn't it seem like they were just as popular with people during the '90s? Maybe even a little moreso, since players and boomboxes were more affordable by then. Sorta like the Internet is now in the sense of maybe not being as "cool" as it was a decade ago, but even further in the mainstream and owned by more people.

Like, cassettes were still referenced on TV or in movies as the main musical outlet. For example, I saw a rerun of this old Jerry Springer episode from 1994 recently (this was before the show became crazy like it is now), where he visited homeless teens on the streets in LA. It all seemed very recent, until some guys living in a squat said they were saving up to buy a radio because they had tapes. I realized how dated that made it sound now. :D

I wouldn't say CDs started completely becoming household and replacing them until about 1998.

Yes, audio cassette tapes were still pretty popular in the '90s. I remember I started listening to CD's in I think 1997. Nowadays, I wish computers came with "audio cassette drives" along with the CD-ROMs. I currently listen to a lot of CD's, but I still listen to a lot of tapes as well. Whenever I buy a new stereo, I always have to make sure it has at least one tape deck.

Yes, audio cassette tapes were still pretty popular in the '90s. I remember I started listening to CD's in I think 1997. Nowadays, I wish computers came with "audio cassette drives" along with the CD-ROMs. I currently listen to a lot of CD's, but I still listen to a lot of tapes as well. Whenever I buy a new stereo, I always have to make sure it has at least one tape deck.


Same here.

I still love tapes (partly out of familarity, and 'cause they were so much a part of my childhood/my past) even if I now burn CDRs all the time. Even though my parents started buying CDs in 1986 when they started breaking out, and I'd made mixtapes using our CDs, I never bought my own until then, too.

Now that I think about it, tapes were only very gradually getting less popular (I'd say about 1994 was when they were equal with CDs) until the Internet and downloading got popular. I wonder if that's what kinda killed them?

Yeah that sounds about right...I don't think I got my first CD till '99.  Otherwise I always had cassettes (the first one I ever got was Green Day's "Insomniac" in '95).  Around '97 my brothers kept telling me, "You should replace your cassettes with CDs, they're much better."  I didn't believe them so I kept buying cassettes.  Once I got my first CD I thought it was so cool to just skip to whatever song you wanted to hear, instead of waiting so long to forward, lol.

Also, we didn't get a car that had a CD player until December 1999. So between 1997 and 1999, my family was listening to both CD's and tapes. Also when we got that car, my dad had them put in a tape deck along with the CD player. I remember it was a 2000 Honda Accord.

Currently, we still have a Honda Accord that we bought back in 1995. It only has a tape deck, however we have one of those portable CD player adapters for it. We no longer have the 2000 Honda Accord and we now have a 2006 Dodge Ram with only a CD player. It's getting hard to find car tape decks nowadays.

Even though the '80s was the absolute peak of cassettes' popularity, doesn't it seem like they were just as popular with people during the '90s? Maybe even a little moreso, since players and boomboxes were more affordable by then. Sorta like the Internet is now in the sense of maybe not being as "cool" as it was a decade ago, but even further in the mainstream and owned by more people.

Like, cassettes were still referenced on TV or in movies as the main musical outlet. For example, I saw a rerun of this old Jerry Springer episode from 1994 recently (this was before the show became crazy like it is now), where he visited homeless teens on the streets in LA. It all seemed very recent, until some guys living in a squat said they were saving up to buy a radio because they had tapes. I realized how dated that made it sound now. :D

I wouldn't say CDs started completely becoming household and replacing them until about 1998.



Yeah, cassette tapes were still very popular throughout the '90s. I didn't even get a cd until 1997. It wasn't until about that time that cd's started to really overtake cassette tapes as the main medium for listening to music.

As of right now, CD's are now beginning to be overtaken by MP3 players, iPods, etc.

In the early - mid 90s, casettes were huge.  Especially cassingles

In the early - mid 90s, casettes were huge.  Especially cassingles

What are cassingles?

What are cassingles?


A cassette single, but they are commonly called cassingles :)

http://www.dmbdiscography.com/wwys_cassingle_front_96dpi.jpg

A cassette single, but they are commonly called cassingles :)

http://www.dmbdiscography.com/wwys_cassingle_front_96dpi.jpg

Hmm, I think I remember seeing a similar facsimilie in 1997 when Elton John released Candle in the Wind '97 on tape and CD. It had only two songs on it. They were released in limited quanities sometime after Princess Diana's death and were only sold for a few days. I actually bought a CD and tape. I've still got the CD. I bet it would be worth something someday.

Hmm, I think I remember seeing a similar facsimilie in 1997 when Elton John released Candle in the Wind '97 on tape and CD. It had only two songs on it. They were released in limited quanities sometime after Princess Diana's death and were only sold for a few days. I actually bought a CD and tape. I've still got the CD. I bet it would be worth something someday.


"Candle in the Wind 97" was actually one of the last widely released cassingles.  His came in an actual cassette case, whereas the typical cassingle would come in a cardboard slipcase

A cassette single, but they are commonly called cassingles :)

http://www.dmbdiscography.com/wwys_cassingle_front_96dpi.jpg


Yeah, my bro still has some of those left over....mostly Ace of Base I think.

both cd's and cassetes were popular in the early and mid 90s. the only reason i would buy casettes is cause they  were cheaper than cd's but i prefered the cd if it was reasonably priced.

Cassettes were still popular in the 90s especially the first half of the 90s. Around 1995 casette popularity started to plumet and I think I last saw them sold in stores around 1998. I still have a lot of casettes from my childhood and teen years of the 80s and 90s, and a lot of tapes I made myself from music off the radio..love the old airchecks and stuff like that too. I still listen to them occasionally since I have a good tape player, they still work, and my car has a tape player (I do have a cd/mp3 player that plugs into the tape deck ).

We were still using a lot of "older technology" from the late 70s and 80s in the 1990s, even into the late 90s.  Cassettes, VCRs, VHS tapes, fax machines, big cell phones, arcades and other older video games, typewriters, a lot of that was still in wide use in the 90s.  A lot of older tech was still in use in the 90s.  So it always boggles the mind when people that grew up in the 90s and were born around 1987 or so say they don't know what a cassette is or what a record is.   They should know.  Come on, you grew up in the 90s you should know what recent older technology was from 10 years before or so, like a record.  I never used an 8-track tape when I was growing up, but I still knew what an 8-track tape was.  I never had a rotary phone when I was growing up, and I don't even think I ever used one as a kid, but I still knew what a rotary phone was.  Etc, etc.  If they are 9 year olds that were born in 1997 or something I would buy it, but a lot of that stuff was still around in the 90s.   

As of right now, CD's are now beginning to be overtaken by MP3 players, iPods, etc.


The biggest travesty in music! Soon there'll be no more cd sleeves to gush over, album covers to stare at, singles for the avid collector and worst of all shops to spend an hour in.

I never had a rotary phone when I was growing up, and I don't even think I ever used one as a kid, but I still knew what a rotary phone was.   

This is weird but we still have a super old rotary phone that we use everyday, lol.  :o

We were still using a lot of "older technology" from the late 70s and 80s in the 1990s, even into the late 90s.  Cassettes, VCRs, VHS tapes, fax machines, big cell phones, arcades and other older video games, typewriters, a lot of that was still in wide use in the 90s.  A lot of older tech was still in use in the 90s.  So it always boggles the mind when people that grew up in the 90s and were born around 1987 or so say they don't know what a cassette is or what a record is.  They should know.  Come on, you grew up in the 90s you should know what recent older technology was from 10 years before or so, like a record.  I never used an 8-track tape when I was growing up, but I still knew what an 8-track tape was.  I never had a rotary phone when I was growing up, and I don't even think I ever used one as a kid, but I still knew what a rotary phone was.  Etc, etc.  If they are 9 year olds that were born in 1997 or something I would buy it, but a lot of that stuff was still around in the 90s.   



Yeah, I noticed that too. I was born in '87 and alot of my classmates in high school acted like VHS tapes and VCR's were totally foreign to them. That was strange to me since I was still more comfortable with VHS than DVD up until about 2003, and didn't even own a DVD player until that year either. I didn't get my first CD until 1997, and I didn't even get my own cell phone until this April. Heck, I still even fell like 3D video games are new.

Just as the sound quality of cassettes was reaching its zenith in the late '80s, they got eclipsed by CD!  The first CDs marketed were classical, jazz, and New Age 'coz the equipment and the medium was so expensive the first couple of years they were available, it only made sense to market music consumed by people with lots of cash on hand.  In '88 I was still buying vinyl and cassettes, then I broke down and bought a CD player in January '89 I think it was.  It was a a high quality Sony.  I still have it today.  It still works as well as the day I bought it!  I had to replace the drawer mechanism about seven years ago.  Other than that, no problems at all!


This is weird but we still have a super old rotary phone that we use everyday, lol.  :o

ROCK ON!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/phone.gif
Hang on to that rotary phone as long as you possibly can!
I remember the last time I used a rotary must have been about nine years ago.  My car broke down outside of this little Armenian church.  I went in to ask if I could use the phone to call AAA.  They were very gracious, and directed me to the phone in the kitchen.  There on the wall was a rotary!  I don't think I've used one since. 

Yeah, I noticed that too. I was born in '87 and alot of my classmates in high school acted like VHS tapes and VCR's were totally foreign to them. That was strange to me since I was still more comfortable with VHS than DVD up until about 2003, and didn't even own a DVD player until that year either. I didn't get my first CD until 1997, and I didn't even get my own cell phone until this April. Heck, I still even fell like 3D video games are new.


Never understood that about people around your age.  How could you guys know what a record was?  You don't have to ever used one.  Records were not in use during the 90s but they were a recent enough old technology that you would still know what it was.  I just don't get you guys.  And the 90s had plenty of older technology around, even into the late 90s, but a lot of 18 year olds act like they never saw that before.

I just thought of another one: a slideruler.  I never used one growing up, kids were using calculators in the 80s, but I still know what a slideruler was. 

Never understood that about people around your age.  How could you guys know what a record was?  You don't have to ever used one.  Records were not in use during the 90s but they were a recent enough old technology that you would still know what it was.  I just don't get you guys.  And the 90s had plenty of older technology around, even into the late 90s, but a lot of 18 year olds act like they never saw that before.

I just thought of another one: a slideruler.  I never used one growing up, kids were using calculators in the 80s, but I still know what a slideruler was. 



Yeah, I was never like that since my parents still listened to records on there old record player throught the '90s, but alot of people I knew had never even seen one before :o

Yeah, I was never like that since my parents still listened to records on there old record player throught the '90s, but alot of people I knew had never even seen one before :o


My parents still listen to records too, it's weird that they'll still listen to those, yet if we buy them CDs they'll just like put them in the closet forever, lol.

I've never owned a record player, but I have seen them and I do enjoy them. My brother played one of his Bealtes records for me a few years ago.

Also, we didn't get a car that had a CD player until December 1999. So between 1997 and 1999, my family was listening to both CD's and tapes. Also when we got that car, my dad had them put in a tape deck along with the CD player. I remember it was a 2000 Honda Accord.

Currently, we still have a Honda Accord that we bought back in 1995. It only has a tape deck, however we have one of those portable CD player adapters for it. We no longer have the 2000 Honda Accord and we now have a 2006 Dodge Ram with only a CD player. It's getting hard to find car tape decks nowadays.


Yeah, I think the very early '00s was the last time cars came with them as "standard". Most car stereo places have at least a couple tape models you can buy (though who knows how long that'll last?).

Several years ago, my mom bought one of the first cars with a CD player (a '94 Taurus), but it skipped half the time or would plain spit the disc out, lol. I'm guessing that was before they became reliable (I'd say 1998 was about the halfway point in terms of what cars came with).

I was about to say I never personally owned any records, and in a way I don't. But I remembered there were about 10-20 record singles my parents bought for me when I was around 3 (I think I had one of those kiddle/Fisher Price record players). Songs from c. 1985 like Phil Collins' "One More Night" and David Lee Roth's "California Girls".

I'd forgotten all about that until I found a box in the garage with alof of our old records.

Yeah, I think the very early '00s was the last time cars came with them as "standard". Most car stereo places have at least a couple tape models you can buy (though who knows how long that'll last?).

Several years ago, my mom bought one of the first cars with a CD player (a '94 Taurus), but it skipped half the time or would plain spit the disc out, lol. I'm guessing that was before they became reliable (I'd say 1998 was about the halfway point in terms of what cars came with).

Once I start driving, my dad's going to give me his old 1986 Nissan Pickup. It has a tape deck in it that he had put in back around 1988. I'm going to try and keep the tape deck in it whenever I do get it. Its problem is that the sound is disorted whenever you play a tape. Hopefully it can just be fixed with a cleaner. I'll just use one of those portable CD player adapters if I want to listen to a CD.

I'm currently in the process of starting an audio tape collection. I went to Target last month and bought some paper media boxes. Do they still make those big holsters for tapes?

Once I start driving, my dad's going to give me his old 1986 Nissan Pickup. It has a tape deck in it that he had put in back around 1988. I'm going to try and keep the tape deck in it whenever I do get it. Its problem is that the sound is disorted whenever you play a tape. Hopefully it can just be fixed with a cleaner. I'll just use one of those portable CD player adapters if I want to listen to a CD.

I'm currently in the process of starting an audio tape collection. I went to Target last month and bought some paper media boxes. Do they still make those big holsters for tapes?


That's cool. I'd guess they still exist, but not really in bulk. I've seen alot of those wooden/pullout drawers at Goodwill alot, though.

Personally I have zillions of tapes from over the years, and I still buy 'em at secondhand stores alot. I'm such a geek I even have three separate categorizations for them. I keep the "main" ones in an old dresser, and I have a category for "tapes I have on CD" and "second copy" ones.

I guess a 4th section would be the "recorded" ones, too.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I was born in '87 and alot of my classmates in high school acted like VHS tapes and VCR's were totally foreign to them. That was strange to me since I was still more comfortable with VHS than DVD up until about 2003, and didn't even own a DVD player until that year either. I didn't get my first CD until 1997, and I didn't even get my own cell phone until this April. Heck, I still even fell like 3D video games are new.


Hey, I'm still kinda more comfortable with VHS (and, up till 1999 or 2000, same for tapes). ;) I know what you mean about feeling weird talking to other people with things like that. Heck, I once knew a guy my age who said he never owned any cassettes and thought they were no big deal. I was thinking Dude, are you for real!?


I'm not sure who's the majority overall. I do think alot of us on this board are well-experienced with this sort of thing because we paid attention when we were really young. Like I listened to music on the radio when I was 3 or 4 around 1985, or my parents bought me video games and tapes when I was 7, etc. You guys have had similar experiences too, so we were more aware and "attached" to what was around in our childhoods.

I think alot of the people who are more clueless may have had stricter parents who maybe didn't let them experience too much (i.e. watching TV), so they only saw a limited amount of things growing up. Just a guess.

Hey, I'm still kinda more comfortable with VHS (and, up till 1999 or 2000, same for tapes). ;) I know what you mean about feeling weird talking to other people with things like that. Heck, I once knew a guy my age who said he never owned any cassettes and thought they were no big deal. I was thinking Dude, are you for real!?


I'm not sure who's the majority overall. I do think alot of us on this board are well-experienced with this sort of thing because we paid attention when we were really young. Like I listened to music on the radio when I was 3 or 4 around 1985, or my parents bought me video games and tapes when I was 7, etc. You guys have had similar experiences too, so we were more aware and "attached" to what was around in our childhoods.

I think alot of the people who are more clueless may have had stricter parents who maybe didn't let them experience too much (i.e. watching TV), so they only saw a limited amount of things growing up. Just a guess.



Yeah, I'd agree with that. I watched alot of t.v when I was younger, so because of that I might have more of a 'feel' for the early '90s than other people my same age who weren't allowed to watch t.v, play video games, etc. like I was. And yeah, in some ways i'm still more comfortable with VHS than I am DVD, even though I've gotten alot more comfortable with DVD over the past 3/4 years due to my extensive use of the format. In some ways I think I'll always see DVD as 'new' since I didn't even watch a movie on DVD at all until 2002. Even now the format still seems new to me.

My friend who loves all that terrible '70s piano rock got rid his turntable setup years ago.  It's now all computer files.  He no longer has to dig for that particular Yes record he thinks blows Wagner out of the water and then take it out of the jacket, and the sleeve, and cue it up.  Nope, he's got three computers on his desk, and you never know what evil he is plotting behind them!

Now Supertramp is a mouse click away, and I have no chance to escape!
:o

I do think audiotapes were even more popular in the '90s...part of it was that they were such a standard fixture in cars, and that boomboxes were so popular. I remember that, while we easily had 150-200 cassette tapes, we only had about 40 CDs and this bulky CD-cassette player from c. 1988 which we got rid of in the early '00s when it started skipping. CDs were a luxury item, to a degree at least, in the '80s and earlier '90s, and tapes were standard. Like, you'd buy something on tape if you weren't willing to spend the money for a CD. My grandmother and parents always had the most classical CDs, it seemed, and special compilations like the Beatles Anthology that were more practical to purchase on CD. I'm guessing records really started to disappear around 1990, though higher-income and urban/suburban people started getting rid of them sooner, by 1986 or so.

Never understood that about people around your age.  How could you guys know what a record was?  You don't have to ever used one.  Records were not in use during the 90s but they were a recent enough old technology that you would still know what it was.  I just don't get you guys.  And the 90s had plenty of older technology around, even into the late 90s, but a lot of 18 year olds act like they never saw that before.

I just thought of another one: a slideruler.  I never used one growing up, kids were using calculators in the 80s, but I still know what a slideruler was. 


I see more records and DJs/turntablism now than I ever did 15-20 years ago.  Of course they're going to know what a record is.  For club DJs, they were definitely used in the 90s...still even today.  Most of the vinyl now is marketed toward DJs or diehard collectors.

Back OT, I think cassettes were still popular, although after I bought a CD player I never bought another pre-recorded cassette again.  I bought blank cassettes for making mixtapes.  Now I burn those sessions to CD.

I see more records and DJs/turntablism now than I ever did 15-20 years ago.  Of course they're going to know what a record is.  For club DJs, they were definitely used in the 90s...still even today.  Most of the vinyl now is marketed toward DJs or diehard collectors.

Back OT, I think cassettes were still popular, although after I bought a CD player I never bought another pre-recorded cassette again.  I bought blank cassettes for making mixtapes.  Now I burn those sessions to CD.


I still like making mixtapes (;)), partially for the old-school comfort feel, and because there's some songs I only have on cassette anyway.

Most of the tapes I've bought in the last several years have been cheapie used ones - starting in the Summer of '99, I pretty much only bought from used/secondhand stores, or Goodwill. Which works since I'm mostly into "older" music. But no, even if new tapes were still being made, I wouldn't spend 10 bucks on one anymore. Haven't done that since, like 2000 at the absolute latest.

I wonder, since turntables have made a comeback (i.e. for DJing and for rappers), maybe tapes will too in, say 2015 or 2020?

I do think audiotapes were even more popular in the '90s...part of it was that they were such a standard fixture in cars, and that boomboxes were so popular. I remember that, while we easily had 150-200 cassette tapes, we only had about 40 CDs and this bulky CD-cassette player from c. 1988 which we got rid of in the early '00s when it started skipping. CDs were a luxury item, to a degree at least, in the '80s and earlier '90s, and tapes were standard. Like, you'd buy something on tape if you weren't willing to spend the money for a CD. My grandmother and parents always had the most classical CDs, it seemed, and special compilations like the Beatles Anthology that were more practical to purchase on CD. I'm guessing records really started to disappear around 1990, though higher-income and urban/suburban people started getting rid of them sooner, by 1986 or so.



I should be able to remember this (considering how much attention I gave this sort of thing when I was younger), but from my recollection of going to music stores around 1987 it was mostly big walls of tapes. They were promoting CDs pretty heavily too. Some of the first ones we got were from around that time, I even clearly recall getting the family's first CD player at Costco with my dad in '86.

I believe there were records still, but they must've been in a small section at the back of the store. I'd say the way tapes are right now (still very vaguely around, but not mass produced and definitely past their peak) is about how records were c. 1991.

Yeah, CDs were definitely a luxury/expensive toy-type thing. I even talked to people as far up as the late '90s who didn't have a CD player or only had just started getting them. Actually, now that I think about it, CDs probably didn't become totally essential (in the sense of people laughing at you if you didn't have them) until 1998ish.

I think the CD was the main media for most of the '90s except for the first few years. Cassettes were popular for automobiles, for radio recording, or for portable use. I remember in the mid '90s, that CDs even then made up the majority of the selection, with a smaller tape section. Most people still had a CD player somewhere in their homes though. There were a few years from the late '80s until early '90s that the cassette was the highest selling audio format, then the CD took over the sales lead. I always thought that CDs and cassetes co-existed in the '90s for slightly different purposes, CDs for your home system and cassette more for the car. CD recording really wasn't around yet either, until the end of the '90s, so tapes were pretty much the only audio recording format. Nowadays with the amount of car cd players and cd recording the need for the cassette is almost non existant.

I think the CD was the main media for most of the '90s except for the first few years. Cassettes were popular for automobiles, for radio recording, or for portable use. I remember in the mid '90s, that CDs even then made up the majority of the selection, with a smaller tape section. Most people still had a CD player somewhere in their homes though. There were a few years from the late '80s until early '90s that the cassette was the highest selling audio format, then the CD took over the sales lead. I always thought that CDs and cassetes co-existed in the '90s for slightly different purposes, CDs for your home system and cassette more for the car. CD recording really wasn't around yet either, until the end of the '90s, so tapes were pretty much the only audio recording format. Nowadays with the amount of car cd players and cd recording the need for the cassette is almost non existant.


I agree, other than for listening to old mixes, or just the general old-school value, there's very little "need" for them anymore. I'm sure they'll still make blank tapes for a few more years, though (I hope, lol). ;)

That's true, when cars started regularly coming with reliable CD players, that's when I saw less New selection for tapes. Around 1998 for instance, I remember the Sam Goody in the mall I used to go to, had one wall full of tapes. Whereas in the late '80s it would've been half the store.

I'd say 1992-'95 is just about the halfway point. CDs might've been slightly outselling by that point even, but like we've pointed out, recording and car decks made tapes still a popular secondary format.

I agree, other than for listening to old mixes, or just the general old-school value, there's very little "need" for them anymore. I'm sure they'll still make blank tapes for a few more years, though (I hope, lol). ;)

That's true, when cars started regularly coming with reliable CD players, that's when I saw less New selection for tapes. Around 1998 for instance, I remember the Sam Goody in the mall I used to go to, had one wall full of tapes. Whereas in the late '80s it would've been half the store.

I'd say 1992-'95 is just about the halfway point. CDs might've been slightly outselling by that point even, but like we've pointed out, recording and car decks made tapes still a popular secondary format.


Yeah I agree the cassette was still very much alive during that timeperiod.

I remember when the music shops were wall-to-wall tapes.  Speaking of wall-to-wall, does anyone remember a store called "The Wall"?  They seemed to be the last store that still carried (then) current hits on vinyl singles.  Each one I've been in had a nice size counter filled with them.  I think the last time I remember it being like that was around late 96/early 97.  Shortly afterward, I think the store chain disappeared (may have been sold).  Great place though.

Oh yeah, the last new cassette I bought was "The Best of the Power Station" which was, get this, made in 2003.

I remember when the music shops were wall-to-wall tapes.  Speaking of wall-to-wall, does anyone remember a store called "The Wall"?  They seemed to be the last store that still carried (then) current hits on vinyl singles.  Each one I've been in had a nice size counter filled with them.  I think the last time I remember it being like that was around late 96/early 97.  Shortly afterward, I think the store chain disappeared (may have been sold).  Great place though.

Oh yeah, the last new cassette I bought was "The Best of the Power Station" which was, get this, made in 2003.

Yeah my last cassette purchase was I think in 2003 too. I think it was because it was such a good deal.

I should be able to remember this (considering how much attention I gave this sort of thing when I was younger), but from my recollection of going to music stores around 1987 it was mostly big walls of tapes. They were promoting CDs pretty heavily too. Some of the first ones we got were from around that time, I even clearly recall getting the family's first CD player at Costco with my dad in '86.

I believe there were records still, but they must've been in a small section at the back of the store. I'd say the way tapes are right now (still very vaguely around, but not mass produced and definitely past their peak) is about how records were c. 1991.

Yeah, CDs were definitely a luxury/expensive toy-type thing. I even talked to people as far up as the late '90s who didn't have a CD player or only had just started getting them. Actually, now that I think about it, CDs probably didn't become totally essential (in the sense of people laughing at you if you didn't have them) until 1998ish.


I've always thought the 45 single survived much longer than the LP. For example, I have many 45s from the late '80s in my collection, including "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, "I'm Looking for a New Love" by Jody Watley, "So Alive" by Love and Rockets, Madonna singles from Like a Prayer, and "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. The 45 filled a place for people who just liked one song or a few songs off an album and weren't willing to buy a CD or a cassette in the late '80s. Cassettes, if I'm right, first appeared in a major way around 1979, probably surpassed the LP by 1986 or so, and I'm not sure when the CD surpassed the cassette. To me, the peak of the CD was c. 1997, after records were long dead and before internet downloading was heard of. One issue was the buying of songs that you didn't want the whole album for; cassettes were often a solution for this. But, as Brian said, in the '90s you would usually buy a cassette for the car or for younger kids, since they're more durable (for example, I had the NOW collections on tape when I was 8 and 9 in the late '90s), and the CD for the house. CDs seemed to be for things you really liked in the late '80s and early '90s.

Since, being a high school upperclassman, I have alot of friends who drive now, and since most of them drive used cars from the '90s and very early '00s, we play old cassettes a fair amount. The local used CD emporium downtown near where I get my hair cut has been selling huge amounts of used cassettes on the street lately with signs like "You know what a cassette is? If so, you're in the know. Buy ten for $5.00!"

I've always thought the 45 single survived much longer than the LP. For example, I have many 45s from the late '80s in my collection, including "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, "I'm Looking for a New Love" by Jody Watley, "So Alive" by Love and Rockets, Madonna singles from Like a Prayer, and "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles. The 45 filled a place for people who just liked one song or a few songs off an album and weren't willing to buy a CD or a cassette in the late '80s. Cassettes, if I'm right, first appeared in a major way around 1979, probably surpassed the LP by 1986 or so, and I'm not sure when the CD surpassed the cassette. To me, the peak of the CD was c. 1997, after records were long dead and before internet downloading was heard of. One issue was the buying of songs that you didn't want the whole album for; cassettes were often a solution for this. But, as Brian said, in the '90s you would usually buy a cassette for the car or for younger kids, since they're more durable (for example, I had the NOW collections on tape when I was 8 and 9 in the late '90s), and the CD for the house. CDs seemed to be for things you really liked in the late '80s and early '90s.

Since, being a high school upperclassman, I have alot of friends who drive now, and since most of them drive used cars from the '90s and very early '00s, we play old cassettes a fair amount. The local used CD emporium downtown near where I get my hair cut has been selling huge amounts of used cassettes on the street lately with signs like "You know what a cassette is? If so, you're in the know. Buy ten for $5.00!"


Yeah, 45s were sort of the predecessor to Cassingles (which I bought alot of in the '90s - partly because I didn't have that much to spend, and 'cause I didn't always want the entire album if I only liked one radio hit and didn't yet know the band that well).

Now that we're talking about it, I think I can recall seeing those up as late as 1990ish.

I vividly remember the first time I went into a store and bought anything myself (on my 10th birthday in late 1991 - my grandma sent me a $20 bill, which I used for three tapes). By then, I'd say it was 60% tapes and 40% CDs. I can't remember any 45s, so it must've been pretty small if they were still around. I do know for sure, by 1994, there weren't any more left where I went.

I'll agree that in most of the '90s, tapes were more popular for recording and car/casual use, as opposed to "Home Stereo" use they were in the '80s. Those compact dual tape boomboxes were popular. I'd say almost every kid had one of those at the time. Yeah, downloading made it to where you didn't have to have a stereo with a CD player handy to listen to music, so I agree around 1999 when most people had the 'Net that made them "slightly less essential" if that makes sense.

I guess I'd say:

*Records: popular up to 1986; lingering until the early '90s
*Tapes: Luxury in the '60s-most of the '70s; primary from 1978-1994; secondary from 1995-2002; still around today in a small amount
*CDs: Broke out in 1985; equal to tapes by 1993; peaked around 1998. Very popular but less "hot" today.

P.S. That's pretty cool about the place near you. The independent used CD chains around me often have mega sales on cassettes like that as well (i.e. for 25 or 50 cents apiece). Since they're so cheap and I know they won't be around forever, I usually buy 5-10 at least on every trip. Often even if I have the album already, I like to get secondary copies. I also especially like finding rarer compilations (i.e. from Ktel) even if I have every song on it. ;)

When I was 10-12 I bought most of the Billboard Top Hits series on tape (the late '70s and '80s editions), just like you had with the Now's.

A little OT but does anyone remember the big LDs (Laserdiscs)?  They were like early versions of DVDs, but they were about as big as vinyl records.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/LDDVDComparison.jpg

LD (left) compared to a DVD (right)

I remember seeing an LD once of Ace Ventura in the mid-90s and thinking "Is this like the soundtrack on a record or something?"

I only know 1 person in my whole life that actually had an LD player.

A little OT but does anyone remember the big LDs (Laserdiscs)?  They were like early versions of DVDs, but they were about as big as vinyl records.

I remember seeing an LD once of Ace Ventura in the mid-90s and thinking "Is this like the soundtrack on a record or something?"

I only know 1 person in my whole life that actually had an LD player.


I remember those.  They still made them up until the DVD became primary choice for movies.  One of the last ones I know of that was in LD format was "Saving Private Ryan".

Here's something of interest about LD... I have a DVD of Spaceballs that has commentary by Mel Brooks.  Halfway in the movie, he says something like "we'll continue the conversation on side B".  And then a brief pause, and "ok, welcome back".  So, that commentary track must've been made for the LD version of the movie.

At one point, I thought about buying an LD player around the early 90's.  I think it was about $600 or so.  I'm glad I didn't!  lol.

By the way, another OT but picking back up where I left off about vinyl singles...  Although some still had barcodes on them, most of the singles that were made from the mid 90's into the early 00's were for jukebox use.  Capital Records always marked their releases as "For Jukeboxes Only" starting in the early 90's, even though they were still sold to the public.  And you can still find some recent hits on vinyl these days in limited quantities.  I've seen Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More", Hoobatank's "The Reason" and U2's "Vertigo" on 45.

As for tapes, I haven't been to K-mart lately, but about a year or so ago, they had a small bin of them going for about $5 each.  A good amount of junk and a handful of releases from 2000.  So yeah, 2000 must've been the last time the major labels considered cassette for their releases.

(Post Edited)

A little OT but does anyone remember the big LDs (Laserdiscs)?  They were like early versions of DVDs, but they were about as big as vinyl records.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/LDDVDComparison.jpg

LD (left) compared to a DVD (right)

I remember seeing an LD once of Ace Ventura in the mid-90s and thinking "Is this like the soundtrack on a record or something?"

I only know 1 person in my whole life that actually had an LD player.


Oh yeah definitely, I remember seeing the discs in the video store. The players were really expensive so not many people had it.

A little OT but does anyone remember the big LDs (Laserdiscs)?  They were like early versions of DVDs, but they were about as big as vinyl records.

I remember seeing an LD once of Ace Ventura in the mid-90s and thinking "Is this like the soundtrack on a record or something?"

I only know 1 person in my whole life that actually had an LD player.


Oh yeah, I used to spend lots of time looking at those in record stores circa 1994. One thing I especially thought was cool was seeing what chapters in my favorite movies were titled, lol (I guess that was one precursor to DVDs).

I was surprised they never caught on. Even way back then, I thought they might replace or rival VHS tapes. I've even heard some people say LD's are superior to DVDs in quality.

^They're not, DVDs are way better then LDs.  But there is something about the Laserdisc, I'm not sure what it is, that makes it just look cooler then DVDs.  The big packaging, the fact that they were so mysterious to most people.  The advanced technology looking Laserdisc player.  I worked in an electronics store in the late 90s, and I remember even in 1996 people would come up to us and ask us if we sold Laserdisc players, I told them no because hardly anyone buys them.  They continued to still sell the actual discs in stores up until 2000 or 2001 I think. 

I went to a guys house a couple of years ago and he had a LD player and a bunch of old discs, I was like flashing back to 1996 or something, I felt this "wow! how cool!  this is awesome, I can't believe you have these movies on disc".  Then I realized, hey wait I got most of these on DVDs and DVD is far superior to LD.  You were like this whacky cool movie buff with obviously some money to spend if you had a Laserdisc back in the days.  I was sooo happy when DVDs came out, because finally I could see everything Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel would rave about for years when they bragged about their Laserdiscs.  I was so envious of people who had LDs back in the 80s and 90s, so damn envious.  And they had this air of superiorty of them too, they knew we were going home and watching VHS tapes, while they had their LDs.

^They're not, DVDs are way better then LDs.  But there is something about the Laserdisc, I'm not sure what it is, that makes it just look cooler then DVDs.  The big packaging, the fact that they were so mysterious to most people.  The advanced technology looking Laserdisc player.  I worked in an electronics store in the late 90s, and I remember even in 1996 people would come up to us and ask us if we sold Laserdisc players, I told them no because hardly anyone buys them.  They continued to still sell the actual discs in stores up until 2000 or 2001 I think. 

I went to a guys house a couple of years ago and he had a LD player and a bunch of old discs, I was like flashing back to 1996 or something, I felt this "wow! how cool!  this is awesome, I can't believe you have these movies on disc".  Then I realized, hey wait I got most of these on DVDs and DVD is far superior to LD.  You were like this whacky cool movie buff with obviously some money to spend if you had a Laserdisc back in the days.  I was sooo happy when DVDs came out, because finally I could see everything Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel would rave about for years when they bragged about their Laserdiscs.  I was so envious of people who had LDs back in the 80s and 90s, so damn envious.  And they had this air of superiorty of them too, they knew we were going home and watching VHS tapes, while they had their LDs.



Have you seen the movie Black Sheep (the second Chris Farley/David Spade comedy, although I didn't like it as much as Tommy Boy)? There's a line where they're talking (I thnk) about Bruce Lee movies, and the guy says "Yeah, I own every one of 'em on Laserdisc."

When I look back on that now it seems "so 1996", but I remember for a few years, they were being touted as the next big thing. I do think they had the same appeal as records (i.e. huge cover art, seemingly advanced tech - for its time anyway).

I don't remember too many people actually having them then. I agree they were more of a "technology geek" type thing. Sorta like I remember DVDs being around 1998 and '99.

Have you seen the movie Black Sheep (the second Chris Farley/David Spade comedy, although I didn't like it as much as Tommy Boy)? There's a line where they're talking (I thnk) about Bruce Lee movies, and the guy says "Yeah, I own every one of 'em on Laserdisc."

When I look back on that now it seems "so 1996", but I remember for a few years, they were being touted as the next big thing. I do think they had the same appeal as records (i.e. huge cover art, seemingly advanced tech - for its time anyway).

I don't remember too many people actually having them then. I agree they were more of a "technology geek" type thing. Sorta like I remember DVDs being around 1998 and '99.


I remember that movie very well.

Have you seen the movie Black Sheep (the second Chris Farley/David Spade comedy, although I didn't like it as much as Tommy Boy)? There's a line where they're talking (I thnk) about Bruce Lee movies, and the guy says "Yeah, I own every one of 'em on Laserdisc."

When I look back on that now it seems "so 1996", but I remember for a few years, they were being touted as the next big thing. I do think they had the same appeal as records (i.e. huge cover art, seemingly advanced tech - for its time anyway).

I don't remember too many people actually having them then. I agree they were more of a "technology geek" type thing. Sorta like I remember DVDs being around 1998 and '99.


Yes I remember that scene.  I think you hit it on the head with the "huge cover art" statement, that was nice about laserdiscs, much like records.  It just looked cool, it still looks cool.  In the 80s and 90s, if you had one of these things you had money to burn and were way ahead of others.  I envied people like that so much, and they talked about movies and director commentaries with such a snobby atittude, because they knew the rest of us weren't getting that with our 1970s technology tapes.  But I think you would have also been seen as kind of a dork by a lot of people for HAVING a laserdisc player in those days.  It was cool to some of us, but I think others would have said "hey what's this thing?", "oh that's my laserdisc player".  There would have been a "what the hell" attitude for you just buying something like that.  I used to own a lot of movies on VHS tapes and people thought I was weird, today nearly everyone ownss several DVD films. 

It was such a great equalizer to have DVDs, hell to this day I can't believe I'm watching the same format as film critic Roger Ebert, those guys always seemed like they were going home to such priveleged technology. 

When DVDs came out, I bought them right away, they were much more affordable then laserdiscs, better quality and more compact.  During the years of 1997-'99, and even most of 2000 actually, it was this tech geek thing as you say.  I remember getting off work at nght and going to a video store in 1999 and asking where they keep their DVDs, the clerk jokingly said, "Hey why do you DVD people always come in at night!?"  "DVD people", that's what we were thought of back in 1999.  That was cool for a couple of years, to be in that bracket.  I still have recorded an episode of Siskel & Ebert from 1998 where they discuss the then new DVD format.   

Yes I remember that scene.  I think you hit it on the head with the "huge cover art" statement, that was nice about laserdiscs, much like records.  It just looked cool, it still looks cool.  In the 80s and 90s, if you had one of these things you had money to burn and were way ahead of others.  I envied people like that so much, and they talked about movies and director commentaries with such a snobby atittude, because they knew the rest of us weren't getting that with our 1970s technology tapes.  But I think you would have also been seen as kind of a dork by a lot of people for HAVING a laserdisc player in those days.  It was cool to some of us, but I think others would have said "hey what's this thing?", "oh that's my laserdisc player".  There would have been a "what the hell" attitude for you just buying something like that.  I used to own a lot of movies on VHS tapes and people thought I was weird, today nearly everyone ownss several DVD films. 

It was such a great equalizer to have DVDs, hell to this day I can't believe I'm watching the same format as film critic Roger Ebert, those guys always seemed like they were going home to such priveleged technology. 

When DVDs came out, I bought them right away, they were much more affordable then laserdiscs, better quality and more compact.  During the years of 1997-'99, and even most of 2000 actually, it was this tech geek thing as you say.  I remember getting off work at nght and going to a video store in 1999 and asking where they keep their DVDs, the clerk jokingly said, "Hey why do you DVD people always come in at night!?"  "DVD people", that's what we were thought of back in 1999.  That was cool for a couple of years, to be in that bracket.  I still have recorded an episode of Siskel & Ebert from 1998 where they discuss the then new DVD format.   


^ Now I can relate to both sides of that. I actually started working at a Blockbuster in the Summer of '99 when I was still 17. In fact, I'm still there a couple days a week as a second job (aside from saving up as much money as possible, it's still pretty fun and I get to meet and talk with cool people). I can say it's really been cool to look at the evolution of things like Tech over the last 7 years.

When I first started, VHS was by far still the main thing, but DVDs were picking up steam - probably 10% of our store at the time, although it wasn't quite essential like it's been since, I'd say 2004. On one hand, I thought they were cool for the special features and just having a CD version of movies, but I'd get a little worried when people sorta casted off VHS as becoming the next 8 track.

In the back of my mind, I knew I'd eventually get DVDs, but I sort of resisted the change at first. I remember a pretty funny conversation right after I started, with a middle aged customer I'd become acquainted with. I said I was really attached to VHS, since I'd been buying movies and recording off TV since I was 9 or 10 (at the time, almost a decade). He was like "Hey man, you're 17, aren't I supposed to be the old man here?" :D We both had to laugh at the irony of that.


Long story short, I did start buying DVDs in '03. Today I think I like them mostly for the deleted scenes and interviews. Not surprisingly, I love the feature length commentaries as well (learning little things about the making of the movie and all that). Box Sets for TV shows is another thing that made me really start getting into them, although I still love my VHS tapes and probably will forever.

^ Now I can relate to both sides of that. I actually started working at a Blockbuster in the Summer of '99 when I was still 17. In fact, I'm still there a couple days a week as a second job (aside from saving up as much money as possible, it's still pretty fun and I get to meet and talk with cool people). I can say it's really been cool to look at the evolution of things like Tech over the last 7 years.

When I first started, VHS was by far still the main thing, but DVDs were picking up steam - probably 10% of our store at the time, although it wasn't quite essential like it's been since, I'd say 2004. On one hand, I thought they were cool for the special features and just having a CD version of movies, but I'd get a little worried when people sorta casted off VHS as becoming the next 8 track.

In the back of my mind, I knew I'd eventually get DVDs, but I sort of resisted the change at first. I remember a pretty funny conversation right after I started, with a middle aged customer I'd become acquainted with. I said I was really attached to VHS, since I'd been buying movies and recording off TV since I was 9 or 10 (at the time, almost a decade). He was like "Hey man, you're 17, aren't I supposed to be the old man here?" :D We both had to laugh at the irony of that.


Long story short, I did start buying DVDs in '03. Today I think I like them mostly for the deleted scenes and interviews. Not surprisingly, I love the feature length commentaries as well (learning little things about the making of the movie and all that). Box Sets for TV shows is another thing that made me really start getting into them, although I still love my VHS tapes and probably will forever.



Yeah, I had the same gradual transition to DVD's as well. It was really about 2003/'04 before I really began to accept DVD over VHS(in fact I actually got a new VCR in 2001 when my old one tore up). Eventually I got a DVD player in 2003 and really started to buy DVD's in 2004, mostly for the same reasons as you Marty(esp. the TV show boxed sets), but even now I'd say i'm still more 'comfortable' with VHS than DVD.

We actually just got a new VCR earlier this year.  It's sad because when we went to Best Buy they only had 2 different VCRs to choose from, but like 2 aisles of different DVD players.  I'm still a lot more comfortable w/VHS too and still record on VHS everyday.  It seems so much easier and quicker to just pop in a video and press record instead of having to burn it onto a disc.

We got our first DVD along with an iMac we bought in '99.  It was "A Bug's Life".  My brothers and I were like "Holy crap, a DVD!"  The iMac had a built-in DVD player so we used that as our main player until like '03.  My mom's friend's son came over once and we watched ABL on our iMac with him.  When his mom came to pick him up he was bragging to her that he "Got to watch 'A Bug's Life' on DVD."  ;D

We actually just got a new VCR earlier this year.  It's sad because when we went to Best Buy they only had 2 different VCRs to choose from, but like 2 aisles of different DVD players.  I'm still a lot more comfortable w/VHS too and still record on VHS everyday.  It seems so much easier and quicker to just pop in a video and press record instead of having to burn it onto a disc.

We got our first DVD along with an iMac we bought in '99.  It was "A Bug's Life".  My brothers and I were like "Holy crap, a DVD!"  The iMac had a built-in DVD player so we used that as our main player until like '03.  My mom's friend's son came over once and we watched ABL on our iMac with him.  When his mom came to pick him up he was bragging to her that he "Got to watch 'A Bug's Life' on DVD."  ;D


Yeah I know. Whenever I'm at Target for instance, I always like to check out the electronics/entertainment section. There's maybe 3 standalone VCRs at most. When I bought my own first new VCR in the Spring of '99 (which still works perfect), I remember looking at all the features on different models trying to decide which one I wanted, lol.

I miss that, and this was pretty recent too, not like when VCRs were brand new in 1982 or anything.

That must've been cool for that kid to watch the movie with you guys. How old was he at the time? Even though I love tapes, I felt similarly about us having CDs when I was little back in the late '80s.

I remember when VCRs were "brand new" in the early-mid 80s.  ;)  I believe they were around in the 70s, but people didn't really start buying them until the early-mid 80s.

I remember I was the one in my family that figured out how to program the VCR and get TV shows to record.  I was 9 years old, back in 1984.  We had already had the unit for a year up to that point.  My parents were absolutely clueless on how to do that, all they knew how to do was press "play" and watch movies they would rent.  I felt like I had really accomplished something when I figured out how to do all that, I mean I was only 9 and I did something my parents didn't know anything about.  They would even ask other, more seasoned VCR owners to come in and mess around with ours to try and get shows to record, like the way people would ask for help with computers today.  Other people couldn't get it to work either, and I'm not sure why.  But after days of pouring over it, I finally got it to work.  Those old top loading VCRs weren't always very user friendly like the more modern ones that came out from the late 80s to the present.  The old ones tended to be more complicated and there were multiple channel selectors on the front of the unit that would light up green or blue (looked VERY cool, but was a headache to work with).   I remember thinking it was so awesome to have the ability to rewatch a TV show again.      

I remember when VCRs were "brand new" in the early-mid 80s.  ;)  I believe they were around in the 70s, but people didn't really start buying them until the early-mid 80s.  

I believe they first came out in 1976. My parents got their first one in the early '80s.

According to Wikipeidia, the Beta VCR came out in 1975 and the VHS format came out in 1976.  A VTR (seems like the same thing) was apparently marketed for home use as far back as 1965, I don't know who would buy this back then.  I do remember Beta, it was supposed to be way better then VHS actually.  There are some factual errors on there from what I remember, as Wikipeidia always depends on regular people for submitting "facts" and any 10 year old can submit stuff.  It says that it was in the late 80s that VCRS had the SP and LP switch on it, funny our VCR from the early 80s had that feature, as well as SLP.

That must've been cool for that kid to watch the movie with you guys. How old was he at the time? Even though I love tapes, I felt similarly about us having CDs when I was little back in the late '80s.


Yeah, it was probably the first time he'd ever seen anything on DVD.  I think he was like 11 at the time.  When we first watched it we were like, "Dang, look how clear it is!"


I remember I was the one in my family that figured out how to program the VCR and get TV shows to record.  I was 9 years old, back in 1984.  We had already had the unit for a year up to that point.  My parents were absolutely clueless on how to do that, all they knew how to do was press "play" and watch movies they would rent.

My parents are like that w/the DVD player, and they still don't know how to turn on our computer.  ;D

I remember when VCRs were "brand new" in the early-mid 80s.  ;)  I believe they were around in the 70s, but people didn't really start buying them until the early-mid 80s.

I remember I was the one in my family that figured out how to program the VCR and get TV shows to record.  I was 9 years old, back in 1984.  We had already had the unit for a year up to that point.  My parents were absolutely clueless on how to do that, all they knew how to do was press "play" and watch movies they would rent.  I felt like I had really accomplished something when I figured out how to do all that, I mean I was only 9 and I did something my parents didn't know anything about.  They would even ask other, more seasoned VCR owners to come in and mess around with ours to try and get shows to record, like the way people would ask for help with computers today.  Other people couldn't get it to work either, and I'm not sure why.  But after days of pouring over it, I finally got it to work.  Those old top loading VCRs weren't always very user friendly like the more modern ones that came out from the late 80s to the present.  The old ones tended to be more complicated and there were multiple channel selectors on the front of the unit that would light up green or blue (looked VERY cool, but was a headache to work with).   I remember thinking it was so awesome to have the ability to rewatch a TV show again.      


They were definitely in that "extremely luxury item" sense before the early '80s. In Jay Leno's autobiography, he actually has a funny story about taping his first Tonight Show appearance in 1977 where he bought this monsterously huge VCR that had "tapes the size of a human head" and wondered if him using it would power out the neighborhood. ;D

I actually very vaguely recall the top loading ones. Usually they had the attached remote control too. As annoying as they are to operate on a basic level, I actually do like some of the features, like manual tracking or being able to access everything without the remote.

My parents got a regular front loading Panasonic (although pretty retro looking, it was "modern") I think around 1984 as our main one. Some of my earliest memories are actually of seeing some kiddie-type videos on it and learning what a "VCR" did. I don't recall exactly when it kicked the bucket, but it lasted a good while at least until the early '90s. Long enough for me to start recording some of my own things with it.

The worst thing were some of those wired remotes had like a 3 or 5 inch cord on it.  What good was that!?  I thought that was stupid even back then, I bet if I showed that wired remote to a kid today, they would fall on the floor laughing. 

They were definitely in that "extremely luxury item" sense before the early '80s. In Jay Leno's autobiography, he actually has a funny story about taping his first Tonight Show appearance in 1977 where he bought this monsterously huge VCR that had "tapes the size of a human head" and wondered if him using it would power out the neighborhood. ;D

I actually very vaguely recall the top loading ones. Usually they had the attached remote control too. As annoying as they are to operate on a basic level, I actually do like some of the features, like manual tracking or being able to access everything without the remote.

My parents got a regular front loading Panasonic (although pretty retro looking, it was "modern") I think around 1984 as our main one. Some of my earliest memories are actually of seeing some kiddie-type videos on it and learning what a "VCR" did. I don't recall exactly when it kicked the bucket, but it lasted a good while at least until the early '90s. Long enough for me to start recording some of my own things with it.



Yeah VHS in the '70s was like DVD in the '90s, a luxury item that was way too expensive for the average person. The first VCR we ever owned, my parents got when I was 2 in 1989, at a time where VCR's were very popular, and the price had come down quite a bit. It lasted until 2001, when something messed up inside it and it couldn't play tapes anymore.

^ True, it's interesting that the DVD entry mirrors the VCR one by almost exactly 20 years.

An interesting thing about DVD players and VCRs that I noticed, both of them were bigger early on. The clock and display window was always to the right, instead of below.  For instance, here's a shot of our first family VCR from the early '80s (this was taken in 1993 when I had it, it still worked a couple more years):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/old_biff/TVarea93.jpg


The worst thing were some of those wired remotes had like a 3 or 5 inch cord on it.  What good was that!?  I thought that was stupid even back then, I bet if I showed that wired remote to a kid today, they would fall on the floor laughing. 


Yeah, it's no wonder they didn't last. I can even remember hearing advertisements for "wireless remotes" in the late '80s, lol.

I actually used to sit ridiculously close to the TV as a kid sometimes (sort of like the typical living room sequences on The Simpsons, where Homer and Marge are on the couch watching TV, while Bart and Lisa are in front of them on the floor). I'm probably one of the few people who might've found some use for those attached remotes. ;D

^ True, it's interesting that the DVD entry mirrors the VCR one by almost exactly 20 years.

An interesting thing about DVD players and VCRs that I noticed, both of them were bigger early on. The clock and display window was always to the right, instead of below.  For instance, here's a shot of our first family VCR from the early '80s (this was taken in 1993 when I had it, it still worked a couple more years):



Yeah, it is kinda weird how the DVD and VHS releases match up so well. The only thing is that DVD seems like its going to be fazed out much quicker than VHS was with the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players coming out this year.

I think DVDs became affordable a lot quicker then VCRs did.  DVDs came out in 1997 and I think they were reasonably affordable by 1999, I mean if you're going to spend so much money on a Playstation or XBOX, then the DVD player was the same price.  I bought mine for about $350 in 1997, I know by 1999 it was cheaper then that, and by 2001 they were practically giving them away. 

Guys that is nowhere near the same as the $600-1000+ VCRs that were way, way, WAY too expensive for most people in the 70s and early 80s.  VCRs came out in the 70s, but the average American family didn't start buying them en masse until about 1983/'84 or so (when many of them were finally at least became below $500) , because I know that even in 1981 VCRs were still seen as a real luxury piece of technology.  VCRs were ridiculously priced in it's early days, an exclusive toy for people who had some money.  Whereas DVD players started out kinda pricey, but still reasonably affordable.

I think DVDs became affordable a lot quicker then VCRs did.  DVDs came out in 1997 and I think they were reasonably affordable by 1999, I mean if you're going to spend so much money on a Playstation or XBOX, then the DVD player was the same price.  I bought mine for about $350 in 1997, I know by 1999 it was cheaper then that, and by 2001 they were practically giving them away. 

Guys that is nowhere near the same as the $600-1000+ VCRs that were way, way, WAY too expensive for most people in the 70s and early 80s.  VCRs came out in the 70s, but the average American family didn't start buying them en masse until about 1983/'84 or so, because I know that even in 1981 VCRs were still seen as a real luxury piece of technology.


Yeah I remember DVD players being very much affordable in 1999. DVDs were already all over by then really. A cheap DVD player circa 1999 was around $130-$150.

I've actually noticed that for some reason that VCR's now cost more than DVD players. ???

^hmmm, maybey they're VCR/DVD combos?

I've actually noticed that for some reason that VCR's now cost more than DVD players. ???


Because of low demand, plus DVD players are probably simpler to make than a VCR, less moving parts and stuff. The technology to make a DVD player is now very very cheap.

^hmmm, maybey they're VCR/DVD combos?


No he's right the cheapest stand alone cheap VCR is about $40 bucks, you can get a bargain DVD player for $25 or so.

No he's right the cheapest stand alone cheap VCR is about $40 bucks, you can get a bargain DVD player for $25 or so.



That's unbelievable :o

I think DVDs became affordable a lot quicker then VCRs did.  DVDs came out in 1997 and I think they were reasonably affordable by 1999, I mean if you're going to spend so much money on a Playstation or XBOX, then the DVD player was the same price.  I bought mine for about $350 in 1997, I know by 1999 it was cheaper then that, and by 2001 they were practically giving them away. 

Guys that is nowhere near the same as the $600-1000+ VCRs that were way, way, WAY too expensive for most people in the 70s and early 80s.  VCRs came out in the 70s, but the average American family didn't start buying them en masse until about 1983/'84 or so (when many of them were finally at least became below $500) , because I know that even in 1981 VCRs were still seen as a real luxury piece of technology.  VCRs were ridiculously priced in it's early days, an exclusive toy for people who had some money.  Whereas DVD players started out kinda pricey, but still reasonably affordable.



I think that one reason that the DVD format became so popular so early on is because of the Playstation 2. The PS2 was a highly sought after item after it's release(in 2000), and it had a built-in DVD player, at a price that, at the time, was roughly the same as a stand alone DVD player. After that DVD sales went through the roof and it started to overtake VHS as the dominant media format.

Does anybody else think(like I do)that the DVD format is going to have a much quicker death than the VHS due to the fact that the next-gen formats both launched this year? With HDTV's becoming more in demand and the price's coming down, it's only a matter of time before either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray takes off and the price comes down.

Somewhat off topic---

I remember when I was in high school in the early 90s, my dad wanted to buy a new TV set for the family.  I went with him around stores and I kept asking for an HDTV.  This was around 1992 or '93.  No one knew what the hell I was talking about.  "HDTV?  What's that?"  I knew about it because they did a report around that time on 20/20 about HDTV and how it was such a huge success in Japan, so I figured they were hitting Ameican stores in the next few months.  A little later after asking and asking about HDTV, I found out that it would not be in the USA for years down the line.  Getting people to convert from analog to digital would be a much harder process that would take it's sweet time.   I was so pissed.  They did cite the mid '00s, but I remember thinking it was too many years down the line to wait.  I mean over 10 years.  And it has been a long wait for HDTV to finally get to America.    

I think that one reason that the DVD format became so popular so early on is because of the Playstation 2. The PS2 was a highly sought after item after it's release(in 2000), and it had a built-in DVD player, at a price that, at the time, was roughly the same as a stand alone DVD player. After that DVD sales went through the roof and it started to overtake VHS as the dominant media format.

Does anybody else think(like I do)that the DVD format is going to have a much quicker death than the VHS due to the fact that the next-gen formats both launched this year? With HDTV's becoming more in demand and the price's coming down, it's only a matter of time before either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray takes off and the price comes down.


That's actually true, I'm pretty sure people won't still be buying DVDs and stores selling them in 2020 or 2025. In the future, I could see them being referenced in some comedy skit as "so 2004".  :D

Technology does moves way faster than it used to. In fact, I'm starting now to have a theory that people's "trendiness" has shifted from pop culture over to tech in the last several years (which is why, in some ways, pop culture froze around 2002). This doesn't apply to everyone of course, but I think the basic consumer market is more impatient now. We always want "the next big thing", so we get bored with older stuff faster. I'm sure this will happen to DVDs in five years or so, maybe even less.

This is unline how audio cassettes (a late '60s format really) peaked in the '80s and still widely used as a secondary format as late as 2003. Those older things picked up steam and peaked much later, whereas most new tech peaks soon after it comes out. Honestly, it's kind of a shame to think DVDs could already be starting to slip down the other side of the hill. I'm just now starting to love them/get used to them as much as VHS! I've blown tons of money on them in the past year or two. Does anyone know if the blue-ray players will play the older style DVDs (can't believe I just referred to them as "old styled!")? ;D


Somewhat off topic---

I remember when I was in high school in the early 90s, my dad wanted to buy a new TV set for the family.  I went with him around stores and I kept asking for an HDTV.  This was around 1992 or '93.  No one knew what the hell I was talking about.  "HDTV?  What's that?"  I knew about it because they did a report around that time on 20/20 about HDTV and how it was such a huge success in Japan, so I figured they were hitting Ameican stores in the next few months.  A little later after asking and asking about HDTV, I found out that it would not be in the USA for years down the line.  Getting people to convert from analog to digital would be a much harder process that would take it's sweet time.   I was so pissed.  They did cite the mid '00s, but I remember thinking it was too many years down the line to wait.  I mean over 10 years.  And it has been a long wait for HDTV to finally get to America.    

I actually didn't realize Japan had HDTV that long back, but I believe it. They're usually on the cutting edge of tech (like Marty said in BTTF III: "All the best stuff's made in Japan.") ;) Another thing that originated over there I believe, but never really caught on with the US public, were Digital Audio Tapes. I recall hearing about those in the early '90s too.

It's ironic they were basically correct in their prediction of when it would get popular over here, though.

That's actually true, I'm pretty sure people won't still be buying DVDs and stores selling them in 2020 or 2025. In fact, in the future I could see them being referenced in some comedy skit or something as "so 2004", or "Remember how people in the late '90s were so into those?  :D

Technology does moves way, way faster than it used to. In fact, I'm starting now to have a theory that people's "trendiness" has shifted from pop culture over to tech in the last several years (which is why, in some ways, pop culture froze around 2002). This doesn't apply to everyone of course, but I think the basic consumer market is more impatient now. We always want "the next big thing", so we get bored with older things faster. I'm sure this will happen to DVDs in five years or so, maybe even less.

This is unline records, which were around in the early 20th century and remained decently popular up to about 1986. Or how audio cassettes (a late '60s format really) were honestly not at their peak until in the '80s and still widely used as a secondary format as late as 2003. Those older things picked up steam and peaked much later, whereas most new tech peaks soon after it comes out.

Honestly, it's kind of a shame to think DVDs could already be starting to slip down the other side of the hill. Heck I'm just now starting to love them/get used to them as much as VHS! I've blown tons of money on them in the past year or two. Does anyone know if the blue-ray players will play the older style DVDs (can't believe I just referred to them as "old styled!")? ;D

I actually didn't realize Japan had HDTV that long back, but I believe it. They're usually on the cutting edge of tech (like Marty said in BTTF III: "All the best stuff's made in Japan.") ;) Another thing that originated over there I believe, but never really caught on with the US public, were Digital Audio Tapes. I recall hearing about those in the early '90s too.

It's ironic they were basically correct in their prediction of when it would become popular over here, though.


They will play the old DVDs. DVD really is a lot inferior to high-definition, I have an HDTV and the difference between DVD (which is just standard definition) and HD content is huge. I'm hoping to get a hold of a PS3 on November 17 so I can have a blu-ray player and game system, but we'll see what happens lol.

They will play the old DVDs. DVD really is a lot inferior to high-definition, I have an HDTV and the difference between DVD (which is just standard definition) and HD content is huge. I'm hoping to get a hold of a PS3 on November 17 so I can have a blu-ray player and game system, but we'll see what happens lol.


Oh cool, I figured they would but was starting to worry, LOL.

I do remember hearing how the PS2 DVD players weren't as reliable as the standalone ones (I don't have one, but some of my friends did, and I heard this from a few other people as well back then). I wonder if it'll be the same with the PS3 BR players.

Oh cool, I figured they would but was starting to worry, LOL.

I do remember hearing how the PS2 DVD players weren't as reliable as the standalone ones (I don't have one, but some of my friends did, and I heard this from a few other people as well back then). I wonder if it'll be the same with the PS3 BR players.


Yeah the PS2 DVD player sucks, I'm hoping the PS3 blu-ray is decent lol. $500 for a PS3 and blu-ray player vs. $999 for standalone blu-ray player makes it an easy call on which to get. lol

IMO, part of the reason VHS collapsed so fast (it was really a dead format by 2004 and only started dying around 1999), is that alot of the older neighborhood video stores collapsed in the early '00s that had huge libraries of VHS dating back to the early-mid '80s and couldn't afford to convert to DVD. Now, the only video stores around really seem to be big chains like Blockbuster with a few die-hard stragglers...and alot of Blockbusters have sheeshty in-store catalogues. The movies for sale are ten times better than those for rent, for example, but now due to Netflix and services like Blockbuster online (the latter of which I rely on), stores only keep new releases around, with a few other things they may have acquired over time.

I loved our old neighborhood video store. It had big binders full of the covers of the VHS tapes and walls of empty tape cases; everything had a number on it, and you went to a library-style card catalogue and took the card to the front and they took it out of the back. It sold whatever the latest trend was, like Pokemon cards, for example, held chess lessons, and they had a candy basket that they reeled down from the ceiling whenever a kid came and a pet rabbit. There was also a cordoned off adult corner with a big cardboard cut-out of Marilyn Monroe that provoked my curiosity. It finally went under a few years back, around 2003 or 2004, as I remember.

Oh cool, I figured they would but was starting to worry, LOL.

I do remember hearing how the PS2 DVD players weren't as reliable as the standalone ones (I don't have one, but some of my friends did, and I heard this from a few other people as well back then). I wonder if it'll be the same with the PS3 BR players.



Yeah, to agree with Brian, the PS 2 DVD player really sucked(esp. on the earlier models that came out in the first 1 or 2 years of the PS2's lifecylce). My PS2 wouldn't even play alot of DVD's, and some of them messed up pretty bad. I wouldn't really be surprised if the Blu-Ray players in the PS3's messed up, I've already heard they've had some problems with the disc drives. But it's still a good $500 value.

I also agree with Herman. When the video stores started to shift its support to DVD the format really started to take off. When our local movie gallery stopped selling VHS tapes 2 years ago it was really like the end of an era. I remember seeing DVD's start to replace VHS tapes in about 1999 or so. It was kinda strange(and sad) to watch as DVD continued to overtake VHS as years went by.

IMO, part of the reason VHS collapsed so fast (it was really a dead format by 2004 and only started dying around 1999), is that alot of the older neighborhood video stores collapsed in the early '00s that had huge libraries of VHS dating back to the early-mid '80s and couldn't afford to convert to DVD. Now, the only video stores around really seem to be big chains like Blockbuster with a few die-hard stragglers...and alot of Blockbusters have sheeshty in-store catalogues. The movies for sale are ten times better than those for rent, for example, but now due to Netflix and services like Blockbuster online (the latter of which I rely on), stores only keep new releases around, with a few other things they may have acquired over time.

I loved our old neighborhood video store. It had big binders full of the covers of the VHS tapes and walls of empty tape cases; everything had a number on it, and you went to a library-style card catalogue and took the card to the front and they took it out of the back. It sold whatever the latest trend was, like Pokemon cards, for example, held chess lessons, and they had a candy basket that they reeled down from the ceiling whenever a kid came and a pet rabbit. There was also a cordoned off adult corner with a big cardboard cut-out of Marilyn Monroe that provoked my curiosity. It finally went under a few years back, around 2003 or 2004, as I remember.


Man, the neighborhood video stores in your area lasted a hell of a lot longer than they did in mine (south suburban Chicago, a lower-middle/working class area). I remember things like big-binder style tape cases and bringing cards or tags to the counter, but all the stores in my area which did such things were gone by about 1994......Blockbuster came to the area about 1988 and ran pretty much all of them out of business. Blockbuster always had a limited inventory and would sell anything that seemed "obsolete" even before the big switch to DVD began...the one closest to my house especially did this with many wrestling videos around 1998 or so.

Yeah, to agree with Brian, the PS 2 DVD player really sucked(esp. on the earlier models that came out in the first 1 or 2 years of the PS2's lifecylce). My PS2 wouldn't even play alot of DVD's, and some of them messed up pretty bad. I wouldn't really be surprised if the Blu-Ray players in the PS3's messed up, I've already heard they've had some problems with the disc drives. But it's still a good $500 value.


Our PS2 DVD player sucked too, 'cause we bought it the day of launch so it was the first model.  It eventually stopped playing DVDs altogether.  I think my brother sent it to the company for repairs and it worked pretty well after that.  :)

I haven't used tapes since I got a CD-RW for my computer in late 2001. I only used tapes for my Walkman and car hifi and even then it was favourite tracks that I compiled. I certainly didnt buy any pre-recorded  cassettes past 1997 and the last one I definitely remember was the cassette single of Girls and Boys by Blur because the packaging looked like a packet of 3 Durex Fetherlite  :D There may have been others but it would have been unusual for me to buy cassette over vinyl or CD unless it was in a sale for about

That is so hysterical that some of kids born in the late 80s or early 90s are bonded to VHS tapes more then I was/am. 

I remember having a feeling of finally, good riddance, in regards to VHS tapes which I thought stayed around way past it's time.  It's a 70s technology that managed to last into the 2000s. 

Marty, you know actually the HDTVs in Japan during the 80s and early 90s were likely protoypes, I do not for sure if they were selling them.  As a kid back then I assumed they were selling them in Japan and I was mad as hell that no store here in America that I went to had HDTV or even heard of it.   But I do know there was a 20/20 report done in the early 90s about HDTV in Japan, which I later learned would take years for the technology to be ready for American consumers.

  Marty, you know actually the HDTVs in Japan during the 80s and early 90s were likely protoypes, I do not for sure if they were selling them.  As a kid back then I assumed they were selling them in Japan and I was mad as hell that no store here in America that I went to had HDTV or even heard of it.  But I do know there was a 20/20 report done in the early 90s about HDTV in Japan, which I later learned would take years for the technology to be ready for American consumers.



I actually did not know that HDTV's were in development for so long, but I checked it out and it's been around alot longer than I imagined.

Here's a link to the first ever mention of HDTV on the usenet archives from August 30,1983: http://groups.google.com/group/net.physics/browse_frm/thread/ff2e53e277fde24/3a3714d739d2d683?lnk=st&q=High+Definition+Television&rnum=174#3a3714d739d2d683

IMO, part of the reason VHS collapsed so fast (it was really a dead format by 2004 and only started dying around 1999), is that alot of the older neighborhood video stores collapsed in the early '00s that had huge libraries of VHS dating back to the early-mid '80s and couldn't afford to convert to DVD. Now, the only video stores around really seem to be big chains like Blockbuster with a few die-hard stragglers...and alot of Blockbusters have sheeshty in-store catalogues. The movies for sale are ten times better than those for rent, for example, but now due to Netflix and services like Blockbuster online (the latter of which I rely on), stores only keep new releases around, with a few other things they may have acquired over time.

I loved our old neighborhood video store. It had big binders full of the covers of the VHS tapes and walls of empty tape cases; everything had a number on it, and you went to a library-style card catalogue and took the card to the front and they took it out of the back. It sold whatever the latest trend was, like Pokemon cards, for example, held chess lessons, and they had a candy basket that they reeled down from the ceiling whenever a kid came and a pet rabbit. There was also a cordoned off adult corner with a big cardboard cut-out of Marilyn Monroe that provoked my curiosity. It finally went under a few years back, around 2003 or 2004, as I remember.


Forgot about the demise of mom and pop stores, but I agree. There's still a few left around here, but I hear the main reason they're still in business at all is for pornos. ::) It was a sad day for me too when they started declining. When I started working at Bbuster myself, I was kinda disappointed how "corporate" it was compared to the friendly, small townish environment of neighborhood stores I'd remembered less than a decade earlier.

What I most remember in those places in the early '90s and up to about 1995, were things like playing movies in-store, Employee Picks, giveaways of promotional stuff (one of the guys even saved this cardboard cutout of Steve Martin for me, since he knew I was a fan  8) ) and big selection of subgenres, like music videos, standup comedy and NES games that a chain wouldn't tend to stock, even back then.

It's interesting you mentioned the library-esque categorization of rentals. I remember they were in "one unit" (the cover of the movie was stuck inside the plastic sleeve of the case), which I liked that better than how the chains usually do it: the blank cover with a generic Blockbuster case as the actual rental. As a kid I always liked having the physical cover - I usually photocopied it to have my own cover, lol.

I actually did not know that HDTV's were in development for so long, but I checked it out and it's been around alot longer than I imagined.

Here's a link to the first ever mention of HDTV on the usenet archives from August 30,1983: http://groups.google.com/group/net.physics/browse_frm/thread/ff2e53e277fde24/3a3714d739d2d683?lnk=st&q=High+Definition+Television&rnum=174#3a3714d739d2d683

It just seems like it is another cool piece of  magical "2000's technology", because it's only in the '00s that it's been available to mass consumers.  But it's been around for much longer.  A lot of cool and hip technology that you think was just invented yesterday has been on the drawing boards for several years prior.

It just seems like it is another cool piece of  magical "2000's technology", because it's only in the '00s that it's been available to mass consumers.  But it's been around for much longer.  A lot of cool and hip technology that you think was just invented yesterday has been on the drawing boards for several years prior.


I agree. I find it interesting that a lot of major technologies have been around longer than a lot of people think. The Internet has actually been around since the '50s or '60s. Of course, only the military had access to it.