Videos - are they becoming extinct?

[beagle1]

I've noticed that some of the major supermarkets no longer sell videos: all films are in DVD's. Is this a general experience?

Its not a problem for me, but my parents (in their eighties) don't have a DVD machine - they find them difficult to operate, and don't want to change to DVD.

[IndieSinger]

Sorry to reply with a link, but, as this article confirms, shops like Dixons are no longer producing tellyboxes with video players/recorders attached, neither are they selling separate devices.

[Tock389]

They will be phased out - like records were following the advent of CDs.

Perhaps a happy compromise would be for your parents to buy a DVD player, which is very easy to use, and retain their VCR to record programmes.

The bonus with DVDs is the much-improved picture quality over videos.

But it would be worth them stockpiling as many blank video cassettes as possible, as they are gradually becoming less available-  they are cheap as chips as well.

Firms are gradually phasing out video cassettes- so like vinyl records nowadays, they will eventually  only be found in specialist shops.

[Picc45]

Go to any car boot or visit Ebay, you can find 100's of film/TV video's for next to nothing.

[Sammy Snake]

I work for a company that buy new release films from the major distributors to sell on.

At least one of the major companys have stopped producing new releases on video and all the others are expected to follow, possibly as soon as the end of this year. 

[Loosehead]

Yep Video is close to death, I don't have a video in the house, I'm a self proclaimed DVD snob! As for recording Sky+ is unbeatable. Try and wean mum and dad onto a DVD, Ideally recordable. The VCR will be around for a while but it won't be long before you won't be able to buy videos in the shops.

[galltin]

So what are you supposed to do with all the prerecorded videos you have - just chuck them?

[Loosehead]

Well I sold mine on Ebay, replaced the ones I really "need" with DVD's. If you have wedding Vidoes and other family thing you want to keep then just play them into a DVD recorder and you've converted them. Magnetic media does deteriorate over time much more so than DVD/CD etc so It's probably a good idea anyway. 

You probably can still sell Videos on Ebay but they'll soon become worthless.

[tonymclark]

I notice that in the big stores like HMV the video ( tape ) section consists almost entirely of Children's videos. I guess most adults are giving their old video machines to their kids to use in their bedrooms.

I remember that when DVD sales were just starting to overtake video ( tape ) sales, some smaller production companies were still releasing old film titles on tape because their customers were in the older age bracket. Like beagle1's parents, those customers were resistant to DVDs.

[GMH]

I am not ready for the switch to DVD either. I am ready to keep using videos long into the future. I have noticed in my WHSmiths, videos are almost extinct. It will be sad day when they will officall disappear. Still, there's the good old charity shops that will sell them when ordinary shops will not.

[galltin]

..............and as loosehead said ebay. I buy loads on there,who knows I may have bought of you loosehead!

[nicolidus]

if you struggle to find a particular title on video, Woolies are now doing an ordering facility for new and old titles on all formats (music & video)