Written by James Fohl
It seems that whenever a new movie is being released in stores, you always seem to hear about the extras found only in the DVD edition. The problem with this is, when you ask somebody that works at the store, where the regular VHS version of the movie is, you are often surprised with the answer "Sorry, it's only on DVD."
Am I the only person left in this world who still watches VHS video tapes? I mean, sure I rent DVDs all the time, but I personally prefer the bulky video tapes over the wimpy DVDs any day.
Sure DVDs Offer Better Video and Sound, But So What?
I know.. I know.. DVDs offer better video, sound, and pretty much better everything else that can not be found on a VHS tape.. but I just like to watch movies and not have to bother being forced to watch previews for new movie releases (something becoming way too common with new DVDs today) or move throughout menus on a DVD disc so that the movie properly plays in English, with no subtitles.
Things like these make me often skip out on purchasing DVDs and going towards the budget rack at Wal-Mart to pick up another movie available on VHS for a little less than six dollars. Even though VCRs appear to be a dying trend, movie makers are still trying to squeeze every possible cent from their movies by releasing them on VHS tapes months after their DVD release, and at over one half the price of the DVD.
VHS Tapes Are 100% More Durable Than DVD Discs
Another reason why I seem to really prefer VHS tapes over DVD discs is the simple fact that I am a messy person. I really can not keep any kind of disc whether its a DVD, music CD, video game, or some other optical disc, for more than six months before the disc goes out missing in action, or is just completely scratched beyond a readable status.
VHS tapes on the other hand; I can literally keep them forever. I still have VHS tapes I bought over ten years ago sitting on my bookshelf. While the sleeve jackets that cover the tapes get a little worn out, the tapes themselves are still in excellent condition due to the rugged durability of their construction.
Sure VHS tapes have their drawbacks, most notably really slow rewind / forwarding times, but I really do not mind. They may not have the greatest picture, or even sound for that matter, but these things really do not matter much to me. What really matters to me, is the fact that if I go out and buy a movie in the VHS tape format, I will most likely still have that movie six years from now, as opposed to buying the same movie in the DVD disc format, and having the movie a good six months if I am lucky.
It Takes A While, But New Films Eventually Get Released On The VHS Video Format
Even though most new movie releases are not released on VHS video tape at the same time as being released on the DVD disc format, most movies do eventually get released in the VHS video format, and most of the time at a far less price than the DVD version. I might have to wait several months to grab a VHS video copy of a movie that was just released on DVD, but its no big deal to me, as I will continue to proudly support the VHS video format until it is impossible to find new movies on the aging format.
