Today's technology is all about clear images on TVs. HD and UHD are just the basic resolutions nowadays when buying a TV to provide the clearest and realest picture when it comes to movies. For me, a clear picture is no matter, especially when you're enjoying a 1980's film in its original version, static and all.
A VHS tape is more than just a means of watching a recorded version of a movie. It reminds me much of simpler times, not only in my life but in society. It takes me back to my childhood years, a time when my love of movies really began.
VCR players are almost obsolete at this point. A quick Google search showed me that to purchase one online, you have to purchase it from a private seller, and it is likely at least slightly used. I think the last time I saw a VCR player in a store was when they all began to go on clearance shortly after Blu-Ray players were introduced.
I feel a little nostalgia when I sit down to a movie from a couple of decades ago, sometimes older than me. I watch as static fills the screen while the VCR reads the tape until the first of the previews begin. Sure, it's nice to skip over the previews of a DVD, but I think it allows me to sit back and fully enjoy the movie because I know that I should be watching it at a time when I can fully appreciate it.
I like that most VHS tapes have the same beginnings that play before the movies soon to come and the ones that have already come out and are available for purchase. Those little introductions are a part of my childhood. Now, it's common that I skip through the previews unless I'm streaming on Netflix or Hulu. VHSes have a quality to them that make them a film worth watching. Movies were different then, whether that was because of storylines or camera angles or anything else.
I collect VHS tapes because they are a way to view film that is really no longer treasured. I find them more mesmerizing because of the fact that they aren't popular anymore. I think that other people feel the same way about records and books.
In today's world, things that were once thought to be obsolete are making a comeback. People will search record stores and websites for records that have been sitting in personal collections for decades now. Second-hand bookstores are making a comeback as well since people are looking to read cheap and easily accessible books.
I think VHS tapes, records, and other "outdated" forms of media allow for one to feel what it was like living a few decades ago. Maybe it adds to the hipster mentality that today's technology is just too mainstream. Maybe it's just that there is something nostalgic about using these forms of media.
The day will come when the VCR player that I have ceases to work, but until then I'll be watching "The Breakfast Club," "Now and Then," and "Mr. Holland's Opus" in their intended quality as often as I can.
