VHS Was Actually Officially ‘Dead’ Since 31 July 2016; Here’s What Happened

Last Updated on 2022-10-10 , 2:31 pm

If you’re a 90s kid, you’ll have fond memories of struggling with the settings of a VHS player just for it to record a show on a pre-determined timing. You’ll also never forget the days whereby you would make your way to a nearby VHS rental shop to choose movies that you’ve never come across before.

Those days without Internet, VCD, DVD and Blue-ray were troublesome, but interesting: without the convenience of the Internet, every single movie you’ve rented would be watched in its entirety.

And I won’t blame you if you think that VHS has died many years ago; I mean, where else can you find a VHS player anywhere?

Here’s an interesting piece of fact that might shock you: according to Forbes, the last VCR player manufacturer, Funai Electric, sold an astonishing 750,000 units of VHS players in 2015. In 2014, it sold 15 million players.

Bet you didn’t expect that, did you?

But 750,000 is still a figure too low to sustain its production. The company manufactured the last VHS player in July 2016, and there will be no more new VHS player in the market anymore.

Most VHS players and tapes are owned by fans for nostalgia’s sake. In Singapore, VCD, which was created in 1993, took over VHS players in the late 1990s, leading to the slow demise of VHS. During the transition, some people, especially those who owned VHS players, still preferred the VHS due to its ease in recording.

Getting a VHS player, whether new or second-hand, in Singapore is difficult: brick-and-mortar shops won’t even sell VCD players, not to mention VHS players. A quick search on Qoo10 was futile as well—there weren’t any results for a VHS player despite trying a few keywords.

At this moment, the only way to get a VHS player is through Amazon, and it might not come cheap: from my search, you have to fork out at least USD$50 (excluding delivery) for one. Or if you want to, you can try your luck at your nearest Cash Converter.

And as for the VHS tapes, you can try looking for it in Daiso. A few years back, I saw them being sold there—but a few years is a long period in this digital age, so I won’t be surprised if you have to buy those from Amazon as well.

Anyway, RIP, VHS. You’ve provided us with some great memories, and at least you managed to survive for decades.

Featured Image: Eakrin Rasadonyindee / Shutterstock.com