For quite some time, VHS tapes made a statement in the film industry. From the late 70’s to the mid 90’s VHS is what everyone came to know, along with the process of rewinding the film after enjoying the movie. Jump into 1997 and the first DVD option was available, changing the way movie-watchers enjoyed stories. The slim storage, high resolution, and top audio quality gained the attraction of families across the nation. By the year 2000, shelves were wiped from VHS tapes and replaced with DVDs.
The History
While a DVD itself may have held a novelty piece of software to the public, the actual laserdisc technology was invented nearly 40 years before the first DVD was released. In fact, in 1978 David Paul Gregg released a format known as LaserDisc. The LaserDisc format was three times the size of today’s DVD and viewers had to flip the disk halfway through the movie to view the second portion of the show. The high cost of the players and disc eventually led to low consumer adoption, ending the LaserDisc life.
Along with introducing DVDs to the public came the format wars among the DVD manufacturers. Some manufacturers, like Sony and Phillips, supported the Multimedia Compact Disc, while others supported the Super Density format. After years of going back and forth on the format argument, Sony finally caved and agreed to support SD, paving a new road to a single universal format.
First Movies to Make It to DVD
Do you remember transitioning from VHS tapes to DVDs? Here is a fun list of the first movies to make it to the disc!
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The Wizard of Oz
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Twister
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The Mask
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Goodfellas
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Interview with a Vampire
Don’t let your own blast from the past deteriorate with the VHS tapes they’re copied on. Look into digital tape transfer with Keepsake, and preserve these stories for years.
Keepsake Solutions is a Columbus, Ohio based memory preservation service with over 15 years of experience transferring tapes to DVD. We use cutting edge technology and state-of-the-art techniques to ensure that your memories are preserved, and that no precious moments are left in the past.
If you’d like to contact us with questions or comments, please feel free to do so at (614)392-1909 or email us below