EmuParadise has removed its entire library of retro game ROMs and ISOs

Don't forget that prerecorded VHS tapes of mainstream films used to be ungodly expensive -- like, close to $100 in 1980s dollars per film, which is insane. The effect was to keep home consumers from buying films, and force them to rent instead, with wholesale sales to rental outlets making up the vast majority of sales.

Only later in the 1980s, with the release of Top Gun and then E.T. at lower prices, did VHS movies become affordable. Had they been affordable from the start, it's possible copying wouldn't have been so widespread.

Above a certain price point for any item, media consumers no longer care about doing the (legally) right thing, because they perceive their relationship to content distributors as an adversarial one in which each side is expected to try to screw the other.

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Originally Posted by goldenband

Don't forget that prerecorded VHS tapes of mainstream films used to be ungodly expensive -- like, close to $100 in 1980s dollars per film, which is insane. The effect was to keep home consumers from buying films, and force them to rent instead, with wholesale sales to rental outlets making up the vast majority of sales.

Only later in the 1980s, with the release of Top Gun and then E.T. at lower prices, did VHS movies become affordable. Had they been affordable from the start, it's possible copying wouldn't have been so widespread..

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Good points, the UK rental market was huge business back In early 80s and one never saw many VHS original videos for sale, and one forgets how dear the ones that were out, were to buy in the early 80s

Also I do find a little hypocritical of seeing music corps like Sony go on about music piracy, when they sold millions and Millions of CDR's and CD burners..

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Originally Posted by Team Andromeda

Dublication is making multiple, The clue is in the name..
And you pretty much backed up what I said. In how the movies studios saw VHS as threat to cinema sales and how VHS became so massive it actually was a huge money spinner for the film studios and how at the start VHS was sold on its ability to record TV shows and films.

Why you want to act so hostile over a subject matter is beyond me. WHEN you just pretty much confirmed what people having been saying here in your link

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Oh, are you referring to this?

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Originally Posted by Team Andromeda

I sort of think you underplay VHS too, I can't think of a House Hold that didn't have at least one VHS player, never mind the huge retal market that was there for VHS back inthe day

The VHS market in the 80's was huge, well at least in the UK

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I don't even know why you felt it necessary to make this point. It was never in question how popular VHS was. Of course it was popular, it was pretty much the only domestic media format that mattered for most of the 80s & 90s.

My hostility comes from your inability or unwillingness to understand what is actually being discussed.

I believe movies were still released on VHS up until 2006 in the US.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

I don't even know why you felt it necessary to make this point. It was never in question how popular VHS was. Of course, it was popular, it was pretty much the only domestic media format that mattered for most of the 80s & 90s.

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Some of here simply said that VHS was sold on its ability to record TV shows and films and that VHS was huge, to which you took exception and then went into a rant and threw the insults, only to then post a link of how the film Studios were talking the likes of SONY to court because they were worried about people recorded off TV to their videos right at the start of the VHS revolution and in the other link it confirmed how Huge VHS became and how the film Studios make tons of cash off it (just some of the points somes of us here were making) . So I don't know on that score.. why you went into a rant. Also just said I wasn't sure of the USA, but in the UK VHS was huge and it was 'sold' on its ability to record TV.. While you are out or watching another channel, 'Never miss a TV show again' was how it would be sold to many the shops and in Print ads

TV recording became so HUGE that Video + was built into latter VHS models making so easy, even granmother wouldn't miss her BullsEye show again. People up and down the country, would have Blank VHS cassettes has one of their Christmas Presents. Looks like many on here also used the VHS to tape off TV too

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Originally Posted by Team Andromeda

Some of here simply said that VHS was sold on its ability to record TV shows and films and that VHS was huge, to which you took exception and then went into a rant and threw the insults

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Ah... I think I see where you and Ecco got lost.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

No offense, but has VHS been a dominant media format at any time in your lifetime? Believe it or not, it’s always been illegal.

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I wasn’t saying VHS wasn’t popular, I was straight-up telling Ecco that I don’t believe he was even alive when the VHS was in it’s tape-swapping, tv-show-recording, rental-movie-pirating heyday. Because what he said was stupid.

Jesus Christ, this entire time we haven’t even been having the same argument. FML.

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Originally Posted by SegataS

I believe movies were still released on VHS up until 2006 in the US.

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I don't think so. You could still buy blank tapes and VCRs, but the movies on tape were being dumped in the trash or sent to Goodwill by most people.

I stand corrected. Somehow, A History of Violence was the last movie released for VHS in 2006. Who were these people buying movies on VHS, when Blu-Ray was 1st coming out?

I got a DVD player in 2001 and used that until I got a PS3 in 2012 when I went to Blu ray but there are still people on Windows XP. I was late to the HDTV crowd in 2012. Tho that was mainly being super poor without a reliable source of income. Still poor but a reliable source of income to budget or save the pennies to get some things. Like I got my second HDTV earlier this year but still 1080P and only because it was on clearance. I have owned several PC's since 2003 and was relatively up to date on Windows OS versions. Did get Win7 and in 2015 switched to Win10. I also think older people don't upgrade often. Plenty of people in my buildings using a CRT (I have 2 hooked up in the other room but only for retro gaming) and most the people in my mom's building don't have internet or a computer. I did get a Roku in 2010 and cut the cord back then. So that was before it was trendy. So for some can be old or poor and for me, it depended on the situation. Sometimes I was up to date and others late to the party. 4K I will be late to the party.

I got my HD CRT in late 2004 and my 1st DVD Player (Sony) for under $130 right before the PS2 came out. I got a 1080i upscale DVD player shortly after I got the HD CRT and then my PS3 in August of 2007. I'm still rockin' the 52" Samsung 1080p LCD that I got back in 2009 for just over $1500 (it was $2,200 at Best Buy) and even replaced some bad caps when it wouldn't power on last year. I have no plans to get a 4K display any time soon, unless my Samsung kicks the bucket, and I haven't even bought more than a few DVDs in the last decade, because of Blu-Ray.

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

Ah... I think I see where you and Ecco got lost.



I wasn’t saying VHS wasn’t popular, I was straight-up telling Ecco that I don’t believe he was even alive when the VHS was in it’s tape-swapping, tv-show-recording, rental-movie-pirating heyday. Because what he said was stupid.

Jesus Christ, this entire time we haven’t even been having the same argument. FML.

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I can't speak for Ecco and I made it clear I couldn't for USA.. But I grew up in the 80s and VHS was just massive in the UK and it was sold on the back of being able to record TV, far more that buying original films in the very early 80s. Even your link shows how the film studios were worried about VHS recoding content off the TV.

So like I said, don't know why you went on a rant, but never mind and leave it at that.

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Originally Posted by SegataS

I got a DVD player in 2001 and used that until I got a PS3 in 2012 when I went to Blu Ray.

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Same here, Got my DVD player in 2001 and went BluRay with the PS 3 in 2007..Went early to high Def with my HDTV in 2006 so I could play 360 games In high Def. Got a PC and the Internet in Christmas 1996 (when the reviews of fighting megamix was coming in from Japan and went 4K HDR Oled on the launch of XBox One S and now I got a One X just loving 4K gaming, even if we're still paying off the credit card lol.

Never been rich and had to work hard to buy my stuff and pay off the credit card.

http://www.kappit.com/img/pics/201503_0941_cdehb.jpg

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Originally Posted by MrMatthews

Ah... I think I see where you and Ecco got lost.



I wasn’t saying VHS wasn’t popular, I was straight-up telling Ecco that I don’t believe he was even alive when the VHS was in it’s tape-swapping, tv-show-recording, rental-movie-pirating heyday. Because what he said was stupid.

Jesus Christ, this entire time we haven’t even been having the same argument. FML.

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Well I don't where you're going with all of that. I was a kid of the 80's so I lived when VCR's where the dominant tech for every living room. I think I already explained that I didn't make much use of it for recording things, and my family would record soap operas and talk shows when we weren't at home. I said that everyone assumed it was legal since everyone was buying their own VCR's. I don't know what you would have found so objectionable in whatever I said.

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Originally Posted by Ecco

Well I don't where you're going with all of that. I was a kid of the 80's so I lived when VCR's where the dominant tech for every living room. I think I already explained that I didn't make much use of it for recording things, and my family would record soap operas and talk shows when we weren't at home. I said that everyone assumed it was legal since everyone was buying their own VCR's. I don't know what you would have found so objectionable in whatever I said.

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Originally Posted by Team Andromeda

I can't speak for Ecco and I made it clear I couldn't for USA.. But I grew up in the 80s and VHS was just massive in the UK and it was sold on the back of being able to record TV, far more that buying original films in the very early 80s. Even your link shows how the film studios were worried about VHS recoding content off the TV.

So like I said, don't know why you went on a rant, but never mind and leave it at that.

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Agreed, I am beyond tired of this discussion.


Game on.

I still have a working VCR hooked up to my gaming CRT's in the other room. Yes, I watch old tapes on it once in a while.