A rather crude and low quality tape-based video recording format from the 70s, which remained popular 'till the 90s, mainly because it was the lowest common denominator (practically everybody back then had a VHS machine).

VHS can capture only a portion of the detail the TV signal offers (less than 50%), even in "standard play" mode. Original VHS recorders could only record low quality mono sound, but later-day VHS recorders could also record Hi-Fi stereo. The biggest disadvantages of VHS were it's low quality blurry picture, and the fact the tapes lost even more detail when stored, played or copied. So, once you wrote something on VHS, it was guaranteed to become progressively worse in terms of quality over time.

A close cousin of VHS is S-VHS, an upgraded version which captures most of the detail the TV signal offers (close to 90%), but unfortunately S-VHS tapes lose detail over time too.

People like me who like to preserve their family videos and TV recordings for as long as possible hate even the mention of the name VHS (and S-VHS), as it brings back bleak memories from the 80s of their favorite videos rotting away without them being able to do something to save them (copying them resulted in loss of detail by itself and was only a temporary measure).

Better recording alternatives include DV recorders, DVD recorders, DVRs and media center PCs.

Believe it or not, there are people who still like VHS and mourn over it's loss, for reasons that contradict common logic.

An ancient video format from the distant past. It is believed by many archeologists and scientists that a box shaped object with film-like material inside was inserted into a odd device that was hooked up to a TV so you could watch movies. Fossils of VHS "tapes" have been radiocarbon dated 1980-1995.

A great medium being replaced by DVDs. You can rip the tape out of a VHS and throw it all over the place and shit, can you do that with a DVD? Hell No!

The first format that allowed home users to play movies on a TV rather than going to a theater. Debuted somewhere around 1970, VHS tapes allowed people to record Televison programs off a VCR. It was considered a breakthrough technology until DVD's came out around 1997.

The truth is, VHS tapes are more durable than DVD's. They can be thrown around, gotten wet or stored in high heat, and still play. The minute you get a scratch on a DVD, it will skip. You can't break a VHS tape, but a DVD can be snapped in half.

First film of the V/H/S trilogy, quite possibly the most underrated found-footage film of all time

Referring to a video tape, and soon to be replaced by the Digital Video Disc.

The movie format that cool kids use. When a vhs finally goes bad, which rarely EVER happens you can stretch out the tape and wear it as a necklace, can DVDs do that? I don't think so.

Video Home System. A format that plays video on analog tape instead of the ones and zeros on DVDs, giving the picture a more saturated "film" look whereas on DVD the picture looks washed out with paler fleshtones and exaggerated highlights, but that's ok because it comes with hours of extras instead of the movie itself like a director setting up a shot and kissing Hollywood ass.

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