Unbelievable!
I didn't think anyone still used VCRs.
A primary school teacher has had her knuckles rapped after accidentally exposing her 10-year-old pupils to a pornographic video. According to the Sun, the unnamed schoolmarm took her own VCR into St Helen's Church of England School in Abbotsham, Devon, intending to show the young 'uns an "educational programme". The tape she' …
Is that you've got the urban myth the wrong way around, and that it was Sony that banned porn from Betamax. Regardless, it's a bollox theory as grumble-flicks were available on both formats. Not to mention that porn doesn't have the market influence that people like to think it does.
Supposedly Sony wouldn't allow Porn on Betamax, so VHS took off, not the "porn industry endorsed Betamax".
And there doesn't seem to be any proof anyhow, more likely VHS took of because of the fact that Betamax tapes were 60 minutes long, VHS tapes were 180 minutes long and quality isn't an issue for most people - ref. the number of people who watch over-processed SD TV on poorly adjusted HD LCD sets.
It wasn't just porn. Sony expected all publishers to pay a licence fee, there was no similar fee on VHS so everybody went for VHS. The reasoning was pretty simple people would have only one player, if VHS tapes were cheaper to produce than betamax then people would buy VHS.
This is always the case with proprietory tech. Think about PC vs. MAC
So right, and so wrong. Mac during the 90s? You're dead bang on rights! Mac during the aughties? *bzzzzrt*
Jobs figured out one brilliant thing: if you are going to go proprietary, then you have to make it a "lifestyle brand." Apple are the Gucci of computers. Apple in the electronics industry, like Gucci in the fashion industry have nothing going for them other than
a) they have become a brand name that people can use to be snobish to others and
b) they produce a consistent quality of product.
Neither are the best product in their industry, nor are they the worst. They are largely consistent - which matters a great deal to some - but far more importantly they are a "name." They are that brand of jeans you war so you can make fun of other people who don't wear that same brand of jeans. They are the Lexus you drive so you can mock the guy with the Camry. Once Apple cottoned onto that idea, “proprietary” went from being a negative thing to “bloody brilliant.”
The only way to sell proprietary to consumers is to appeal to their vanity. It worked like a charm, and Apple was reborn. Thus whilst your analogy of Apple being the Beta to generic IT’s VHS holds true for the 90s…it really doesn’t work for the past decade or so. For that reason I cannot accept that "this is always the case with proprietary tech."
I propose then a modification to your statement:
"This is always the case with /improperly marketed/ proprietary tech."
In the social history type classes I had to take as part of my electronics course in college, I was taught that the reason VHS overcame Betamax, at least in the UK, was due to the hardware rental market.
The theory was explained to me as, in the late 70s and early 80s, when home VCRs were coming onto the market, a significant proportion of UK households were already renting TVs rather than buying them. The rental market went with VHS, I was either not told or don't remember why this was, whether Sony didn't want to go rental or Matushita gave the better deal I am not sure. Anyway, those renting TVs who also wanted a VCR would rent it as well, the fact that they cost near a grand to buy at the time also meant some who had bought a TV would also just rent a VCR. Those who did buy a VCR would then get the same type as those who rented so that they could exchange tapes, as the initially larger rental market was VHS, so the purchase market followed.
Now this could all be a load of BS, there was marketing stuff in the class as well so not impossible, however the theory is at least as probable as the pr0n theory.
and Betamax didn't. So the Hollywood studios would sell their wares on VHS, but not Beta. I still recall using to a rented beta machine to copy VHS to Beta and then back to VHS.
Also rented porn on Beta when it was the only thing available.
People are still using videos? One has to wonder if they were using a big old Ferguson TV with folding doors as well.
As far as the content goes, I think the kids were probably less affected than the tabloids' mock outrage makes out. Either they didn't understand what was happening or they did and didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Any 10 year who got offended needs a stern talking to. It's just as well the Sun doesn't feature pictures of topless women where anyone could find them. Oh.
I would also add one more sentence "Parents, whose 10 year old kids were offended needs a stern talking to. And possibly someone from Social Services taking a look at them once in a while." Because these can´t be good parents and they clearly neglect their parental duty to educate their offspring.
By the looks of it not. It was quickly switched off, the teacher apologised for the mistake - end of story.
Have any of the kids never walked into their parents' bedroom late at night without knocking ?
I am getting increasingly annoyed at those who hold others to much higher standards than they can achieve themselves, then when something goes wrong - loudly castigate them. We all make mistakes. The correct response is to apoligise and take action to avoid a repetition. Life is too short.
"The teacher hurriedly shut down the machine - which she brought in after the school’s own device had broken down - but the horrified youngsters had already seen the adult content."
So the moral of the story is don't try to be useful - sit on your ass, do nothing and don't tell anyone when anything goes wrong.
this ^^
also, one would note that possessing both the knowledge and equipment to successfully procreate is infinitely more valuable to anyone than wanting teh shiny.
IIRC the crap they subjected us to in primary 7 was basically softcore porn with some gross bits about body odour.
that said, if this kind of stuff didn't happen (and wasn't subsequently reported in the daily fail) we wouldn't have quite so much to feel superior about.
... some of the older films didn't get a digital remake, so the VHS copy is the _only_ copy. Sadly, many children films are on VHS only (plus many "Home videos" are still on VHS).
yes all those can (should) be converted to DVDs before the tape dies, but unless someone is willing to help each parent do that, then they will continue to use the same VHS tapes they used with their firstborn.
(oh, let us not forget that parent and teachers can't convert commercial VHS tapes to DVDs legally.. AFAIK)
...the fact that the teacher had to bring her own AV kit to school presumably because the school either won't spend the money or this is fallout from Camerons new age of austerity.
Meanwhile some layabout royals probably spent a teacher's annual salary on security just because they fancied a night out at the theatre.