Its demise has been assured for a long time, but I’ve still held faith. I look longingly at the stacks of boxes and every time I pop the tops, a multitude of memories come flooding back. The boxes do not contain trophies, card paper creations. These boxes hold so much more.
They might not look it, but they are nomad creatures. They travel from my house, to the attic, to the garage and back again. I figure that out of sight is out of mind; that is until I hear the whispers. Whispers from Luke, whispers from Brody; whispers of memories that refuse to be ignored.
I’ve fully embraced the DVD format and hope to upgrade to Blu-ray in the very near future, but I can’t seem to ditch those beautiful VHS cassettes.
That’s right; I said beautiful. All of my childhood celluloid memories were experienced on the VHS format. I dabbled in BETA, but that was an experimental time in this young man’s life he doesn’t wish to discuss.
I’ve held true to the format and what do I get for my loyalty? I get stores removing VHS players from the shelves and hear the faint whisper that the ultra-handy DVD/VHS combo units are going to begin to disappear too. What’s an addict to do when the means to get that high is taken away? I called Promises this afternoon and I’m sad to report they don’t have a program to reform those of us with the VHS affliction.
The beauty of VHS tapes is just that: they are tapes. I’m a sucker for anything nostalgic and sometimes the worse the quality, the more I love it. I’d rather listen to records than CDs, I love Spam instead of Heavenly Ham and by God, I’d rather watch degraded quality videos than crystal clear digital images.
A film that loses quality over time lends a touch of class to the viewing pleasure. I’ve never had to buy a new DVD due to watching it too often, but I’ve had to with a VHS tape. It’s a badge of honor, something to proudly wear on your sleeve.
I have begun to rebuild my collection over the last few years as I’ve seen the change coming. Currently I sit at 329 DVDs, but nothing can replace those VHS memories.