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(((Surround Sound))) The VCR Revolution

© Asif Iqbal

And then there was VCR!!! In 1970s when VCRs were initially introduced they were intended for recording & replaying Television programs at convenient times. Slowly VCR took on another role. Films were presented on videocassettes to be viewed in the comfort of ones home. A whole new industry sprung up to cater to the extremely high demand for home videos. Home television sets, which had up till the 1960s spelled death for cinema, now became a formidable ally. Fears that people will stop going to cinemas were found baseless as cinemagoers actually increased movie attendance over the next decade. Films found an immense and waiting audience at home and films released initially for cinemas were re-released on home video format to double sales opportunity. This meant that films that had already proved themselves on the box office were now re-proving themselves at the home. Filmmakers had new hunting grounds and the game was plenty. The videocassette revolution was augmented by advancements in television technology. With high fidelity picture tube technology and with the falling prices of video equipment television penetration increased and the market for home videos grew at a tremendous pace.

Initially the VCRs were equipped with low quality mono sound channels. Moviegoers were disappointed with the VCR because they were accustomed to the high quality Dolby multichannel sound systems in the cinema. This was a deterrent to the popularity of the VCR. The manufacturers of home video equipment and movie producers realized the lost potential and quickly adjusted their equipment & production to resolve this customer woe. Stereo sound was soon offered on home video equipment and the two-channel stereo format was adopted for all home video equipment.

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