33 Years ago today, VHS was introduced to America

Understatement
By Andrew Davidson
on June 4, 2010

If you ever think technology isn't moving fast enough, I present the lowly VHS tape. A technology that has been experienced by nearly every human on the earth, and also a technology that has seen it's prime and it's demise in our lifetimes. In 2008, the last standalone VCR was made, signaling an end of the analog video recording age.

From Wired.com: June 4, 1977: The VHS videocassette format is introduced in North America at a press conference before the Consumer Electronics Show starts in Chicago.

Free High Resolution Scan of a VHS Tape, Top and Bottom

You can click either image to get the full size image. They are actual size at 150dpi. I use these all the time when I do my VHS to DVD conversions, and I need a graphic identifier to demonstrate the source. Overall, these are OK for tiny use in a design, but I wouldn't use them too large, as they begin to show the shortcomings of the poor desktop scans that these originated from.

The War on Piracy

The VCR was troublesome to content producers. It could record nearly anything you fed into it, whether it be broadcast TV, another VCR or your home Video Camera. They became the defacto destination for consumer video. A video tape was easily loaned, sold, or simply enjoyed with company. They were claimed to be the source of billions of lost income due to piracy.