Today nearly any movie or television show is just a few clicks away, thanks to digital streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Renting movies simply means strolling down the street to your local Redbox. DVDs and Blu-Rays make it painfully simple to watch your home movie collection. So easy, in fact, that a child could do it.
But that wasn't always the case. Back in the "dark ages" we used devices like VCRs to play movies on VHS tapes, a confusing mess of black tape and plastic that you had to manually rewind if you wanted to watch your favorite movie again. If you wanted to rent a movie, you had to visit your local Blockbuster. Let's not even talk about the complicated process required for recording television (there should be a stamp commemorating those who had to deal with it).
Perhaps it isn't surprising then that kids today scarcely know what a VCR is. In the latest "Kids React" video from TheFineBros, a group of kids are presented with a VCR and some VHS tapes and then asked questions about the two relics. Many of the kids, upon hearing the word tape, instantly think of music cassette tapes and become convinced the VCR is a music player. How kids are more familiar with music cassettes than VHS tapes is beyond me.
When it comes to actually putting those VHS tapes into the VCR things get even more confusing. The kids struggle to figure out which way the tape goes in, trying everything from inserting the tape upside down to putting it in long ways. Once the tape begins playing, the kids can scarcely belive people actually used to enjoy watching the fuzzy images appearing on the TV screen.
The kids are equally astounded at the idea that the more you watch VHS tapes, the worse the picture quality becomes. Watch your favorite movie over and over again and you would soon have to buy a brand new copy. Upon learning this, one girl in the video exclaims "why would you want that!?". Nobody exactly wanted to have their tapes slowly decay with use, but back in the day if you wanted to watch a movie at home you didn't have much choice.
In the end, the kids don't mourn the death of the VCR, remarking about how much better picture quality is today thanks to HD resolutions. It's also a lot simpler. The press of a button on a remote and you have a world of entertainment at your fingertips, no tapes required. Technology is simply better today, something the kids (aka spoiled brats!) in the video are no doubt grateful for.
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