In this day and age with new technology evolving daily, it is easy to forget the early innovations which set the standard for many of our current appliances and gadgets. First it was the radio, and then came television, and further on down the line in the 1970's, another invention changed the world forever. The VCR came into existence. The VCR has been a great innovation through the years of continuous development. As advancements have been made to continue the growth in a vastly short period of time, the innovation of he VCR coincides with what Everett Rogers states in his diffusion of innovation theory, particularly on what is required for industry and consumer adoption.
Before the videocassette recorder (VCR), there was the VTR or videotape recorder. The VTR functions were similar to the VCR only there were no cassettes, just the tape. TV stations used VTRs for recording, but these were not designed for personal uses at home. They were large and heavy devices and required a great deal of maintenance. Even before the VTR, there was the kinescope. It worked similar to a movie camera, but was mostly used to account for time delays. One problem faced by the VTR was there was no single set format. If something was recorded on one type of VTR it would only play on that type (AAST). This created a great deal of problems. These same problems were apparent in the first few years of the VCR era. But eventually VHS was released and became the dominant and most common format. .
When the VCR came onto the scene in 1972, its popularity skyrocketed. Consumers accepted it with open arms. One reason why VCRs were so popular was because it gave viewers control over what they could watch on their own TVs. Its creation is marked as one of the most important events in the history of television (Dorfman). This may seem a bit extreme for a device which can be purchased for less than a hundred dollars, but its impact on the economy has been phenomenal.
