When Did Everyone Get Their First VHS/Betamax Player?

[AllenR]

I was aware of the VCR as early as 1979-ish. I was 15 in 1979. There was one kid who's parents were loaded and they had one. I was fascinated by the concept and was always dreaming about recording music off TV.

I started pestering my parents to get one but they weren't interested. Once I started working I saved and saved and in 1983 I bought the JVC HR-7100 with the big color buttons. One of the first things I recorded and saved was Journey Live at the Summit Houston TX 1981. I still have that tape.

During the 80's I was a hardcore tape trader. Got into the whole multi-system TV/VCR thing to trade with overseas traders and bought a Minolta camcorder to film concerts with. That JVC HR-7100 had a LOT of mileage put on it.

By the time I relocated to the Czech Republic in 1998 the JVC had only required one major repair of the chassis. I believe that was in the early 90's. The JVC was still a workhorse when I shipped it to the Czech Republic in 1998.

Sadly, the JVC HR-7100 was destroyed in Europe when a careless fork-lift driver pierced the shipping box. What a sad, sad delivery that was.