U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for June 9: Going to the Tape
WASHINGTON, June 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
GOING TO THE TAPE
Profile America — Friday, June 9th. A home entertainment revolution began on this date in 1975 when the videocassette recorder was introduced. It was Sony's Betamax format recorder, which in a very few years was superseded by the rival VHS format. Although Betamax was technically superior, VHS gained its dominance by being the first cassette to offer extended recording times. At its peak, some 9 out of 10 households across the country had a VCR. Then, the DVD was introduced in 1997, and quickly eclipsed videocassettes. Now, the rising format is the Blu-ray system. Renting out DVD and Blu-ray discs, and what's left of videocassettes, is the business of just under 2,400 shops in the nation, engaging in a nearly $4.5 billion a year business. Profile America is in its 21st year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources:
Anniversary/accessed 4/5/2017: www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2011/06/0607betamax-vcr-television-recorder/
Betamax vs. VHS/accessed 4/5/2017: www.mediacollege.com/video/format/compare/betamax-vhs.html
Video tape and disc rental establishments/County Business Patterns/NAICS 532230: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~532230
Revenues/Economic Census/NAICS 532230: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/00A1//naics~532230
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article