Cartrivision
Home movies |
Cartrivision is an analog
Cartrivision was produced by
The first model of Cartrivision-equipped TV set sold for US $1,350[3] (equivalent to $9,266 in 2023), and was the first videocassette recorder to have pre-recorded tapes of popular movies available for rent.
History
Avco Corp. introduced Cartrivision at the Consumer Electronics Show in New York in June 1970. It was first sold in June 1972, mainly through Sears, Macy's, and Montgomery Ward department stores in the United States. Manufacture ended thirteen months later in July 1973[1] after poor sales. Later, it was found that Cartrivision tapes that had been stored in a warehouse had disintegrated due to humidity.[2]
After the demise of Cartrivision in 1973, many Cartrivision-equipped TV sets, separate recording mechanisms, tapes, and other parts and accessories were liquidated by surplus retailers, mainly in California, and many electronic hobbyists bought quite a few of the Cartrivision systems. Some made their own homebrew modifications with the hardware, such as a stand-alone Cartrivision player in its own chassis with an RF modulator to hook it up to any TV set, much like later VCRs.[4]
Design
Like Philips'
Retail
Cassettes of major movies such as
See also
References
- ^ a b 1972: Cartrivision — The First VCR with Prerecorded Tapes, CED Magic, cedmagic.com. Article retrieved 2006-12-22.
- ^ a b c "Cartrivision — The First ALL American Home VCR!", LabGuy's World (labguysworld.com). Article last updated 2005-01-09, retrieved 2006-12-22.
- ^ Television on a Disk, Time, Sept. 18, 1972. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (August 6, 2021). "One Of The Rarest TVs In Existence Is On Ebay". Kotaku. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- ^ Cumberland Evening Times 6 July 1972 Page 11
- ^ Cartrivision Cassette, mrbetamax.com. Article retrieved 2006-12-22.
External links
- Cartrivision.com
- The Cartrivision Site
- LabGuy's World page on Cartrivision
- CED Magic's page mentioning Cartrivision
- Video of "I Am Cartrivision", a demo video released on Cartrivision cassette to retailers
- Cartrivison's appearance on What's My Line? (on Buzzr YouTube channel)
- Details of a Cartrivision cassette
- Cartrivision page in Total Rewind - the Online Museum of Vintage VCRs
- Video demonstration of a working Cartrivision unit in 2022