The origins of video pirating
x01001x
can't think of anyone that owns one of these. Tape-trading was
obviously very popular among Americans in the 1980s, but I am curious
about the roots and beginnings of this passtime back in the 70s. The
earliest I can remember, people used to trade sporting events on
tape.
"Did you see the big game?"
"No I missed it"
"Don't worry I taped it."
Perhaps movies weren't as largely bootlegged until the 80s when the
major blockbusters started to gain worldwide attention...
Which group had a larger base of bootleg tapes? America? Because we
loved movies so much and had tapes?
Or was it Communist countries? Where they could barely afford new
VHS's and had to copy to save money?
Tape-trading is very entertaining and has been going on for many
years.
I ask that the readers of this post please offer your insight into
the roots and origins of tape-trading going back to the 1970s and
perhaps
before.
Kantica22 @ Nydenempire.com
"Tape-Trading going back to the 1970s and perhaps
before".........hmmm....considering the FACT that "VHS Nor BETA VCR
Technonlogy even existed Hardly Before the '1970s', and IF even that
'Early', they would have cost MANY thousands of dollars (aka NOT
"Reasonably Availiable to the Common Consumer Market", especially when
the 'Common Consumer Market' still had perfectly viable <to a point>
'Film Projectot Tech') to own and NOBODY but the most advanced EXPERT
would know how to use them (kind of hard to HAVE Expert Ability when
if even to Have ABILITY-AT-ALL is Not Reasonably Accomplished) the
'Perhaps Before the 1970s for Videotape Technology' is very
funny....although I suppose you figure that since we 'Mere Humans'
have had technology for ~ONLY 30 Years (give or take a few months),
then we have ALWAYS HAD said Tech, and 'Normal People in the 1940s,
50s, AND 60s ALL had 'Common Knowledge' to use Technology that hadn't
even been INVENTED YET, LOL!
Bruce Esquibel
> Tape-trading is very entertaining and has been going on for many
> years.
> I ask that the readers of this post please offer your insight into
> the roots and origins of tape-trading going back to the 1970s and
> perhaps
> before.
I think the start of consumer vcr's in the u.s. was 1977, so anything prior
to that would of be rare and limited. I think in 1973 or 1974, Sears had a
console tv that had some kind of cartridge recorder built into it, but I'd
guess the sales were in the hundreds.
Since the late 60's there were reel-to-reel video decks available, some
which could of found their way into a home, but these didn't have tuners in
them, were configured to use some kind of camera.
The only thing I remember from the pre-vcr days with trading were the 16mm
films. I met collectors who purchased legit films and had organized trading
groups, they would swap films.
There were some 8mm porn stuff around at the same time (silent, alot of
Swedish Erotica) but that was really considered taboo and most people
thought it was outright illegal.
Also keep in mind, tape trading probably didn't become popular until the
80's, because of costs. A single blank vhs tape early on was in the $25 to
$30 range, so you didn't exactly lend out tapes unless you knew you were
getting them back soon or got an exchange.
-bruce
b...@ripco.com
x01001x
> "Tape-Trading going back to the 1970s and perhaps
> before".........hmmm....considering the FACT that "VHS Nor BETA VCR
> Technonlogy even existed Hardly Before the '1970s',
Well, it goes back at least to 1979. Also consider that some stuff was
shot on one format and then transferred to VHS later, such as the
Cramps show at the Napa State Hospital.
Also, I was thinking of the Ampex VRX-1000, which was technically the
first VCR, although in a larger format.
This machine was used for taping of television shows, and it did not
escape me that it might be possible people were bootlegging/trading
said shows. We're talking way before 1979 on this...
Michael O'Connor
"Who Stole Superman?" which dealt with video pirates who stole or made
prints of Superman and video-pirated it all over the world and it cost
the movie studio a lot of money on lost video sales. This was
probably the first network news story on video piracy:
Plarocks
Great post! I found the classic 60 Minutes segment to be very
interesting.
Made from a "Pirate" copy, of course ;)
GMAN
>On Nov 12, 8:05=A0pm, "Michael O'Connor" <mpoconn...@aol.com> wrote:
>> I remember around 1979 60 Minutes ran an investigative segment called
>> "Who Stole Superman?" which dealt with video pirates who stole or made
>> prints of Superman and video-pirated it all over the world and it cost
>> probably the first network news story on video piracy:
>>
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DUc8_dlrLUkY
>
>Great post! I found the classic 60 Minutes segment to be very
>interesting.
>Made from a "Pirate" copy, of course ;)
off the air. Untill that lawsuit, it was considered piracy to do just that!