VHS

What Does VHS Mean?

VHS means “Video Home System”. VHS is an analogue recording standard for consumer-level videotape cassettes, and was developed by JVC (Victor Company of Japan) in the 1970s.

The advent of VHS began in the 1950s when magnetic tape video recording became a mainstream part of the television industry. The first video tape recorders (VTRs) were only used professionally because of the high cost of the equipment. However, in the 1970s, videotape entered home use when mass production of recording equipment drastically reduced the cost.

VHS reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, but the arrival of optical disc recording made VHS obsolete. The introduction of the DVD format in the US in 1997 started a rapid decline in videotape usage. By 2008, DVD had achieved market dominance and replaced VHS as the preferred method of distribution.

Image for VHS

When I write VHS, I mean this:

The image shows a VHS cassette tape used in VCRs (also known as VTRs).

Summary of Key Points

"Video Home System" is the most common definition for VHS on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

VHS
Definition:	Video Home System
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of VHS in Sentences

Here are examples of VHS being used in a conversation:

• Charlie: I bet you can’t even remember VHS tapes.
• Jordan: Dude, I’m not 100 years old!

An Academic Look at VHS

VHS is an initialism abbreviation. This means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Vee Aich Ess). (Initialisms contrast with acronyms, which are spoken like words.)

Example of VHS Used in a Text

Quiz

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