Days numbered for VCRs, DVDs

VCR players and even DVD recorders are becoming dinosaurs as more households embrace digital TV recording devices.
While it is not known how many New Zealand households have digital video recorders, in America they are estimated to be in 40 per cent of all homes.
Noel Leeming product manager for televisions, Richard Mayo, said DVD players were becoming less popular as consumers embraced digital recording.
"The category's been shrinking. We currently have one DVD recorder on range.
"A lot of people are switching to a MyFreeview HD recorder, which is the alternative to MySky."
And while many people remember struggling to programme the VCR to record your favourite shows, Mr Mayo said the digital technology meant the new wave of recorders were more user-friendly than ever before.
"It's not difficult at all. Recording is just hitting a button, and it asks you if you want to series link. You don't have to set start and end times, it's very easy."
Noel Leeming sells two Freeview approved terrestrial Digital Television Recorder (DTRs), and the products have been selling well.
"They are proving to be really popular. We sold out of the satellite receivers almost instantly of our initial shipment two months ago.
"We had been struggling to keep stock [initially]."
The upcoming national Digital Switch Over (DSO) also had an impact on the number of households picking up digital recorders, Mrs Mayo said.
The Bay of Plenty is set to go digital in November 2013.
"Awareness is definitely increasing.
"The Government has just started their campaign on the digital switch over, and Freeview is doing a lot of advertising."
But despite progress in technology, Mr Mayo said there were still those clinging to their old devices.
"I think there are still probably a few VCRs floating around.
"We might get quite often people say they want to transfer their home movies they have from VHS to DVD."
Dave Horne of Tauranga Television Services said digital recorders were becoming increasingly common in Tauranga households, but there were plenty of "die-hards" - especially among older people - who still used VCRs.
"They'll use them until there are no more tapes available and the machines die.
"I have got one particular customer who's hoarded new VCR machines when they came out, they're still in unopened boxes. She's going to stay with her VCR 'til the end.
"Tapes are hard to get but they are still available at a few places around town."
Mr Horne said there was a perception by some consumers that new digital technology would be hard to "drive" but that was not the case.
"They are trying to make it more user-friendly.
"They have to or they would never sell them."
American movie studios stopped releasing new movie titles in VHS format in 2006.
Movies and TV series on VHS tapes can be picked up cheaply on Trade Me, and a VCR on the auction website can be bought for as little as $15 if you still want to watch your old favourites on VHS.