Why I Miss VCRs

Why I Miss VCRs

I know that in the world of Netflix, and in a world where I still buy DVDs, this is a weird thing to say. But I miss VCRs!

 

Why I Miss VCRs

 

Why I Miss VCRs

 

There are two main reasons why I miss this simpler technology.

 

Forced Menus

Animated menus bug me. I think it was more of an early DVDs feature – look at us, we can make things seem interactive! – but they bother me. Why do I need to wait for a menu to jiggle at me when all I want to do is press the play button? What am I getting out of this?

 

The other thing that bothers me are the copyright warnings. I’m not anti-copyright, I’m anti being forced to sit through warnings when I’m the one that did the legal bloody thing buy buying it! And on most discs (at least most I own) you can’t skip or fast forward it. Thanks for punishing me for doing the right thing. I bet people who download illegally or buy knock off copies of DVDs don’t have to put up with this crap. 

 

Signing In

This isn’t so much VCR related as technology in general. Every single thing needs a damn account these days. Want to watch catch-up TV (on apps that freeze and break)? Sign in. Want to watch Netflix on the Xbox? Sign in twice. Want to play a Star Wars game on the Xbox? Sign in twice. Heaven forbid you don’t have an internet connection and want to play a game (alone, not against anyone else!) that you’ve legally bought on disc and fully downloaded to the console. Nope. Must. Be. Online. Must. Be. Signed. In. 

 

The last time I complained about this on Twitter I’m pretty sure people told me “that’s just how gaming is these days”. Um, so what? That automatically means it’s not a pain in the ass and that I have to like it? 

 

What technology from a simpler time do you miss?

 

18 Replies to “Why I Miss VCRs”

  1. I hate the constant signing in and the need to regularly change passwords!!!!!

    SSG xxx

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Yes, then I forget them and have to change them again.

  2. Oh I’m with you on the ‘signing in’ thing Vanessa. I get the need for privacy and security but I’m not sure how I even get logged out of stuff sometimes! #teamlovinlife

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      My Xbox seems to randomly log me out even though I’m pretty sure it’s set to keep me logged in.

  3. Totally agree – over having to sign in and over passwords. Too many passwords to remember! I am forever having to reset them! I miss my simple turn table. Pop on a record – put the lever on the edge, and off it goes playing music for you. Yay! So Simple! 🙂 #TeamLovinLife

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Oh yes, that’s much simpler. It bothers me that even though music is stored ON my phone, when I open the music app it goes to a weird landing page instead of just to my music.

  4. I miss being able to easily record a TV show – it used to be so easy to hit record or the timer, now it’s all so technological that I just don’t bother watching shows that I know I can’t keep up with. Simple was the best – oh for those good old days!

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Yes, that was good. Hit record! I used to be an expert at stopping and starting to cut out ads too 🙂

  5. The whole signing in thing for Netflix and iTunes seems so random and annoying. We get a few power outages here and every time we have to start from scratch again. I mean can’t they just figure it out from the IP address like most others can.
    Not sure I want to go back to DVDs but…

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Oh yes, they do seem so power dependent, don’t they? I keep buying DVDs as I don’t like that stuff just goes away on Netflix. But I am a big re-watcher of things, so that’s why DVDs are better for me.

  6. Now you’ve got me thinking Ness! I’ll get back you you if I come up with something!!!

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      You might miss ADSL if you swap to NBN 🙂

  7. The signing in thing peeves me – as does the copyright message on a DVD. Seriously? Like it actually stops piracy? I still have some things on DVD, but mostly I rely on netflix or apple TV. #TeamLovinLife

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      I assume the piracy message and lack of ability to skip is so they can say “but we KNOW YOU SAW IT” if they take you to court. Yes, because if it’s on the screen I’m paying full attention – haha usually if things are waiting to load I’m playing on my phone or getting a drink in the kitchen.

  8. Making new accounts/signing up for everything annoys me too!! I miss the. Simpler things in life!

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Especially creating an account for catch up apps that then don’t even work… all that “effort” for nothing…

  9. I don’t miss VCRs when compared to DVDs. I like the ability to jump ahead to scenes etc instead of having to forward and rewind. As for signing up to new accounts. YES!!!! I have so many freaking accounts for things I don’t even know how to get rid of anymore. Like kids computer stuff Pony Pals or something like that, that keeps coming into my emails and I have no idea how to shut if off My kids are now 17 and 13 for goodness sake. Sooo many damn accounts …
    #teamlovinlife

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Jumping ahead scenes is a great advantage. And not having to rewind! Those are big DVD advantages.

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