11 Things Everyone Did With a VCR
VCRs were the heart of home entertainment, and we all had our own quirky habits when using them.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Before streaming and on-demand viewing, VCRs ruled living rooms everywhere. Whether it was recording your favorite show or fixing a tangled tape, everyone had their own VHS rituals. Let’s rewind to those simpler times with 11 things everyone did with a VCR.
1. Recording TV Shows on Blank Tapes
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Missing an episode of your favorite show? That is no problem. Just set the VCR to record it while you are out. The only downside was discovering someone accidentally taped over it with a random movie.
2. Rewinding Tapes Before Returning Them
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Video rental stores expected you to “Be Kind, Rewind,” and failure to do so could result in an extra fee. That familiar whirring noise was a staple of any VHS night.
3. Taping Over Family Home Videos
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Despite every warning, someone always ended up recording a sitcom over precious family memories. Birthdays and holidays were sometimes lost to TV specials or big sporting events.
4. Fast-Forwarding Through Commercials
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Nobody wanted to sit through endless ads, so fast-forwarding became second nature. You had to guess just the right amount to skip, which often meant overshooting and rewinding again.
5. Fixing Tangled VHS Tapes with a Pencil
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When a tape got chewed up in the VCR, the only solution was to carefully wind the reels by hand. A pencil or your finger became essential tools for untangling the mess.
6. Setting the VCR Clock (and Forgetting It)
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For some reason, VCR clocks always flashed “12:00.” Trying to set the correct time required patience and button combinations.
7. Recording Over the Same Tape a Hundred Times
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Blank tapes were valuable, so reusing them was practically a household rule. After a while, the quality would degrade, and old recordings would occasionally bleed through.
8. Adjusting the Tracking to Fix a Glitchy Picture
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When static lines ruined your viewing experience, adjusting the tracking knob was the magic fix. You’d carefully twist it until the picture cleared up, feeling like a tech wizard.
9. Making Personal VHS Labels
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Creating handwritten labels for each tape was almost as important as the recording itself. Whether it was “Disney Movies” or “Mom’s Soap Operas,” those labels became household staples.
10. Pausing at Just the Right Moment
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Whether you needed a bathroom break or wanted to freeze your favorite scene, hitting “pause” was crucial, but leaving it paused too long sometimes created a warped screen or damaged the tape.
11. Stacking VHS Tapes on the TV
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Storage space was always limited, so VHS tapes often piled up on top of the television or nearby shelves. The tower of tapes held everything from rented movies to home-recorded shows.