If you are an 80’s kid, I am pretty sure you have had your time with VCR’s and video cassettes. Although VCR’s have given way to DVD and eventually Blu Ray players, there is still an old world charm attached to those jerky, rewindable videos. Let me also take this opportunity to remind you that the VCR (or VHS as the technology as a whole is referred to) just turned 57. In typical Google fashion, YouTube has added a very interesting “VHS Mode” to select uploaded videos.
What this mode does is to add a feel of those old VHS videos with its typical jerkiness, statics and artefacts. If you are a huge fan of those old VHS tapes, I am sure you’re gonna love this!
In a post on the official YouTube Google+ page, they announced;
“Not too long ago, the video tape was the media of choice for living rooms around the world. In celebration of the 57th birthday of the first commercial video cassette recorder, check out a fun VHS mode for the YouTube player to relive the magic feel of vintage video tapes. On select videos, you’ll find a VHS button in the bottom right of the player–just click to turn back the clock and enjoy the static and fuzzy motion of the VHS era.”
YouTube hasn’t clarified which videos would come with this option. There are a couple of them enabled already. This one for example:
Two weeks ago, on April fool’s day, YouTube had pulled an elaborate prank by informing its users that the site was shutting down after being online for 8 years. A video accompanying put up by YouTube talked about how the sole objective of the creation of YouTube was to find out the world’s best video.
This one though, looks like a more of a feature addition and less of a prank as many users might actually love this option – just for the fun of it.
