U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 15: Home Video

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 15: Home Video

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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HOME VIDEO

Profile America -- Friday, January 15th. The contemporary habit of adjusting TV viewing to your own convenience got its sputtering start 50 years ago. The Sony Corporation began marketing its open-reel videotape recorder in 1966 to individual consumers. The black and white system didn't make much of an impression. But the Japanese company did far better in 1975 with the introduction of the Betamax VCR for home recording and playback. Although Betamax quickly lost out in the market to the competing VHS format, it has survived up to now. Sony will stop making Betamax cassettes in March. From early open-reel recorders through VCRs to today's DVD players and digital recorders, about 91 percent of America's households have units to manage their TV viewing. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 7823
Betamax demise/accessed 11/23/2015: http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/9/9703004/sony-is-finally-killing-betamax
Household percent with video record/playback: http://www.census.gov/hhes/well-being/files/p70-136/tab10.xls?cssp=SERP

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax: +1-301-763-3762, richard.thomas.reed-at-census.gov

Web Site: http://www.census.gov


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Profile: intent