I don’t feel much nostalgia for the VHS player, but there’s no doubt it revolutionized the way I watched and experienced movies. And, at the time, there was something techno cool and space-age about the bulky player.

If you weren’t there, Total Rewind is a totally genius site that has indexed the whole history of the format. My favorite is the Sony AG-7 Betamax tape changer, an ungodly beast that allowed you to record or play back four tapes in a row.

“Watching the AG-7 work is hilarious. Whirring motors, clattering tapes and the pinging of springs accompany every operation, and the whole device raises itself into the air as it pushes the cassette lid down, like a holiday-maker trying to force his suitcase shut.

Ejected tapes are spat out into the receiving tray at some speed, and if there are already three in this tray, ejecting the fourth knocks the top tape onto the floor…”