European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Agazine s vhf life driving the instead of letting it drive you Intje i Al a a by Lisa Belkin new York times Manda Schare is a i didst want it but now i love she said of the video cassette recorder bought two years ago for her House on Long Island in 5 1 can tape the news and watch it after i can see a movie and not wait in i can 6 control my television it used to control her in is we bought the machine because i wanted he i thought i could tape Ball games when i want Home to see them or tape those great movies that Are Only on when youre but he discovered that Ball games Are no fun if Treyve already happened and he either forgets to set the machine to record a late night movie or can never find the time to watch the ones Industry sociologists and Consumers contend the second stage of Var use is As with any the machines started out As a Novelty new owners taped More than they had time to watch and rented More than they wanted to families invited other families in to watch a much As they did when television was with More than 17 million Vars in use in american Homes this years sales Are expected to be 9 million people say they Are growing comfortable with their new rather than dominating a it has started to blend in with the stereo speakers and television when we first got we invited All the neighbors said Andrew a Manhattan lawyer who bought his Var in if now the neighbors Are Home watching their at first people were taping everything in said Sherry a professor of sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of technology and a specialist on the effect of technology on Peoples Day today gradually they have Learned to use it in the Way that Best for now they Are driving their a Cut instead of letting their Var drive most people use the machine for time shifting taping a then watching it a poll last year by the Nielsen company found that 77 percent of Var owners called that feature a very important reason for their Purchase of the machine and that the average user spent hours a week recording programs and replaying Doug Mcgrath spends More than since he bought his Var four years the Manhattan writer has taped the soap opera All my children each afternoon and watched it each if i didst tape i would have to stay Home and watch he indicating that missing a single episode was not an this machine gives me my Many people say they tape a program and View it later even if they Are Home when it is i will never watch a program while it is said Ron a television actor who makes much of his living doing the reason for this Rule i hate the i Zap right through if i watch while a program is i reach for the fast Forward Button without thinking and i feel like a even in a movie he his hand automatically reaches for an absent Remote i always want to rewind the Good parts and play them Sasser is not More than 75 percent of those polled this year by links a Market Survey concern based new said they often fast Forward through the Sasser is also not alone in another use for his he tapes and saves old movies collection now includes Over 100 he has two Sony bet Amax which Many people use to retape movies for and May soon buy a vhf you buy the machine your friends he the better to Swap with More of my friends own when they Are not recording television americans seem to be renting about video rental stores in compared with 26 million tapes in according to Tim publisher of video marketing newsletter in los Lynn an administrative assistant at and her rent two movies a week and escape from the real world in their living room in she said she loved going into a video rental store and choosing from the almost limitless she also enjoys the convenience of watching a movie at to go to the theater would Cost to rent a movie is More than half that and you can pause it to get a snack or go to the she perhaps the ultimate use of a is not watching someone else productions but creating your three years Marvin Skudin of his Var from his As a 50th birthday recently the couple converted reels of old movie film to videotape and set the tape to films of their honeymoon Are accompanied by Tony Bennett singing because of during pictures of the children As barbra Streisand sings recently Skudin rented a video camera to film their 20month old i think its time to buy a he just As soon As the Price comes a California Friend of theirs owns such a camera and sends tapes of her children to relatives on the East we Haven done that Skudin maybe that the next i in w it Foft August 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13