European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Consumer dilemma state theart video cassette cameras and compact disks that catch the Eye today May be obsolete technology six months from by James Barron new York times six months after Michael Salesin became the first person on his Block with a videocassette he realized it was it had been the top of the line when he brought it Home several years a on Speed Model with Remote but the films that Hollywood began releasing to the Home video rental Market were taped at a different and suddenly Sale sins Var was an electronic so he bought himself a second generation Var with three to be the first on your you almost guarantee that whatever you buy will soon be obsolete and youll have to upgrade your said a gynaecologist in suburban its a definite dilemma do you wait and buy when technology gets or do you buy Early and enjoy it it is a dilemma that Consumers have faced Ever since Thomas Edison original Wax cylinders and Hor like speakers were replaced by Vinyl woofers and with its Promise of better technology has Long been to the Home electronics Industry what hemlines Are to seventh avenues fashion designers in Manhattan something that Marks whatever came before As innovation is part of this said Allan a spokesman for the electronic industries a Washington based group representing but i dont think we have revolutionary new products every six More what comes along Are refinements that offer a sharper picture or better the quickening Pace of technical change is creating new questions for Consumers who decide to replace their old is it Worth it to buy compact which Cost to More than the same album in a conventional up version should you discard your turntable altogether when you buy a compact disk player what can you do with a 10yearold television when you buy a new one with stereo sound that plugs into your audio component system these Are questions that raise unpleasant memories for those who remember the Clumsy reel Oreel tapes that predated cassettes or the scratchy 78 records that gave Way to better Quality 45s and Long playing there is the video which Ria abandoned after losing millions of although Pioneer is proceeding with the first Vars Cost As much As and were soon replaced by models that Cost half that much and offered More features wireless Remote freeze Frame and fast Forward and reverse now video components Are becoming smaller and More compatible with Home and Consumers Are buying More and More television sales Rose from million in 1974 to million in and while sales of color sets doubled during that last year was the worst year for Blacka Edwhite sets Only million were Down from million in most of the Blacka Edwhite sets sold last year were but a lot of Vintage Blacka Edwhite sets and other older equipment Are still being the electronics association says that half the color television sets made in 1970 Are still in As Are four of every five made 10 years its obvious that people dont toss away a set that still Schlosser but that Doest prevent them from buying new technology so they can have state theart people move them to the guest the Den or to Deal with the Advent of new Consumers adopt several some people Trade in their equipment for new although not All dealers take Sale sins Early bet Amax sits on a shelf in his Gary a Detroit video said it if its still in really Good i give it to my if its its relegated to a shelf in the basement or we give to for Many who upgrade their the problem is not what to do with the old equipment but what to do with the old they wonder whether their favorite Vintage performances will Ever be available on compact Sally the electronic associations director of consumer bought new stereo components last replacing a 16yearold she has a collection of Frank Sinatra some of which Are her new turntable plays Only 45s and and she is thinking about adding a compact disk when your most recent Gadget is already obsolete new York times file photos ill never get Jackie Gleason or Bobby Hackett on a compact she but i can copy the 78s onto cassette i think its great that in not stuck with just records but can choose from this variety of but Abby Kenigsberg of took a different she unplugged her turntable and carried it to the along with several Hundred it had dawned on me that we didst have room on the shelf for our 78s and 33s Kenigsberg my husband loves music and some of those albums Are dear old but i said turntables Are we haunt listened to a record in four and i wanted to get our cassette tape collection into some kind of Kenigsberg said she will not discard any of her and Alan a lawyer in Chicago who has a compact disk plans to hang on to his old i thought Toscanini new world symphony on the compact disk was better than the he the cd get the old los off the shelf and up into the the compact disk never wears and the up becomes a historic other audiophiles sell their old los to secondhand record shops and put the Money toward compact they say the economics is used record stores typically pay a maximum of for an about a third of the Price of a compact Ive sold a lot More albums than Ive things i didst listen to said Eric a clerk in a Detroit record for some one new piece of equipment is enough to prompt a major upgrading of an older stereo when Dennis a satellite time broker in decided to buy a compact disk he realized that it would be far better than the rest of his so he also bought new speakers and a new its like youre starting off All Over he and disks i dont know How Many performances Ive i went out and bought the five Beethoven piano probably my sixth or seventh but Roy Brady of Brooklyn Waits to buy new equipment until he is certain the next generation is already on the he says that if manufacturers Are planning to make improved what he buys will continue to be its the gadgetry that makes you feel its Brady you buy a Var that will last five but six months after you bring it Home they come out with a wireless the Var is not functionally its just obsolete in your after his experience with the videocassette Salesin has become More recently he considered buying a new 8millimeter video camera but decided to hold a few years ago i might have gone right out and bought he but i know that this fall there coming out with a second and i want what i buy to be compatible with the stuff Ive already video supermarkets on the Rise in by Sherry Sontag new York times the video cassette rental initially staked out by Small entrepreneurs who saw a Chance to Cash in on a new is now seeing a burst of activity in big video for Many frustrated with not being Able to get their first Choice of rental the greater selection offered by the video supermarkets represents a Welcome the bigger stores typically Stock several thousand Many with multiple while Many Small stores concentrate mainly on current for some Small the better financed stores Are hardly their presence is expected to Lead to a shakeout in an Industry with sales close to the future for the Market is a future of massive inventory depth and said Richard president of Cambridge associates in a consulting video supermarkets still account for Only about 1 percent of the videotape but they command a larger portion of rental although there is Little agreement on their Market a Large store could very easily do 5 to 10 times the volume of a Small Kelly the average video store carries a total of cassettes video supermarkets have an average of about analysts do that video supermarkets Are Likely to continue to and could represent 5 percent of All outlets in the United states by the end of this and they could grab a 10 to 15 percent share in the next few at the end of 1982 there we rent More than a dozen stores in the country that could be considered video said Arthur president of video which in six years has grown to 15 outlets All in new York and plans to part of the reason for the growth of video supermarkets is the Boom in the potential a few years there were not enough video cassette recorders in american Homes to justify Large scale rental some 20 million video cassette recorders have been sold in the United and with the increase in the number of recorders has come an increase in the number of while total rentals in the Market have not been the american video association in said nearly 99 percent of the transactions in the average outlet were one recent entry into the video supermarket Field is Cine club the an offshoot of a Paris recently spent million to open an Square foot outlet on Avenue of the americas in where it plans eventually to Stock the club has also set aside million for four More outlets in new Jacques Henri spoke of the importance of if you Only speak on video of the latest you dont speak on video at he people ask for hits when there is nothing you must offer them different a spread Cine club is taking a somewhat different approach from other rental most of them rent to anyone and some have club which offer discount overnight video shacks rent and run for offers cassettes to nonmembers for a a annual membership fee cuts the overnight rate to Cine club charges a month for with a minimum of one for cassettes can be signed out like Library up to five at a with no time Only members Are allowed the guarded electronic Gates into the narrow where three Walls Are made up entirely of windows and Rock n Roll music plays for customers browsing through aisles of rewire display Racks designed in about 200 joined Cine club in its first and Djiana projection Calls for a total of members Over the next several there Are cassettes in Stock and the club will acquire five More movies for each new some of the Large stores Are simply Small stores that have Tampa video station of opened six years ago with 300 but now has More than total revenues last year were said Art its As fast As we make it goes Back on the he in order to keep new titles on Ross Sells copies of Les requested always keeping at least one cassette of if three or four customers come in and want to rent a Well Stock he still another variation on the video supermarket theme is offered by another newcomer to the the music plus Chain in los a subsidiary of show the company recently opened extensive video departments in 25 of its 37 record those departments have an average of More than titles and Lou president of show said the company plans to with More space and capital larger stores have a Clear advantage Over the smaller particularly since some new titles Are released each some stores usually do not have the space or the capital to Stock All of according to opening a video supermarket can Cost More than while a Small storefront can be opened for Way under but the owners Are betting that the extra outlay will be quickly made up in one advantage the big stores do not is volume discounts on their own even a store that stocks a Large number of cassettes Only stocks a few copies of each so they have not won volume discounts from cassette while the proliferation of these bigger stores is expected to put increasing pressure on the smaller experts expect some to primarily those operated by onsite owners with Good business there will be a decrease in Small retail shops opened by people who Are not and never should have gotten into the said Stanley a vice president of Tower a video supermarket with outlets in new York and the people who Are Good and Sharp and financially secure will be around video supermarkets Are file photo Page 14 the stars and stripes August 1985 the stars and stripes Page 15