Retro Tech Tuesday: RCA Selectavision

At some point RCA knew they were beat, and videotape, not media on a non-burnable disc was the future. (come to think of it, they were just a few decades too early.) And so it was time to leave their CED tech behind (CED came on big discs but unlike a laserdisc, used a physical groove and needle for picture and sound) and they embraced tape. And how better to get people enticed than to throw in blank media. Hey when you realize the ability to record is the reason you lost a format war, it makes a lot of sense to include media, and make it cheaper than the other guys to get started. The most fascinating thing about this ad is the "almost $100" value of four blank video tapes. Imagine if blank media cost that much today. Heck, imagine if we still used blank media...

Retro Tech Tuesday: Sony Cassette-Corder

Before the Sony Walkman became the largest selling consumer electronic device, (at least at the time), Sony had plenty of other cassette-based products. Here's a glimpse at one that readers of a certain age may remember from classrooms across the country: The Sony Cassette-Corder. We often mock the commercials for products featured on Retro Tech, but this one did a great job of showing why every family should have a Sony Cassette-Corder: