RECORDER, VIDEO CASSETTE

Description: BOTTOM OF MACHINE IS BLACK. ABOVE THIS IS A BROWN, WOOD GRAINED VENEER. TOP OF VCR IS SILVER. TWO SIDES OF VCR HAVE A YELLOW STICKER THAT READS "WOOD GRAINED VINYL VENEER ON PLYWOOD 3-792-905-21 PRINTED IN JAPAN". BELOW THIS IS A "CAUTION" STICKER. FRONT OF MACHINE HAS TWO KNOBS ON THE RIGHT SIDE FOR "VHF" AND "UHF". ABOVE KNOBS IS A LABEL THAT READS "22758924". TO THE LEFT OF THE KNOBS IS AN "AFT" ON/OFF BUTTON. BELOW THIS IS A MICROPHONE JACK. ON LOWER LEFT HAND SIDE OF FRONT IS A LABEL THAT READS "TOHSIBA". TOP LEFT HAND SIDE HAS A "POWER" ON/OFF BUTTON. TOP OF VCR HAS A TAPE DECK THAT POPS UPWARD WITH SIX BUTTONS IN FRONT OF IT. TO THE RIGHT OF DECK IS AN INSET PANEL THAT READS "TOSHIBA VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER 2 HOUR RECORDING / PLAY BACK". ALSO ON THIS PANEL ARE MULTIPLE SWITCHES. AN INSET PANEL TO THE LEFT OF THE TAPE DECK HAS A KNOB FOR "TRACKING" AND A SWITCH FOR "PAUSE". MOUNTED ON TOP OF VCR IS A "TOSHIBA DIGITAL TIMER TM-510", THAT LOOKS LIKE A CLOCK. THE NUMBERS ARE ON ROLLERS. A KNOB ON FRONT OF TIMER TURNS THE POWER ON AND OFF, AND SETS TIMER. BACK OF TIMER HAS A LABEL THAT READS "22758734", ETCETERA. THERE ARE TWO, GREY, ELECTRICAL CORDS ATTACHED TO BACK OF TIMER.

History: VCR WAS PURCHASED BY THE LETHBRIDGE HONPA BUDDHIST CHURCH, FROM A LOCAL MERCHANT, KAZ. HIRAGA, IN THE LATE 1970'S AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST VCRS BROUGHT IN FOR SALE. IT BROUGHT MANY HOURS OF PLEASURE TO THE LOCAL "ISSEI" PEOPLE, WHO WATCHED ON THE SCREEN, PICTURES OFJAPAN IN JAPANESE. THEY HEARD ALL THE POPULAR SONGS BY THEIR FAVOURITE ARTISTS, AND WATCHED THE POPULAR SOAP OPERAS CIRCULATING IN JAPAN. VCR CAME TO MUSEUM WITH TAPES (TRANSFERRED TO ARCHIVES). THE TAPES WERE RENTED FROM NOGUCHI ELECTRONICS OF VANCOUVER WHO SENT FOUR TAPES EVERY TWO WEEKS AT A NOMINAL FEE. THE TAPES WERE SHOWN EVERY SUNDAY FROM 1:00PM TO 4:00PM, BY YOSH TANAKA AND GENE TANAKA (NO RELATION TO DONOR). IN TIME MOST PEOPLE STARTED BUYING THEIR OWN VCRS AND IN THE MID-EIGHTIES, THE VIDEO WORLD'S POPULARITY CHANGED TO THE LARGER "VHS" TAPE, SO BETAMAX MACHINES WERE GRADUALLY PHASED OUT.