12/1997

Collection

Domestic Appliances

Brief description

Ferguson Videostar Deluxe video cassette recorder, model number 3V16, serial number 10588645, with an associated power lead and a connector lead. This video cassette recorder has a black plastic case with a grey metal facia on the top half of the front and was manufactured in Japan in c.1984.

Object name (per part)

video cassette recorder
power lead
lead

Object number

12/1997

Production organisation

Ferguson & Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd (manufacturer)

Production date

c.1984 (manufactured)

Production place

Japan (manufactured)

Period

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Physical description

Rectangular video cassette recorder in a black plastic case with a grey metal facia on the top half and a row of push-down buttons with two associated electrical flexes.

Website keywords

electronic communication
electronic and video games
broadcast and pre-recorded entertainment

Label

Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):
Ferguson Videostar deluxe video cassette recorder
Plastic and metal
Manufactured by Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd., Japan, about 1984
The technology market for home entertainment is hotly contested. Japanese technology giants continue to exert huge influence over entertainment in our homes. The pace of change is so fast that objects more recent than this video are already obsolete, as technology allows us to watch ‘on demand’.

Label text for a touchscreen computer programme displayed in the exhibition, At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):
Introduction:
This early home video recorder is a ‘top loader’ which uses VHS (Video Home System) format cassettes. The Shield TV sticker on the front indicates it was a former rental machine. In the 1980s it was common to rent, rather than buy, televisions and videos. Ferguson is a British company, although the machine itself was made in Japan. [This information was displayed alongside photographs of the front and back of this video cassette recorder, (object number 12/1997-1 to -3), caption 'Ferguson Videostar video cassette recorder, made in Japan, 1984.']

Global Connections, Asia, Japan
Technology for video recording was driven forward by fierce competition, particularly by Japanese technology giants. Sony’s Betamax fought with JVC’s VHS format in the 1980s; VHS won. Japan continues to dominate the home electronics market. [This information was displayed alongside a photograph of this video cassette recorder, (object number 12/1997-1 to -3), caption 'Ferguson Videostar video cassette recorder, made in Japan, 1984.']

Global Connections, Europe
The first home video cassette recorder was launched in 1972 by Dutch electronics company Philips. At first it could only record for up to 45 minutes. Philips was also responsible for inventing the audio cassette and helping develop the CD and DVD. [This information was displayed alongside a photograph of this video cassette recorder, (object number 12/1997-1 to -3), caption 'Ferguson Videostar video cassette recorder, made in Japan, 1984.']

A full transcript of this information and associated images is available on the object history file.
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