The time of the obsolete VHS By yomamathanos 1971 The beginning of development for the home VHS has started 1973 The first functional prototype has been created 1974 Sony attempts to make the prototype Betamax tape industry standard 1976 The VHS is released in Japan Sep 9, 1976 The Victor HR-4300 is released being the first VCR to use VHS Aug 23, 1977 The first VHS VCR on the American market is released 1978 The first VHS VCR is released to the UK market 1980 The VHS is more successful than the Betamax in every market Period: 1980 to 2005 The VHS is used in most American homes 2005 Market share is steadily dropping due to the release of DVD 2010 Retail locations cease to stock VHS and VHS equipment 2016 The final VHS producer ceases production