New VCR by RCA to debut

The fledgling home television video tape cassette recorder (VCR) industry, only a year old and with a mediocre track record among consumers so far, receives a big shot in the arm this month when RCA debuts its new four-hour SelectaVision.

As the industry’s first long-playing VCR and cheapest home video machine on the market to date, the new RCA cassette recorder promises to usher in the “new era of television viewing.”

“RCA’s delayed entry into the home video cassette field results in a product more in tune with the desires of the consumer for a superior VCR at an affordable price,” says Roy Pollack, a vice-president of RCA.

Pollack readily admits during an interview that the home VCR field is risky, noting that other major manufacturers have tried and failed to sell their machines.

As a result, he says, RCA is putting its reputation on the line with its SelectaVision.

But RCA officials are so convinced that SelectaVision will succeed that they expect to sell 250,000 video sets between October and the end of 1977.

SelectaVision, which will be available in retail outlets this month, will be priced at $1,000, some $300 below its nearest competitor. The unit will provide the choice of recording either two or four hours of program material on a single tape cassette. Current units on the market only offer two-hour capacity.

Selecta Vision attaches to any brand of television receiver, and allows the user to record up to four hours of television in color for viewing at a later time. By using the built-in clock timer, programs can be recorded automatically if the viewer is away from home. You also can record the program being viewed or another program on a different channel at the same time.

RCA SelectaVision commercial – 1977

“You’re watching television. We’re watching SelectaVision!”