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I've noticed over the past year or so a worrying, growing trend emerging. The trend is for retailers and advertisers to refer to video tapes as "video" and DVD videos as "DVD".
For example, I see adverts on TV for movies saying "own it now on video and DVD". Or I walk into a shop and I see two sections, a "DVD" section and a "video" section.
This is crazy, and a totally inaccurate way of describing the two mediums. Referring to VHS video tape as simply "video" is stupid because the video could be on any medium. And referring to DVD videos as "DVDs" is stupid because DVDs can contain any kind of data, not just video data.
This trend must be stopped as it only serves to cause confusion about the two mediums and does not communicate effectively what the retailers are trying to sell!
When referring to DVD videos and VHS video tapes, if the format is not important then both should be referred to as "videos". (Example: "Most of my videos are DVDs".) However, if the format is important then VHS video tapes should be referred to either as tapes or cassettes (or as VHS, as VHS also describes the medium); however, as DVDs can store more than just video, DVD videos should always be referred to as DVD videos (unless it's obvious that you're talking about videos, in which case DVDs would suffice).
If you don't think all this matters then let me tell you what happened to me a few weeks ago. I was talking about buying a video to my friend and he actually corrected me and said "you can't call them videos when they're on DVD"! If this isn't proof that advertisers are screwing with people's minds then what is?
It has to stop!
For example, I see adverts on TV for movies saying "own it now on video and DVD". Or I walk into a shop and I see two sections, a "DVD" section and a "video" section.
This is crazy, and a totally inaccurate way of describing the two mediums. Referring to VHS video tape as simply "video" is stupid because the video could be on any medium. And referring to DVD videos as "DVDs" is stupid because DVDs can contain any kind of data, not just video data.
This trend must be stopped as it only serves to cause confusion about the two mediums and does not communicate effectively what the retailers are trying to sell!
When referring to DVD videos and VHS video tapes, if the format is not important then both should be referred to as "videos". (Example: "Most of my videos are DVDs".) However, if the format is important then VHS video tapes should be referred to either as tapes or cassettes (or as VHS, as VHS also describes the medium); however, as DVDs can store more than just video, DVD videos should always be referred to as DVD videos (unless it's obvious that you're talking about videos, in which case DVDs would suffice).
If you don't think all this matters then let me tell you what happened to me a few weeks ago. I was talking about buying a video to my friend and he actually corrected me and said "you can't call them videos when they're on DVD"! If this isn't proof that advertisers are screwing with people's minds then what is?
It has to stop!
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