1976 March Sony sells first Betamax console with the TV built in

1976 Disney and Universal Sues Sony for copyright infringement.

1977 Fox licences 50 movies to Magnetic Video Corporation Including The Longest Day.

1977 Fall JVC sells the first VHS VCR, HR-3300, it features a 2 hour recording time.

1978 March First Programmable VCR, The RCA VCT400

1978 Spring First Video Rental store franchises- George Atkinson's Video Station - Sold.

1978 Nov. Philips Introduces the Mangavox Model 8000 Laser-Vision in Atlanta, GA 50 machines were sold in a few hours.

1978 Oct. First pay-per-view movies on Los Angeles KWHY-TV

1979 Jaws released on LaserVision.

1979 Jan. 30 Lawyers play Beta copy of The Mickey Mouse Club in US district court, Kicking off landmark Betamax case pitting Sony against Universal and Disney over the right to tape.

1981 RCA Introduces CED SJT 100 VideoDisc Player for US$499.95. It uses vinyl discs in a plastic sleeve

1981 August MTV premiers with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles

1981 Summer First VCR with stereo sound and Dolby (Not VHS-Hi-Fi) Akai's 7350

1982 First hi-fi movie released, The Road Warrior.

1982 March RCA ships first CED Players

1982 April Jane Fonda's Workout launches boom in exercise tapes.

1982 June 1 JVC unveils VHS-C at New York's Playboy Club. They are later used in camcorders.

1982 Nov. Paramount sells Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on VHS and Beta for $39.95 instead of the usual $59.95 to $79.95.

1982 dec. First Dolby Surround decoder, model 360 by Surround Sound Inc.

1983 Jan. Beta hi-fi is introduced

1983 July First hi-fi VHS VCR, JVC's HR-D725

1984 RCA Cancels the CED VideoDisc business after losses of $250 Million because of the popularly of VHS Rentals for $3 instead of $25

1984 Voyager releases King Kong on laserdisc, it is the first laserdisc featuring a running commentary and extra materials

1984 Jan 17 Supreme Court rules for Sony, declaring home videotaping legal.

1984 Feb. GE and Kodak unveil first 8MM camcorders.

1984 July 27 First TV program in stereo, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

1984 Sept. Pioneer introduces the CLD 900 Combination LD/CD Player

1985 Gone With The Wind released on video as a $89.95 box set.

1985 Paramount releases first laserdisc with digital sound "Wings".

1985 An copy protection system is used on VHS, Macrovision.

1985 May First colour LCD TV, the Epson ET-10 Elf.

1985 Oct. First Blockbuster video store opens, in Dallas TX

1986 Jan. Nintendo Entertainment System debuts with first Super Mario Bros. Game

1986 Oct. First 35-Inch TV, Mitsubishi's CS-3501.

1986 Oct. First TV broadcast in Dolby Surround, Segment on Halloween episode of NBC's Amazing Stories.

1987 Jan. First Dolby Pro-Logic decoder, NEC's PLD909.

1987 July First S-VHS VCR, JVC's HR-7000U,

1987 Dec. For the first time Americans spend more on video rentals then going to the movies.

1988 Paramount home video Pulls out of the Province of Quebec when that province introduces a sticker tax, reenters Quebec in 1991

1988 Summer First ED Beta VCR, Sony's EDV-9500.

1989 Jan. Kodak introduces first LCD video projector.

1989 April First Hi8 VCR, Sony's EVS-900.

1989 Nov 26 First episode of America's Funniest Home Videos.

1990 June 1 General Instrument proposes digital HDTV system.

1990 June Technics, Lexicon and Snell unveil first home THX products.

1990 Nov. Gemstar's VCR Plus introduces new way to program VCR's

1991 Mar 3 George Holiday tapes L.A. police officers beating motorist Rodney King.

1992 Aug VCR sales reach the 100 million mark.

1992 Dec. Montreal's first sell-thru video store opens at Place Montreal Trust

1993 spring First widescreen (16x9) TV's in U.S.

1993 June HDTV competitors agree to create single system for U.S.

1995 Zoom Tv is founded later known as DIVX

1996 Nov. 11 First DVD Player sold in Japan.

1997 March 19 First DVD's sold in U.S. by Lumivision

1997 March 31 Warner Bros sells 40 DVD movies in 5 U.S. Cities

1997 April 29 Sony Sells first DVD everywhere, Titles are In The Line of Fire, Fly Away Home, Jumanji, Legends of the Falls.

1997 July Polygram announces DVD support.

1997 Aug. 22 Warner and MGM Sells 50 DVD titles nationwide and in Canada.

1997 Aug. 29 DVD sales overtakes Laser Disc sales.

1997 Sept. 4 Disney Announces DVD support.

1997 Sept. 8 DIVX announces a Pay per View DVD System, It is denounces as to much power in the hands of the studios.

1997 Dec. 31 347,000 DVD players shipped to stores.

1998 April 27 Paramount announces DVD support.

1998 Aug. 10 Fox announces DVD support.

1998 Nov. DIVX Players and disc hits U.S. stores

1998 fall HDTV broadcasts start in USA.

1998 Dec. 31 906,000 DVD players shipped to stores in 1998 totaling 1,253,000 players.

1999 June Circuit City pulls the plug on DIVX