tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post8308504740087035770..comments2024-02-23T11:23:45.971-05:00Comments on Lost Motorcyclist: Were Eight-Track Tapes a Joke?Lost Motorcyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-34814728796108752962010-10-31T16:11:37.273-04:002010-10-31T16:11:37.273-04:00number 2, 3 and 4--guilty as charged-although neve...number 2, 3 and 4--guilty as charged-although never owned any of them...<br /><br />I am somewhat "down the curve" when it comes to adoption of electronics<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_adoption_lifecycle<br /><br />Looking at the technology curve I'd have to say I'm--maybe a later early majority....<br /><br />for example we are looking at maybe getting an iPhone...beansbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07184690230800119302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-4557038825059861492010-10-31T13:32:23.535-04:002010-10-31T13:32:23.535-04:00Beansbiker writes, 'I only really remember the...Beansbiker writes, '<i>I only really remember them as "throwback" technology by the time I really became involved in stereos</i>.'<br /><br />When one goes back over the history of consumer electronics, 8-tracks actually had a relatively long run!<br /><br />Who, these days, remembers those other 'great products' that came and went ... <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadraphonic_sound" rel="nofollow">quadraphonic records</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserdisc" rel="nofollow">laserdisks</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax" rel="nofollow">Betamax</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Compact_Cassette" rel="nofollow">digital compact cassette</a>, <a rel="nofollow">Selectavision</a> ... oh, the list is endless :-(<br /><br />Which is why I find it so impressive that the compact cassette lives on (and on and on).Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-85770176648002423512010-10-31T12:04:48.204-04:002010-10-31T12:04:48.204-04:00thanks for the time lines
So yeah given born in &...thanks for the time lines<br /><br />So yeah given born in '63...not surprising I only really remember them as "throwback" technology by the time I really became involved in stereos and such they were very much on the out<br /><br />Can't say I remember any of my Dads cars having 8 track...beansbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07184690230800119302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-55877154790641500512010-10-31T08:33:50.022-04:002010-10-31T08:33:50.022-04:00Your timeline is actually quite accurate; the heyd...Your timeline is actually quite accurate; the heyday of 8-track lasted roughly from 1967 through 1976 - by which time the quality of cassette players had improved (and the price had dropped) to the point where cassette players were becoming the preferred choice for car audio.<br /><br />Not quite a 'flash in the pan' - 8-tracks were around for a decade.<br /><br /><b>1966</b> - RCA and Learjet bring first 8-track players to market.<br /><b>1967</b> - 40% of new Ford Thunderbirds sold with 8-tracks installed.<br /><b>1968</b> - Chrysler introduces combined AM/FM/8-track.<br /><b>1970</b> - 'Floor-mount' (add-on) 8-track players attain popularity.<br /><b>1971</b> - 'In-dash' cassette players first appear, but 8-tracks continue to dominate the market.<br /><b>1972</b> - Dolby B noise reduction introduced.<br /><b>1973</b> - Chromium dioxide cassettes become widely available.<br /><b>1974</b> - Detroit considers offering cassette players.<br /><b>1975</b> - Sony introduces in-dash 2-shaft cassette/AM/FM stereo unit.<br /><b>1976</b> - Sales of 8-tracks fall off the cliff.<br /><br />What's interesting is the longevity of cassettes. Although by 1984 CDs, with their superior quality and reliability, had penetrated the auto sound market, sales of in-dash cassette players (at lower and lower prices) <a href="http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/p_27138_Pyle_PLRCS19U.aspx" rel="nofollow">continue</a> to this day!Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-36138324016130517852010-10-30T12:47:05.160-04:002010-10-30T12:47:05.160-04:00Here's a quick timeline, probably presents a d...Here's a quick timeline, probably presents a distorted view of reality though.<br /><br />1964 Born<br />1975 Already the butt of jokes<br />1982 Phased out of retail stores<br />1988 Last non-bootleg 8-track releaseLost Motorcyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-40142446017127781812010-10-30T11:41:17.040-04:002010-10-30T11:41:17.040-04:00I don't really remember 8 track...
What I won...I don't really remember 8 track...<br /><br />What I wonder is how long was the life of 8 track, it seems in was a "flash in the pan" but did it really have a good run of more than a couple of years?beansbikerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07184690230800119302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-22717527293444721122010-10-29T08:43:23.167-04:002010-10-29T08:43:23.167-04:00From the distance of 2010, it's difficult to p...From the distance of 2010, it's difficult to put consumer audio, and especially automobile audio, systems of the late Sixties and early Seventies into perspective.<br /><br />During the Sixties, car radios were invariably an (added cost) 'option.' And when a purchaser did pop for the option, the 'factory' radio was generally a poor quality unit. So most drivers who wanted reasonable quality sound would install an 'aftermarket' unit.<br /><br />The 8-track system was developed by Bill Lear (of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lear_Jet" rel="nofollow">LearJet</a> fame) and used 'standard' ¼" tape, running at the standard 'medium' speed of 3¾ inches per second (IPS). The innovation was in running the tape in a continuous loop, with the read head being shifted vertically to read each of four parallel 'stereo' paths (4 x 2, hence: 8 tracks). The storage capacity of the 8-track cartridge was <br />ideal for duplicating LP (vinyl) albums.<br /><br />Although Phillips introduced their 'compact cassette' in the mid-Sixties, it was initially targeted at the dictation market. Because cassette tape was half the width and ran at half the speed (1/8" running at 1-7/8 IPS) of the 'normal' ¼" at 3.5 IPS, the sound quality was significantly poorer than 8-track. Early automobile cassette players were also unreliable, very expensive and produced unacceptable levels of hiss, wow and flutter.<br /><br />By the mid-Seventies cassette technology had been improved by the introduction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_noise-reduction_system" rel="nofollow">Dolby 'B'</a> noise reduction to address the hiss, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium%28IV%29_oxide" rel="nofollow">chromium dioxide</a> tape for broader frequency response and improved transport mechanisms to reduce the wow and flutter. That, combined with the growing availability of prerecorded cassette material, killed off the 8-track market.<br /><br />So, although from the perspective of today's digital technology, 8-tracks seem clumsy, bulky and primitive, in their day they were the primary option for those who wanted to select their own tunes while driving. 8-tracks were certainly much better than the contemporary alternatives, such as <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9687999-1.html" rel="nofollow">under-dash phonographs</a>!<br /><br />Since the Sixties, car audio has moved from AM-only, to AM/FM, to 8-track, to cassette, to CD, to MP3/CD, and there is much speculation that in the next few years even the CD player will <a href="http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1048928_were-calling-it-the-in-dash-cd-player-dies-in-2015" rel="nofollow">be abandoned</a> for purely digital media (USB, SD card, Bluetooth, iPod interconnect, &c.).<br /><br />8-track, a 'joke'? Hardly. More like 'state of the art' for its time <b>;-)</b>Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.com