Inspired by a discussion in this thread.
What, specifically, does the word “video” mean to you?
For example, if you’re in a movie rental store and something is referred to as being “on video”, what would you assume that means?
If it doesn’t make you automatically think of a VHS tape, what media do you most strongly associate a “video” with, or do you associate it with a particular medium at all?
The word by itself to me means the visual part of of media. As in audio/video inputs or the audio department of an electronic store vs. the video department.
But honestly is someone uses it in the form “Is that movie on video?” it does make me immediately think VHS. Even though DVD means digital-video-disc I never really hear any one refer to a movie on DVD as being on video.
I’m going to post here for no reason because I think my answer is obvious from the other thread.
If I’m in a movie store and ask for something “on video”, I’m asking if a given title is available on VHS. Of course, that doesn’t preclude the use of “video” for other things (YouTube videos, music videos, etc), but in this particular setting “video” is synonymous with “VHS” in my mind.
In this day and age, the default medium for “video” is DVD, with a minor in Blu-Ray.
It also depends on what the video is of, he says adding a clause to avoid ending a sentence in a preposition. If someone says “I have a video of the The Godfather”, I assume DVD. If someone says, “I have a video of Lyndsay Lohan blowing a goat” I assume a computer file of some sort.
When I mean DVD, I say DVD. But again, when I mean VHS, I’ll say that as well. If someone said “video” I think my default would be to assume DVD.
But, again, as in the example in that thread, if someone said “video,” I handed them a DVD then they again asked for a video I’m not going to argue semantics with them. I’d pretty well grok they want a format that’s a little more bulk that fits in those neat little open faced boxes.
[sub]Now, if they started arguing that what they REALLY meant was Betamax, well, ok, I think it’s fair game to heap scorn on them and laugh them out of the store…[/sub]
I use it to mean “can I watch it at home?” as in, you can see a movie in the theater or on video. I’ve caught myself saying it about things on Tivo – if I can watch it at my leisure, it counts as “on video” in my world. I’m sure I’ll still be saying “on video” even when the technology has advanced to the point where the virtual reality programs are piped directly into our brains and projected on the inside of our eyelids and our limbs atrophy because we never walk anywhere. Or something.
Video means visual media. VHS means a tape and DVD means a disc. I wouldn’t go in a store and ask if something is on video. I would just ask if they have whatever movie I want.
I guess my techie background must be showing. When I saw the thread title, my first thought was, what kind of video? Composite, component, s-video or HDMI?
Video means moving images. I can stream video or download it or get it on optical disks or magnetic tape. Magnetic tape is dying all over, though, and it’s one of those things that the kids just won’t remember in a few years. Remember when an album meant vinyl? Wax? A cylinder? (I’m pretty sure soon people won’t remember when it meant a physical object.)
This is probably what I’d do as well. However, if someone walked into Blockbuster and asked me if we had something “on video,” I’d assume VHS. As I said in the other thread, if they’re looking for a DVD, why would they say “Do you have this on video?” What else would you expect to find a movie on in Blockbuster, a pizza?
I’m curious to know if the people who think that in this context “on video” defaults to DVD, what purpose the “on video” part of the sentence serves? Is it just for emphasis, kind of like the “do” in the sentence “I do have it.”
ETA: Before this poll goes too far astray, I’d like to point out that it was started in response to a specific situation in a movie rental shop. You can talk about the larger implications of video if you’d like, but the example given in the OP is the point of the discussion in the other thread.
To me it means any stored form of visual and audio medium. In a video store I would first expect somebody to point it out for DVD’s since it’s the most common at this point. You have to specify what medium you want if you don’t want the most common.
I’d said what I thought of the word in the other thread, but I figure it’s only fair to answer my own question over here.
If someone asked me if something was available on video, my first thought would be that they meant DVD, as that’s the default video format for most movie rentals at the moment. The addition of “on video” would be assumed to simply be one of those gratuitous qualifiers that people make for clarification (perhaps they think if they don’t add it, I’ll assume they want to ask if I, personally, own the movie). If I offered them a DVD and they said, “No, on video,” I’d then at that point realize they meant they wanted a VHS.
Outside of the context of the movie rental, though, I’d just assume they were referring to a visual recording and there’d be no particular medium that I’d automatically associated with it. The context would be my clue.
I’m not really sure, but I do know that it killed the radio star in Reno just to watch it die.
I think of a motion picture that is not film- be it VHS, DVD, digital, whatever.
Me too, though it’s in the same way that I know nookyoolar = nuclear and “I could care less”=“I couldn’t care less” and “ATM machine”=“ATM”.
Video to me implies a video computer file. If I wanted something on VHS I would probably ask for it “on tape”.
“Video” to me means “a motion picture that is delivered electronically”. The term does not specify the medium or format of recording. This is why places that say “Available on video or DVD” drive me up the wall. They should have said, “Available on VHS or DVD”, short for “Available on VHS-format cassette or DVD-format disc.”
Disney used to do this all the time. Of course, Disney also used to say, “Available on Disney DVD”; I could see that confusing some people: “Will this Disney DVD work in my regular DVD player?”
I use “on video” to refer to a movie I can rent or buy, regardless of the format.
As in- “I wonder if that movies out in video yet?” when I know full well it will be a DVD I’ll be buying.
Generally an a/v presentation that can be downloaded and viewed on a computer.
If someone comes into the library where I work and asks if we have something on video, there are three possible answers: Yes, No, and Yes, but unfortunately only on VHS.
I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone specifically looking for something on VHS who didn’t specify such by saying on VHS or cassette.
When the word “video” is said, more often than not people think “tape” because the phrase “video tape” was very common in the 80’s and 90’s and it’s going to be a while before all of those old fogies die off 
The phrase “video disc” could possibly have replaced video tape, and I suppose that laser disc did that to some extent. But the popular new format is called DVD, so any such phrase beginning with “video” can safely be retired.