# What does VHS stand for?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 11, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643 "2001-04-11T22:12:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/1 "2001-04-11T22:12:04Z")

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I heard “Video home system” and “Vertical Helical System” (?) but found nothing definitive.  
Any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/2 "2001-04-11T22:45:28Z")

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**V** ertical **H** elical **S** can.

What does _that_ mean? Read this:

[http://ccub.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/history/Masterson/Masterson.htm](http://ccub.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/history/Masterson/Masterson.htm)

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**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/3 "2001-04-11T22:56:31Z")

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**ArchiveGuy** the link you provided says otherwise, near the bottom of the page:

> [@](#):
>
> Thus in 1976, JVC produced the half-inch  
> system with a format designated video Home System (VHS), which came to dominate the world market.

[This site](http://www.palsite.com/vhs.cgi) gives some more suggestions.

Since both Beta and VHS use vertical helical scanning, I’d guess that it really was intended to be “Video Home System”, as opposed to the studio-grade VCRs that already existed in larger formats.

Arjuna34

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/4 "2001-04-12T02:36:59Z")

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VHS are the initials for the words in the Japanese phrase “crap compared to Beta”.

FtG aka GLP

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**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/5 "2001-04-12T04:30:42Z")

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[This link explains the confusion briefly](http://www.mediacollege.com/resource/glossary/glosv.html)

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-vhs-stand-for/61643/6 "2001-04-12T15:11:54Z")

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All these are very common mistakes. VHS means nothing of the sort.

I worked on marketing and development of many home video systems with JVC and Sony who headed up the VHS and Beta programs.

Many of these development programs got there start long before VCRs hit the home markets. These VHS and Beta programs were developed in the early 1960’s for NASA. NASA was interested in making incredibly realistic looking videos for some sort of moon landing video they were shooting.

VHS is actually an acronym of the Japenese phrase “vondisaki hawajima suzukuruki” which means “All your base belong to us.”