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From jeff greenfield on the budding new technology of the vcr. reporter: it didn t even exist as a consumer device ten years ago. in the decades since sony introduced the first half inch home recorder, vcr sales have skyrocketed. i think vcr is a permanent fixture on the american television scene. i think you ll find that the vcr will stay around for a long time to come. reporter: but as with so many other new inventions, vcr s impact isn t what was originally expected. it was supposed to let viewers record a program while they were out, viewing it later. in fact, relatively few viewers use the vcr for time shifting. but the vcr can do something else. it can let a viewer see anything at all that s been put on tape, like movies. and that s created a whole new business. more than 24,000 retail outlets across america now sell or rent tapes of all kinds. for rates as low as $2 a day or less. that s made literally thousands of features available to millions of americans. when you co ....