The Future of Video Playback Capability in College and University Classrooms

Perspectives on the Role of Instructional Video in Higher Education

“…Lastly, as a practical matter, it is becoming increasingly difficult to play back VHS materials in the classroom. According to a 2015 survey of forty-nine classroom A/V professionals from Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions responsible for managing classroom video playback equipment, the vast majority of respondents reported that they have either begun or plan to begin the process of phasing out support for VCRs in their campus classrooms within the next three years (Spicer & Horbal 2017). Though most respondents reported that they intend to continue support for classroom DVD playback capacity for the foreseeable future (typically via the installation of DVD-backward-compatible Blu-ray players), given that the top reason provided for the phased retirement of VCRs was lack of device availability in the marketplace, it is likely that a time will come in the not too distant future (perhaps, five to ten years) that playback support for DVD and Blu-ray media will likewise gradually cease to be a standard A/V classroom component.…”

Academic Library Video Services: Charting a Post-COVID Course

“…Video has become an integral part of higher education across disciplines. Spicer and Horbal (2017) note that "instructors use video in their courses to illustrate complex core concepts that are better described in audiovisual mediums" (p. 716). Over the last two decades, streaming video has become increasingly favored over DVDs and other physical media by both students and faculty and has been nearly universally adopted by academic libraries.…”

“…Another factor influencing demand for streaming video is the retirement of media playback equipment from college classrooms (Horbal, 2018;Spicer & Horbal, 2017).…”

What Makes Us Do It? The Legalities and Demand That Necessitate a Library Video Streaming Service

“…In fact, most laptops no longer come standard with an optical disc drive. In a recent study of ARL libraries, over 90% of respondents indicated that there is already a plan in place to phase out playback equipment in the classroom, or there is a plan in place to develop a phase-out plan (Spicer & Horbal, 2017). There is a plan currently in place to phase out VHS in KU classrooms-as the equipment fails, it will not be replaced.…”