A journey back in time on Audiovisual Heritage Day

Remember the days when your TV was chubbier, you had to flip the cassette in your Walkman every 30 minutes, and the VHS always seemed to need a rewind before that last minute dash to the video store?

Whether you grew up in the 60s, the 80s or the noughties, we all have fond memories of “the way things used to be”.

Today we celebrate Audiovisual Heritage Day – an annual and global tribute to the preservation of audiovisual documents, and a chance to take a trip down memory lane and remember what used to be remarkable in home audio and visual technology.

Although today’s youngest generations may one day joke about how “primitive” current technology is, we’ve certainly come a long way in the past few decades.

In a 20th century home, audiovisual hardware took up a lot of space – from bulky TV sets to bookshelves filled with family photo albums, stacks of CD and DVD cases, unsightly aerials and countless cords.

These days, audiovisual devices are almost a work of art and allow for minimalist interiors with clean lines and a true appreciation of the architecture, fixtures and natural elements.

Digital capabilities allow us to showcase hundreds of images on a single screen, while connectivity has made it easier than ever to find the perfect song or film to suit our mood and enjoy the full home cinema experience from our big comfy couches.

Our homes have evolved almost as fast as the technology in it, and as we step into an era of home automation and tiny gadgets overflowing with next gen features, let’s remember the “must-haves” in every home across the last 60 years…

1960s and 1970s

• Black and white TV with “Lazy Bones” wired remote (to watch Bonanza)
• Record player
• Rotary dial phone (cradle and all)
• Hand-held 35mm camera
  

1980s and 1990s

• 27 inch screen TV with cable antenna
• Portable cassette player (the famous “Walkman”, superseded by “Discman”)
• Camcorder with compact videocassettes, evolving to the compact camera
• VHS player for movies
• CD player and hundreds of CDs (that never seemed to be in the right case)
  

2000s to 2010s

• DVD player, evolving to Blu-ray
• MP3 player, overtaken by the iPod
• 36 inch flatter screen TV, becoming a 52 inch pancake with 1080p resolution
• Digital camera
  
  

Now and into the future

• Smartphone
• 65” flat screen smart TV
• Soundbar

No doubt as we step forward into a future of advanced automation, our homes will continue to rise up to meet our needs and make life just that little bit simpler.

We’re lucky to have access to some of our country’s best audiovisual heritage right here in Canberra at the National Film and Sound Archives. If you haven’t been there in a while, this is the perfect week to go in person and see their latest collection. Or you can find lots of really cool (and some cringeworthy!) Australiana footage on the NFSA YouTube channel.

Do you still have vintage audiovisual technology in your home, or memorabilia that pays tribute to your favourite decade? Or are you eagerly awaiting the next advancements in audiovisual technology to install in your home?