Due to the high number of VHS VCR's, you can view one of these tapes most anywhere. The format has about 240 lines of horizontal resolution and the third generation looks real bad. Full size camcorders are too large and cumbersome. S-VHS Super VHS is an excellent format with 400 lines of horizontal resolution. It has been the prosumer workhorse for many years.
Equipment is economical and the format is robust.
Tapes are still expensive after being on the market for years. Consumers did not switch to this format even though the picture was much better. Consumers are actually satisfied with VHS picture quality. This format will suffer as more people see the new digital formats. Camcorder use is bulky and usually used by professionals with tripods.