ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Timeline of video formats

Okay kiddo, so you know how sometimes we watch videos on TVs or computers, right? Well, a long time ago, people didn't have TVs or computers to watch videos on. They had to go to places called movie theaters to see moving pictures on a big screen.

But then, people started inventing machines that could capture and play back moving pictures at home. The first of these machines was called a "kinetoscope," and it was invented by a man named Thomas Edison in 1891. However, the images it showed were not in color and couldn't be projected on a larger screen.

Throughout the years, different video formats were invented to make watching videos at home more accessible and fun. For example, in the 1930s, people started using "16mm" and "8mm" film to capture videos. This made it easier for people to watch family videos and home movies.

Then, in the 1950s, a new format called "VHS" was invented. VHS stands for "Video Home System," and it was a way to record and watch videos at home. People could go to stores and rent VHS tapes of movies to watch on their TV.

In the 1990s, a new format called "DVD" was invented. DVD stands for "Digital Video Disc," and it was a way to store and play videos on a disc that could be put into a player (like a CD player, but for videos). DVDs were really cool because they could hold lots of movies and TV shows all on one disc.

Nowadays, people mostly watch videos online or on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. These services let you watch videos on your computer, phone, or TV without needing to buy any physical discs.

So you see, the timeline of video formats has changed a lot over the years. What started with big machines in movie theaters has turned into something that we can watch anytime, anywhere. Pretty cool, huh?
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