http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36857370

I think police forces are still obliged because of old CCTV systems and lifted evidence.

When I sold my TV and all the associated items about 8 years ago, the VCR unit made almost as much as everything else (32" CRT TV, DVD Player and a very expensive TV stand) put together, and more than I originally paid for it new!

It is like dot-matrix printers, there is an ever smaller market for them.

Although Epson still produce the FX850 and the wide carriage version in small numbers each year. I think they fire up the production line, kick out a couple of thousand units and shut it down again. OKI also still make their Epson compatible dot-matrix printers.

At my last job, nearly every customer had 4 or 5 old DMPs and needed to replace them every few years. They are used for printing live protocols, which means you can use an inkjet or laser page printer, because each line needs to be visible in real time as it is printed. Invoicing is another area where DMPs are still used, in conjunction with NCR paper for printing multiple copies in one pass - although for lower volumes a laser printer can be used, printing multiple copies with different coloured paper in each tray.

One customer did high volume of invoices, delivery notes etc. and they had an old DMP line printer (the hear covers the complete width of the paper and prints a line at a time, without having to move the head. That turned out nearly a page a second, with NCR, so around 4 copies a second. You need a big-ass laser printer, if you want to match those sorts of speeds!

I'm guessing, like pcernie says, there are specialist areas or uses, where VCRs are still required, in low numbers.

Edit: I sold my old VCR to my brother, when I sold my house, that was back in 1999. I haven't used one since - well, I haven't recorded any TV since then, no DVD-R or HD box either. I used to use it a lot, when I was travelling, I would set it and my Sky box up to record MASH and Star Trek TNG every evening and then have a marathon at the weekend, when I got home, but once TNG was over, I rarely used it.

In some ways, I'm a bit sad but in others surprised it was still being made.

I have a crappy 14" TV and VCR that I used at university. This was DVDs were just making their debut IIRC. It was great for recording late night shows/films (and for Sunday morning episodes of TMNT and He-Man that I couldn't get up to watch). But haven't used it since I've had broadband and stopped watching TV.