Dixons said Monday that a boom in sales of rival DVD technology and a slump in sales of video cassette recorders (VCRs) was behind its decision to pull the plug on what was once the pinnacle in home entertainment systems.

Sales of DVD players have grown seven-fold in the last five years, with sales at Dixons now outstripping sales of VCRs by 40 to one.

VCRs are expected to disappear from Dixons' shelves before Christmas.

"We're saying goodbye today to one of the most important products in the history of consumer technology," said Dixons' marketing director John Mewett.

"The video recorder has been with us for a generation, and many of us have grown up with the joys -- and occasional frustrations -- of tape-based recording. We are now entering the digital age and the new DVD technology available represents a step change in picture quality and convenience."

Videos nowadays are a far cry from the first VCR to go on sale at Dixons in 1978, which was a piano key operated top-loader weighing in at more than 13 lbs (5.85 kilograms) and costing 798.75 pounds (1,042 euros, 1,484 dollars), or 2,021 pounds in today's money -- enough to buy 40 VCRs.

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