Storeroom Treasures part two: Old Equipment

Sometimes when I head into that storeroom in our house, I find some things that are so far removed from my memory.  Things that are obsolete in today's world, but for one reason or another seemed important to keep.  I came across a box that hasn't been opened in a long time because it found its way to the bottom of a pile of boxes.  I uncovered this box and popped off the lid to expose some old electronic equipment.  

The contents of the box included a VCR, a random remote control, a variety of different cords, and a digital television antenna/receiver.  This box is in the storeroom for several reasons even though the overarching question still is, why?  

Does anyone else keep a VCR around because of old family videos?  I think that is the only reason that VCR made it into the box. I know that there are also videotapes of some stage shows I did when I was in high school, and my wife has some videotapes of some dance shows.  What is funny is that none of these video tapes are in this box with the VCR.  That means that either we have discarded those tapes or there is another box somewhere filled with those tapes.  Upon inspection of this VCR, I discovered that there are a couple televisions in our house that do not have the RCA cable connectors for this old tape player, so it is almost completely obsolete.  

I kept the digital receiver from a time when we cut the cord and just watched the local digital, broadcast  channels.  That experiment lasted about a year.  It saved a ton of money that year, but in the times before streaming services, the Netflix DVD's just didn't come fast enough in the mail, and we went back to cable services.  I think I kept the digital receiver because I have dreams of cutting the cord again.  What I have discovered is that our local cable provider really offers reliable Internet service with a minimum cable channel list that it makes sense to carry this service.  So there sits the digital receiver in a forgotten box in the storeroom. 

This box also has a number of random cables including more coaxial cable than I think any room needs, an Hdmi extension cord, and some speaker wire.  Oh, there is a remote control from another VCR that apparently didn't make the cut, but the remote snuck in to this box to live another day.  

The best part of this box are the memories that are in here.  A silly box of random, old electronics has memories?  Of course, I remember all the rooms that I set this or other VCR's up in, from college apartments to houses long gone.  I remember the rooms and even some of the movies I watched on machines like this.  Boxes with old equipment like this are always filled with memories.  I realize that these boxes can't stick around forever, but while they are here in our attics, closets, or storerooms, they are worth a few minutes of time to reminisce.  Maybe even a little reflection is deserved to decide if boxes like these should go to the curbside to make room for new boxes that years from now will bring up a new collection of forgotten memories.