This page indexes the individual year in home video pages. Each year is annotated with a significant event as a reference point.

20th century

1970s

• 1970 -
• 1971 - Year U-matic launched
• 1972 - Year Cartrivision launched
• 1973 -
• 1974 -
• 1975 - Year Beta launched
• 1976 - Year VHS launched
• 1977 - Magnetic Video, the first home video company to release theatrical films to tape, licenses 50 films from 20th Century Fox for VHS and Betamax release.
• 1978 - Year laserdisc launched. MCA issues Universal Studios film library onto laserdisc, and later adds Warner Bros. and Disney product as well.
• 1979 - Paramount and Columbia Pictures form Home Entertainment Divisions.

1980s

• 1980 - Walt Disney Productions enters home video market. MCA establishes MCA Videocassette, Inc. for VHS and Betamax releases of the Universal Studios product.
• 1981 - Year CED and Wizard Video launched. Magnetic Video reorganized into Twentieth Century Fox Video.
• 1982 - PBV Distribution (Publishing & Broadcasting Video) becomes one of the biggest selling Australian video companies. In the mid-80s, it would later become Communications and Entertainment Limited. Star Wars is released on home videocassette, becoming one of the most demanded videos of all time.
• 1983 - JVC launches VHD format in Japan. Following a merger in 1982 between Twentieth Century Fox Video and CBS Video Enterprises, CBS/Fox Video is launched to the home video market, with divisions Key Video and Playhouse Video. In Japan, the Bandai-Emotion label is launched on VHS, and becomes one of the biggest selling Japanese home video labels ever.
• 1984 - The Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. decision (aka Betamax case)
• 1985 - Heron Communications launches the Hi-Tops Video label.
• 1986 - Video Gems is launched, and becomes a top seller in the UK home video market.
• 1987 -
• 1988 -
• 1989 -

1990s

• 1990 - CBS/FOX reorganized. Fox Video is formed to release mainstream Fox product in the U.S., while CBS/Fox Video remains for other products such as BBC Video and other non-Fox projects.
• 1991 -
• 1992 -
• 1993 -
• 1994 - MUSE Hi-Vision LaserDisc is launched on May 20, 1994 in Japan. The first consumer high definition video disc.
• 1995 - Fox Video assumes the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment name for the first time, with the release of the Star Wars Trilogy for the last time in its original format, while keeping the Fox Video name.
• 1996 - DVD is launched in Japan
• 1997 - DVD is launched in the United States
• 1998 - DVD is launched in Europe and Australia. The CBS/Fox name is dropped.
• 1999 - The Fox Video name is dropped. DeCSS is released, opening the doors for large-scale DVD piracy.

21st century

2000s

• 2000 -
• 2001 - The Japanese film Tokyo Raiders becomes the last film released on Laserdisc.
• 2002 - D-VHS D-Theater high definition movies are finally available and affordable.
• 2003 - WMV HD launched with the arrival of the movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
• 2004 -
• 2005 -
• 2006 - HD DVD launched on April 18, 2006; Blu-ray Disc launched on June 20. After nearly 30 years, VHS ends as a format for major motion pictures.
• 2007 - AACS is circumvented.
• 2008 - Blu-Ray Becomes new video medium after long competition with HD-DVD.