The Washington Post ... h Thursday, October 30, 1986 E3  
NEW YORK, Oct. 29ÛÓThe home video boom continues, but experts at a conference here today sharply disagreed on whether the industryÛªs growth has peaked.</br></br>ÛÏDomestic home video revenues grew 50 percent in 1984 and 50 percent in 1985,Û said Wertheim & Co. entertainment industry analyst David J. Londoner at the Arthur Young Entertainment Symposium. ÛÏBut 1986 will probably see only a 20 percent increase over last year.Û "There is an erosion of audience interest,Û said Merrill Lynch analyst Harold Vogel. He added that ÛÏhome video is entering a phase of sluggish growth of between 10 percent and 15 percent a year."</br></br>But industry participants challenged those projections, arguing that sales of VCRs remain strong and the home video rental market shows no sign of slackening.</br></br>ÛÏDonÛªt go writing off the home video business,Û said Austin O. Furst, chairman of Vestron Video, a leading home video programming supplier. ÛÏThe consumer is getting the best deal he or she has ever gotten in the entertainment business . i . . Costs are low and getting lower. ItÛªs a no-lose proposition.Û</br></br>Since its introduction a decade ago, the videocassette recorder has spawned a revolution in home entertainment and created a thriving multibillion dollar market for home video rentals of movies and other video programs.