Like most fancy VCR features NICAM decoders started out as an expensive high end thing in the late 80s and gradually trickled down to lower price points. Note that there were no VCRs that recorded audio in the NICAM format, only decoded it.
The actual recording mechanism was VHS Hi-Fi, which uses helical scanning to record a relatively high quality analog stereo track onto the tape vs the normal not-very-good VHS mono audio track that uses a stationary read/write head.
In the late 90s D-VHS came out which recorded digital MPEG video and audio onto VHS tapes (and supported high definition 720p/1080i!) but it was an extremely expensive niche thing that never took off in any meaningful way.
opencl|7 years ago
The actual recording mechanism was VHS Hi-Fi, which uses helical scanning to record a relatively high quality analog stereo track onto the tape vs the normal not-very-good VHS mono audio track that uses a stationary read/write head.
In the late 90s D-VHS came out which recorded digital MPEG video and audio onto VHS tapes (and supported high definition 720p/1080i!) but it was an extremely expensive niche thing that never took off in any meaningful way.