OT The death of VHS

[jimbo]

Nice article on how VHS is almost dead and regular DVDs are next on the extinction list. However, I am sure most of us will forever keep the 1991 tapes since they were butchered on the DVD release along with the missing extra footage and the extras.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-vhs-tapes22-2008dec22,0,5852342.story

[MagnusTrask]

In the last couple years I've been building up a good film library because of VHS clearance sales.   These tapes will be with me the rest of my life.

[Gothick]

Yesterday morning I spent an agreeable 90 minutes watching The Haunting of Julia, an early 70s English Mia Farrow vehicle that is only available on VHS.  In the evening I watched some episodes of HEX (the recent UK serial) on a VHS tape a buddy sent me.  Later this week I'll watch Maggie Smith in Travels with my aunt, another movie only available on VHS.

The VHS medium is alive and well in my house, but I do wonder what I will do on the day when both my current VCRs kick the bucket.  I figure, however, that if young geek hipsters can keep vinyl LPs and the turntables to play them alive, the same favor can be extended to the lowly VCR.

cheers, G.

[jimbo]

I hear exactly what you are saying Magnus and Gothick. I recently found a box in my storage containing over 100 movie/tv VHS tapes I had accumulated through the years and I am trying to figure out what the percentage is of all of its extras making it to the respective DVD release. I wonder if even charities would take them these days.

[Taeylor Collins]

I have converted all of my stuff taped from television etc. to DVD with my burner.  I actually bought an extra vcr player and have it put away until mine dies.  They are becoming very hard to find.

[quentin-channing]

jimbo, if you can't give them away try a used book store. We have a chain in our area called Half-Price Books and they will gladly buy back your VHS tapes. They take almost any old media and you'll get some nice pocket change. I once found an old Atari video game cartridge on sale for 50 cents! 

[David]

studios are not releasing films on tape any longer, but I imagine blank tapes & places to repair VCRs will be around for a long, long, time.

David

[Patti Feinberg]

Jimbo, I wouldn't dare let my kids read this post.

When DS was on Sci-Fi, I used EVERY possible VHS tape. When I couldn't get to the store, I taped over stuff like "Lion King", some Mary Kate & Ashley, etc.

Even though my daughters were pretty old to be watching these, they NEVER!! let me forget, "Oh Mom, I can't believe you taped over __________."

My middle daughter's b-day is next week and just last night I figured I'd buy her a new VCR (her DVD is fine); she loves to watch our home movies (which are all on VHS).

Patti

[Gerard]

I've read that VCR's will still be around for a long time.  They still have not come up with something suitable, in the way of DVD's, to put a disc in, record, watch, erase, and start the whole process again.  Many satellite companies now have the ability to "tape" programs into one's system, but not everyone has satellite (scores of millions don't - I don't; I have cable).  When DS was on Sci-Fi, I taped it every day and watched it later at a convenient time (and fast-forwarded through the commercials).  I used the same tape for years, recording, watching, rewinding, re-recording.  You can't do that with a DVD player (and that's a good term for it - all it does is play instead of work).

Gerard

[retzev]

Your cable provider doesn't offer a DVR?

[Gerard]

It does, but in my area what it can all record is actually very limited.  There is a rental cost, and I'd just as soon stick with my VCR which will record anything (and I got that as a gift [a combination VCR/DVD/CD machine]), so that costs me nothing.  I like that value!

Gerard

[Cousin_Barnabas]

If I have it on DVD, it's not getting upgraded.  If I have it on VHS, it's not getting upgraded.  The exception to this general rule is if the DVD release has nice extras.  I've got my Dark Shadows DVDs, and they aren't getting converted to any other format, unless the DVDs break.  My Disney library is still all VHS, except for Snow White, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty.  (I have those titles in both formats.)  I have tons of TV specials on VHS that have never been released, so they are staying on VHS until someone officially releases them.  So long as they work, there's no need to change them. 

[jimbo]

Thanks quentin-channing for your suggestions and welcome to the Board. That is an interesting idea. I still have much work to do in that area. The more I search in my storage the more videos I am finding.

Patti I am glad the VCR will continue to thrive in your family. I have a VCR/DVD combo in my spare room and it came in handy when I found a particular VHS tape that I had made centuries ago and recently found. When I played it I remembered why I stopped videotaping and realized I was not the next Dan Curtis.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

They still have not come up with something suitable, in the way of DVD's, to put a disc in, record, watch, erase, and start the whole process again.

Actually, they have. I have a friend who has a DVD recorder and he uses DVD+RW and/or DVD-RW disks to record, erase, and record again. They work perfectly. Plus the quality is infinitely better than VHS, even in EP.

[MsCriseyde]

I have a DVD recorder, and I do exactly what MB describes. I have a set of seven discs labeled Sunday-Saturday, and I've been reusing them for what probably amounts to six months. I've also taken content from these and edited it on my PC to burn to a DVD to keep.

I don't know that I'd say that EP on a DVD is better than VHS. I'd say it's about like VHS in SP.

For multi-hour events (sports, award shows, etc.), I still use a 6-hour SLP videotape. The 6-hour SLP mode for DVDs doesn't look so swell.