Nerdkiller
Membeur
I've never been outside of Europe, but I can only assume what you're implying is that they're common in those parts of the US.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
- Status
It's true...it's true.
I still don't believe you because this is just too insane for me to process.
My parents had a GE VCR from the early 80s that lasted well into the late 00s. I think they ended up selling it in a garage sale before moving across the country. I only bought one cause I still had a few VHS tapes at the time and wasn't going to take theirs with me. Thing was a beast and had a zillion options on it.
CarpeDeezNutz
Member
When I was a kid I opened up a few old VHS tapes and spliced them together, put it back together and played it. Pretty trippy results.
many places
Member
Oh god the types of porn hidden in abandoned buildings must be horrifying.
MrCunningham
Member
It took quite a few years before DVD to really catch on. I remember working in a video rental store near the end of 1999 and early 2000 when all we had were like two shelves of DVD's and the rest of the video store was wall to wall VHS with the exception of a few isles that were dedicated to PS1, N64 and Dreamcast games (which was very new at the time). It really is true that DVD didn't take off until the launch of the PS2. From October to December of 2000 people really were buying PS2's in large numbers just to have a "budget" DVD player. It really was the thing that made DVD sales explode in popularity.I think by the end of 2001 to 2002 DVD's were overtaking VHS in sales?
This is also why Sony was hoping to strike lightning twice with the Blu-Ray player on the PS3.
But yeah, VHS was highly popular from the early '80s to the early 2000s (close to two decades), while DVD sales escalated in 2001 and hit their sales peak around 2006, then slowly declined. Sure DVD's are still being produced, but in much smaller numbers. Blu-Ray was never destined to reach the same sales highs as VHS or DVD no matter how hard Sony pushed it.
This is the exact model that I have in my possession and it used to be the "family VCR" for many years:
It is kind of awesome to have, but goddamn does it take up a lot of space. '80s era Japanese electronics were so baller.
When my parents got a second VCR to replace this one, I use to connect both of the VCR's together to make my own low grade bootleg copies of VHS rentals. Heh, I didn't know any better back then.
AppleSeason
Member
I can't say it is a technology I feel nostalgic about or that I'm going to miss. While I have fond memories of audio cassettes, vhs made my life miserable until DVD players and movies became affordable (or more correctly, until divx ripped movies became available).
It will be a problem for those making an effort to preserve stuff only available on tape, though.
It will be a problem for those making an effort to preserve stuff only available on tape, though.
Extra Sauce
Member
My dream of going through the family's old pile of VHS tapes that have been collecting dust for decades for the ultimate nostalgia trip is officially dead. The last time I checked VCR players were prohibitively expensive and now it's just going to get worse...
PdotMichael
Banned
Aren't VHS often the only way to watch the original version of a movie...
It's not that surprising that a lot of older people still use VCRs to record OTA TV. Last year my mother's old VCR broke down, so I started looking for an inexpensive digital replacement. I was surprised to find that the subscription free DVR market is practically nonexistent. I could only find one, and it cost $400, far more than she wanted to spend to replace her VCR.
I thought about getting her to use a streaming service, but the major networks all want you to use their own propriety service. It's not as easy as just buying her a box and a Hulu subscription.
Simple, inexpensive modern replacements for VCRs just don't exist.
I thought about getting her to use a streaming service, but the major networks all want you to use their own propriety service. It's not as easy as just buying her a box and a Hulu subscription.
Simple, inexpensive modern replacements for VCRs just don't exist.
Megadragon15
Member
What about those cheap crappy converter boxes that have dvr function if you connect an external hard drive to it like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Digital-Converter-Box-with-DVR-Recording/46583029 ?
Yeah. Every Chinatown I've ever been to are flooded with them.
FlashbladeGAF
Member
It's true...it's true.
Damn. I would have bought this back in the day.
Didn't even cross my mind that someone would combine the 2.
Not any movies I care to see again.
30yearsofhurt
Member
How does this compare to the Wii U?
Princess Viola
Member
My VCR destroyed one of my Yugioh tapes when I was like 7.
I'm still mad over that so good riddance.
I'm still mad over that so good riddance.
PeskyToaster
Member
Hopefully no one tries to bring them back like they weirdly do with cassettes
and vinyl
MrCunningham
Member
Vinyl still has its place in physical media. The sound just can't be replicated by anything else.
There are a still a lot of things that were left behind on VHS that you won't find on any other type of media, unless it has been uploaded to Youtube or something.
Cassettes? Ehh... can't help you with that one.
hm, last year i still used my VHS to play back some old recordings of some of my best times in F-Zero X to convert them to digital and get 60 fps recordings of them (i had recorded digital versions like a decade ago but my capture card back then was shit)
it's crazy how long these things last if properly stored away. also, for a long time they had better quality than DVD recorders when it came to recording stuff locally with good quality.
i can see the pixels with even the highest DVD recorder quality but the VHS beat it and the source ended up being better now that my capture card is much better.
example of VHS footage from 11 years ago converted to digital with a capture card.
it's crazy how long these things last if properly stored away. also, for a long time they had better quality than DVD recorders when it came to recording stuff locally with good quality.
i can see the pixels with even the highest DVD recorder quality but the VHS beat it and the source ended up being better now that my capture card is much better.
example of VHS footage from 11 years ago converted to digital with a capture card.
Some people don't want to spring for a DVR. My mother just started going without when the VHS player died on her.
MrCunningham
Member
You just reminded me that I use to make animation with Mario Paint and edit it together using VHS to create mini movies.
I used to do stuff like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMAQWTrn_rU but obviously. nowhere near as good, and with captions on black screens instead of voice acting.
Ah, this reminds me of the greatest video on YouTube.
Crap, and I was about to start my Action Max game collection.
dodosaurus
Member
funny, i found a blank tape when working last week and made a joke about it flying of the shelves. my boss then said we already sold the other 5. who wants to record something new with it?
Fox Mulder
Member
Vhs will have a niche just because of the mountains of obscure stuff that is forgotten about now.
Plus it does have an iconic shitty look with fucked up tracking and static if people want that too.
Machine
Member
Here's a video about some guys who run an annual VHS convention in my area (except this year which they are apparently skipping). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59BI6dY67sU
RIP.
Ah yes, the old A/V cart. This meant you were going to watch episodes of Bill Nye or maybe even non school related things like The Mighty Ducks. My most vivid memory of one of these carts however is walking into the gym for P.E. and they had one of these out in the middle of the basketball court with CBS on it covering the 9/11 attacks. As we stood there and watched it, not even dressing out, the second tower fell(the first one had fallen during homeroom).
Nerdkiller
Membeur
Madison Paige
Member
I really need to pick up a new VCR. I'm a musician, and the idea of wheeling out one of those TV stands that they used to have at my school with a big CRT and a VCR that's playing some accompanying visuals is just too good to pass up. Sadly, all my old VHS tapes as well as my old VCR have gotten owned over the past few years.
Edit: Yes!!! The A/V cart! Those things are magical.
Edit: Yes!!! The A/V cart! Those things are magical.
Holy shit, that's cool. I want one!
And yep, got a VCR under the bed and a stack of VHS tapes in the corner of the room. The vast majority of tapes these days are absurdly cheap, and half of the stuff released on VHS has never made it to any other format, including the internet. For anyone interested in video weirdness, VHS is a gold mine. Not to mention all of the classic TV (especially the commercials!) and weird home movies floating around on recorded tapes. Lots of treasure still to be found!
Betamax is used by a lot of TV stations.
70's and 80's porn.
Dynamite Shikoku
Congratulations, you really deserve it!
Since when is Sanyo Chinese?
A Pretty Panda
fuckin' called it, man
Naaa. They'll probably go one step further and build 30 line mechanical televisions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DVPKxb2xpA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3CFkK5OORw
It's true...it's true.
what
For anyone that likes weird and or old tech, I recommend the TechMoan channel on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/jiu0LPeLQPE
https://youtu.be/jiu0LPeLQPE
Septimus Prime
Member
Checkmate, Sadako.
VendettaRed07
Member
Naaa. They'll probably go one step further and build 30 line mechanical televisions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DVPKxb2xpA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3CFkK5OORw
It's true...it's true.
I need this in my life
Mr_Antimatter
Member
The sad thing is, this dooms a lot of home movies and general releases to potential unavailability, unless someone had take the time to do a VHS to digital transfer for them.
Cindi Mayweather
Member
Now all I can remember is that Cowboy Bebop episode where they search high and low for vcr's to play Faye's tape.
Candeldandel
Member
Speak Like A Child, yo, and yes, this was the ep that popped into my head immediately. Bebop isn't one my favorites but that episode specifically kinda f'ed with me so it's the exception, heh
Did not know they still made them. As someone who typically early adopts and doesn't collect things I have not owned one since the late 90's.
My brother has a couple from when he first started getting clean and had access to tapes and he had to search all over the place to find them secondhand.
My brother has a couple from when he first started getting clean and had access to tapes and he had to search all over the place to find them secondhand.
any specific reason why?
Don't quote me on this but I think the recordings were superior,in fact I think they were better in general but they lost the format wars when VHS got porn. Kind of laserdisc, never found mainstream success but enthusiasts and tech people preferred them.
i still have a brand new unopened blank tape somewhere but my VCR's recording function is fucked so i don't think i'll ever use it.
- Status