Vintage TX
Analog forever
That's true Tank, you still have your Pioneer spinning by the way ?
VHS officially dead
- Thread starter Eric H
- Start date
tankdonovan
Senior AK Member
Yes, still have it but I don`t use a lot any more. Left channel seems to be a little lower in volume than the right. I can adjust it so they are the same. I may crank it up today.
TankDonovan
TankDonovan
Vintage TX
Analog forever
Maybe a dirty output control ?
Was it a 1020 or 1011 model ? :scratch2:
Was it a 1020 or 1011 model ? :scratch2:
tankdonovan
Senior AK Member
1020
TankDonovan
TankDonovan
Jeffhs
Super Member
I have a Panasonic PV-V4022 VCR which I bought new in, IIRC, 2003. It replaced a Pana VCR with VCR+ which ate a tape--just hours after I had recorded it (was taping a show from TV). Never even had a chance to see the movie I had taped. 
I had to practically wreck the VCR to get the cassette out. I hated to lose that particular VCR because it had VCR Plus, but then again it's probably just as well, as I don't think many (if any) TV listings in local newspapers show VCR Plus codes anymore. I know the local paper here doesn't, though it used to when VCR Plus was popular.
The PV-V4022 is working fine, though. It's used mostly to watch my 25+-year-old VHS tapes, most of which are movies and TV series from that era (1980s), though I do have several professionally-made cassettes--two travelogues (Arizona, Grand Canyon) and a few movies/comedy series. I don't use the deck much anymore for time shifting, since there isn't much on television these days, IMHO (even on cable) worth taping, let alone saving.
I also have a DVD player (my second one; the first one quit reading discs after only three years), as almost all of my favorite old TV shows from the '70s are now on DVD. These programs are no longer available on VHS and haven't been for some time; however, as another person said in a previous post, if you look at garage/estate/yard sales or at Goodwill/Salvation Army you can still find some old comedies, movies and such in that format.
I can get blank VHS tapes, however, at any Big Lots store for 98 cents apiece. Perhaps the word is spreading that VHS has been all but replaced by DVD, and the stores are trying their darnedest to clear their shelves of the former. I should probably take the hint and stock up on blank VHS videocassettes before they become extinct, as I'm sure they will if we wait long enough.
Advancing technology has in fact rendered VHS obsolete. As the expression goes (in paraphrase), "We have seen the future, and it is DVD and Blu-ray." Even standard DVDs may be rendered obsolete in the not-too-distant future as more and more movies, TV series, etc. are made in Blu-ray format. When and if that day comes, standard DVD players will be obsolete except for playing the owner's existing discs, as standard players will not play Blu-ray discs. However, standard DVD players will read Blu-ray discs perfectly. The only drawback at the moment is that Blu-ray disc players are still very expensive, whereas standard DVD players can be had for dirt-cheap prices at discount stores such as Big Lots. I bet Circuit City had DVD (and perhaps even Blu-ray) players, reduced to dirt-cheap prices, flying off their shelves in the weeks, days--even hours and minutes (!) before they recently closed their doors for good.
However, the small, cheaply-made DVD/VHS players are still available, again for very little money; I saw one at Big Lots recently for $30. The problem with these machines, aside from their cheap plastic parts, is that most of them do not have RF modulators or tuners; the output signals from these are intended to be fed directly into the component video inputs of flat-panel high-definition televisions. If one desires to use a DVD/VHS player with a standard NTSC CRT TV, an external modulator must be used. The lack of an RF tuner also means that these units will only record line-input signals, from a cable box or satellite receiver. I've seen, in ads in my Sunday paper, DVD/VHS players with built-in digital ATSC tuners, but they are presently much more expensive (and probably manufactured to stricter quality standards) than the cheap line-in/out-only DVD/VHS systems.
I love new technology, and try to keep up with it best I can, but the quality (or, more accurately, the lack of it) and short lifespan of today's high-tech gear leaves a lot to be desired, and leaves me cold. I don't want to have to replace my DVD player, bought new last September, for example, next year, but I may have to, the reason being it is a Memorex brand unit (however, it works very well right now). I recently read on a website, FixYa.com IIRC, that Memorex DVD players will fail within anywhere from nine months to one year after original purchase. The reason is there is a capacitor in these players that eventually swells and splits open, rendering the player useless. The person who posted this info on FixYa.com stated, further, that, since these players are meant to sell for very low prices, anywhere from $40 to $60 or so (or even less at discount stores), it is impractical to use quality parts in them.
Sheeeesh.
I had to practically wreck the VCR to get the cassette out. I hated to lose that particular VCR because it had VCR Plus, but then again it's probably just as well, as I don't think many (if any) TV listings in local newspapers show VCR Plus codes anymore. I know the local paper here doesn't, though it used to when VCR Plus was popular. The PV-V4022 is working fine, though. It's used mostly to watch my 25+-year-old VHS tapes, most of which are movies and TV series from that era (1980s), though I do have several professionally-made cassettes--two travelogues (Arizona, Grand Canyon) and a few movies/comedy series. I don't use the deck much anymore for time shifting, since there isn't much on television these days, IMHO (even on cable) worth taping, let alone saving.
I also have a DVD player (my second one; the first one quit reading discs after only three years), as almost all of my favorite old TV shows from the '70s are now on DVD. These programs are no longer available on VHS and haven't been for some time; however, as another person said in a previous post, if you look at garage/estate/yard sales or at Goodwill/Salvation Army you can still find some old comedies, movies and such in that format.
I can get blank VHS tapes, however, at any Big Lots store for 98 cents apiece. Perhaps the word is spreading that VHS has been all but replaced by DVD, and the stores are trying their darnedest to clear their shelves of the former. I should probably take the hint and stock up on blank VHS videocassettes before they become extinct, as I'm sure they will if we wait long enough.
Advancing technology has in fact rendered VHS obsolete. As the expression goes (in paraphrase), "We have seen the future, and it is DVD and Blu-ray." Even standard DVDs may be rendered obsolete in the not-too-distant future as more and more movies, TV series, etc. are made in Blu-ray format. When and if that day comes, standard DVD players will be obsolete except for playing the owner's existing discs, as standard players will not play Blu-ray discs. However, standard DVD players will read Blu-ray discs perfectly. The only drawback at the moment is that Blu-ray disc players are still very expensive, whereas standard DVD players can be had for dirt-cheap prices at discount stores such as Big Lots. I bet Circuit City had DVD (and perhaps even Blu-ray) players, reduced to dirt-cheap prices, flying off their shelves in the weeks, days--even hours and minutes (!) before they recently closed their doors for good.
However, the small, cheaply-made DVD/VHS players are still available, again for very little money; I saw one at Big Lots recently for $30. The problem with these machines, aside from their cheap plastic parts, is that most of them do not have RF modulators or tuners; the output signals from these are intended to be fed directly into the component video inputs of flat-panel high-definition televisions. If one desires to use a DVD/VHS player with a standard NTSC CRT TV, an external modulator must be used. The lack of an RF tuner also means that these units will only record line-input signals, from a cable box or satellite receiver. I've seen, in ads in my Sunday paper, DVD/VHS players with built-in digital ATSC tuners, but they are presently much more expensive (and probably manufactured to stricter quality standards) than the cheap line-in/out-only DVD/VHS systems.
I love new technology, and try to keep up with it best I can, but the quality (or, more accurately, the lack of it) and short lifespan of today's high-tech gear leaves a lot to be desired, and leaves me cold. I don't want to have to replace my DVD player, bought new last September, for example, next year, but I may have to, the reason being it is a Memorex brand unit (however, it works very well right now). I recently read on a website, FixYa.com IIRC, that Memorex DVD players will fail within anywhere from nine months to one year after original purchase. The reason is there is a capacitor in these players that eventually swells and splits open, rendering the player useless. The person who posted this info on FixYa.com stated, further, that, since these players are meant to sell for very low prices, anywhere from $40 to $60 or so (or even less at discount stores), it is impractical to use quality parts in them.
Sheeeesh.
reggaenaut
Addicted Member
Got a free Sharp VCR that weighs a ton. Took it home and played some of my tapes and was astounded since it is 23 years old. The former owner said that she did not use it much. I have VHS tapes that I treasure.
RODALCO
Active Member
Just got 40 Beta tapes for 1 dollar NZ about 60 cents US.
Currently fixing up a Beta VCR.
We use 2 VHS VCR's on a daily basis ( 3 hours each) and they perform well.
Nothing wrong with tape.
Just played some earlier tapes from 1982 with old pop music tracks and I was amazed how well the quality of the sound and picture were.
I haven't got a dvd recorder yet and there are excellent bargains about regarding tapes.
On a school fair I got 100 new E180 VHS tapes for 2 dollars ($1.20US) about two months ago.
Currently fixing up a Beta VCR.
We use 2 VHS VCR's on a daily basis ( 3 hours each) and they perform well.
Nothing wrong with tape.
Just played some earlier tapes from 1982 with old pop music tracks and I was amazed how well the quality of the sound and picture were.
I haven't got a dvd recorder yet and there are excellent bargains about regarding tapes.
On a school fair I got 100 new E180 VHS tapes for 2 dollars ($1.20US) about two months ago.
Cosmic
Well-Known Member
The thread is still alive, and meanwhile analog TV has gone, so now using VHS for off-air recording becomes a bit more challenging as it has to go through something to convert (I have no need to do that, but I know the digital-to-analog recording is an issue.)
A recent example of how a tape can come in handy:
There is a film called "Santa Sangre" which has never had an official US DVD release, and many moons ago, I copied it to VHS from a VHS rental tape (I said it was many moons ago
)
Subsequently, I dubbed it over to Betamax for safe keeping, and it sat for years, until I got a DVD recorder and made a copy.
The other night we watched it, and while no one will ever say it looks top-notch, nonetheless we could enjoy it. It will most likely never be shown uncut (if at all) on cable, and I will have to find an international copy to get it on DVD, but for viewing, that old tape came through after all those years.
Sometimes, good enough is good enough.
C.
A recent example of how a tape can come in handy:
There is a film called "Santa Sangre" which has never had an official US DVD release, and many moons ago, I copied it to VHS from a VHS rental tape (I said it was many moons ago
) Subsequently, I dubbed it over to Betamax for safe keeping, and it sat for years, until I got a DVD recorder and made a copy.
The other night we watched it, and while no one will ever say it looks top-notch, nonetheless we could enjoy it. It will most likely never be shown uncut (if at all) on cable, and I will have to find an international copy to get it on DVD, but for viewing, that old tape came through after all those years.
Sometimes, good enough is good enough.
C.