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VHS, 30, dies of loneliness

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 5:07 am
by MikeP
Well, it's official ... the video format we all grew up with is toast as far as the commercial sector goes:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795 ... id=20&cs=1

How 'bout a moment of static to pay your respects & condolences...[|)]

How long do you give DVD or even HD-DVD?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 5:23 am
by jumpshift
[quote]Originally posted by MikeP
[br]Well, it's official ... the video format we all grew up with is toast as far as the commercial sector goes:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795 ... id=20&cs=1

How 'bout a moment of static to pay your respects & condolences...[|)]

How long do you give DVD or even HD-DVD?
[/quote]

Does this mean we won't be able to record TV shows anymore?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:40 am
by Panorama
I've been transferring a bunch of my wife's VHS tapes to dvd recently. I'm doing a few each day (while working on other stuff, or hit record before going to bed and get a 2 hour recording in each night) and it's taking a while, but the dvds (in the slimline cd cases) take up about 20% of the space of a vhs tape, so we will recapture some space, yea!

---------------------------
"Photography with a Vision"
http://www.cooganphoto.com

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:02 am
by Bitter Almonds
<p align="justify">Blank videos will be last to go, but they're still being made and sold. Hell! I buy them 'cause they're cheaper than dual-layer dvds. I'm getting a dvd recorder this Dec., so I'm gonna start transferring those important pr0n comps I have on vhs... which are around 100hrs[}:)]

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:55 am
by marie3
I heard this today. I use my VCR all the time. I don't know how to work the DVD player. Plus we have a VCR in the car for the kids. So in my house it is still going strong.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:55 am
by hutter
[quote][i]Originally posted by Panorama[/i]
<br>I've been transferring a bunch of my wife's VHS tapes to dvd recently. I'm doing a few each day (while working on other stuff, or hit record before going to bed and get a 2 hour recording in each night) and it's taking a while, but the dvds (in the slimline cd cases) take up about 20% of the space of a vhs tape, so we will recapture some space, yea!
[/quote]
I'm looking to do the same. What setup/product are you using?

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:40 am
by ben_at_work
[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>I heard this today. I use my VCR all the time. I don't know how to work the DVD player. Plus we have a VCR in the car for the kids. So in my house it is still going strong.
[/quote]

Good ol' Marie!! Still living in the 80's [;)]
You should at least upgrade your car to dvd they are very reasonable!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:49 am
by Panorama
[quote][i]Originally posted by hutter[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Panorama[/i]
<br>I've been transferring a bunch of my wife's VHS tapes to dvd recently. I'm doing a few each day (while working on other stuff, or hit record before going to bed and get a 2 hour recording in each night) and it's taking a while, but the dvds (in the slimline cd cases) take up about 20% of the space of a vhs tape, so we will recapture some space, yea!
[/quote]
I'm looking to do the same. What setup/product are you using?
[/quote]VCR > OUT (red, white, and yellow RCA cables) into the Pioneer DVR-233. Cue up the tape, hit play, and record on the dvd recorder... stop the tape when done, add the title to the dvd session, and finalize. Works great.

I'm also using it to record from our Tivo -- it takes just as long to burn the dvd as it does to watch the show though (from Tivo or VHS). Works similar to a VCR in that, you can set up times to record directly from the cable -- so if you buy dvd-rw, you can record over and over, just like VHS. I am planning on getting a Series 3 Tivo at some point, as you can record 2 shows at once (if I want to do that now, I have to record to the dvd-rw for the second show).

Been using this set up since Jan 2006 and I love it.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Pioneer_DVR_233 ... 48892.html
Here's a review from CNET

---------------------------
"Photography with a Vision"
http://www.cooganphoto.com

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:18 pm
by DSR
Well, that's sad to know that finally VHS format would be scrapped out of the market like their BETAMAX counterpart. I grew up watching both VHS and BETAMAX. Right now, I'm using my DVD/VCD player. I'm just wondering 20 years from now if DVD would also retire and what would follow next to it.

[:)]An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
DSR

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 5:24 pm
by The_Freeman
I'd take that article with a pinch of salt if I were you, it also claims that VHS' death was preceeded by that of DivX, and DivX (or more importantly, XviD) is far from dead, otherwise I'd be wasting several Gigs of bandwidth every month. VHS will hang around for many years to come I'm sure.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:46 pm
by marie3
[quote][i]Originally posted by ben_at_work[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>I heard this today. I use my VCR all the time. I don't know how to work the DVD player. Plus we have a VCR in the car for the kids. So in my house it is still going strong.
[/quote]

Good ol' Marie!! Still living in the 80's [;)]
You should at least upgrade your car to dvd they are very reasonable!
[/quote]
I guess that's why I am here on the outpost! lol
I'll get to the dvd player eventually. By then it will probably be obsolete like the VCR. [;)]

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:05 pm
by UniversalRadio
[quote][i]Originally posted by The_Freeman[/i]
<br>I'd take that article with a pinch of salt if I were you, it also claims that VHS' death was preceeded by that of DivX, and DivX (or more importantly, XviD) is far from dead, otherwise I'd be wasting several Gigs of bandwidth every month. VHS will hang around for many years to come I'm sure.
[/quote]

I hope you're right. I just bought a VCR cleaner and had a hard time finding one. I know nothing of Tivo, I tape Deal or No Deal...

PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:41 am
by MARV
What a funny way to write a news report [:D]

I spent alot of time converting what VHS tapes I have of value that can't be replaced by DVD. Namely recordings from TV, home movies and those few flicks that never have found the light of digital. I use the Pinnacle Systems Movie Box:

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/u ... sion+9.htm

It does'nt come with Mac software but that's OK because it works seamlessly with iMovie. In there, I can set up all my chapters and grab still frames to bring into iDVD where I set up my menus.

I bought the Movie Box for under a hundred bucks a good year, year and a half ago. Can you imagine what I would have spent if I brought some fifty tapes to one of those conversion places that charge around fifty bucks an hour? I would'nt be surprised if you can buy the Movie Box for around fifty today on eBay or Amazon.

<a href="http://marvymarv.multiply.com/">[i]You on the guestlist?[/i]</a>

PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:56 am
by British
There are some vinyl records that never got transferred to CD: That's why I have a turntable
There are some VHS movies that never got transferred to DVD: That's why I have a VCR.

Same situation to me. :)

PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:13 am
by MikeP
[quote][i]Originally posted by The_Freeman[/i]
<br>I'd take that article with a pinch of salt if I were you, it also claims that VHS' death was preceeded by that of DivX, and DivX (or more importantly, XviD) is far from dead, otherwise I'd be wasting several Gigs of bandwidth every month. VHS will hang around for many years to come I'm sure.
[/quote]
The DivX they speak of in the article is not the MPEG4 codec but the much maligned pay-to-play DVD concept pushed by Circuit City back in the early days of DVD (see: http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,20259,00.html)
It was a disaster from the get-go.

That being said, VHS will hang around for awhile longer. I'm in no hurry to dispense with my S-VHS player any time soon. I have many years of digitizing home movies, videos and other video oddities to look forward to.