The virtues of Hifi VCR

[goraman]

Some years ago I paid alot more than I care to tell for a Sony Hifi stereo VCR SLV-N88 from Magnolia Hifi an upscale upper midfi store.
I havent used it since getting the high def 65 inch TV. As even DVD's are fast becomeing yeasterdays news and Blueray is all the buzz.

On the upside my soon to be 1 year old son has discovered cartoons.
So while at the goodwill thrift store a huge collection of Disney,Elmo,Barny,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,W.O.Oz, ect... in mint condition went up for a doller each! around 30 top kid movies.
I snapped all of them up and my son has been watching them troubble free and the crazy thing is the picture is fantasticly clear!
And the audio is far better than DVD.
I'm thinking the old VHS tapes where still viable technology.
Granted this VCR is a little better fair than the really cheap Sonys that had soft heads and a bad habbit for eating tapes but I didn't remember VCR's being this clear.
Anyone else still useing video tape?

[DSJR]

I have a complete set of Dr Who video's (and a slowly increasing number of DVD's from this show) which my son is enjoying exploring, plus a load of other "cult" shows on VHS in the loft.

HiFi video was good, but never really caught on and there could be a low level buzz modulating the sound if the heads and guides were even slightly mis-aligned. Some Beopeople loved it because they could record several hours of party music and just let it play..

DVD sound is more to do with the disc mastering and the machine electronics I think..

[chris@panteg]

I have the complete Blakes 7 on VHS i just can't part with it , much to my Wife's fury:)

[goraman]

I guess I had such bad luck with DVD's skipping tracks or freezing and then returning to track 1 that I'll never love them,I have never had a tape or rented a tape that failed to let me watch the movie but I have rented menny serverly scratched DVD's that compleatly failed.
I just think a reasonably well made VCR is still a good way to veiw movies,and 180min. tapes means you can run from 3 to 9 hours depending on speed.
I just don't think the old VCR was such a bad deal.

[pure sound]

I have the complete Blakes 7 on VHS i just can't part with it , much to my Wife's fury:)

I loved Blakes 7 once they got rid of Blake!

[Codifus]

.... Beopeople loved it because they could record several hours of party music and just let it play.....

I must be a beoperson, then, because that's exactly what I used to do with my HIFI VCR:ner:

As far as quality goes, though, it was great, but no way was it better than DVD. DVD movies only sound so-so because their audio tracks are saved in a lossy compressed MPEG format with relatively low bit-rates. MP3 really. Putting DVD audio quality sound on a DVD movie just takes up too much space.

With blu-ray and the now defunct HD-DVD, the space issue was resolved. Not only did the picture quality go up enormously, but the audio tracks are very often saved in uncompressed PCM format. DTS Master Audio? Dolby TrueHD? Yeah man!

CD

[Spectral Morn]

I have an old Akai with adjustable record level settings. Its a very good audio recorder. Holds its own against metal cassette tape on my Nakamichi and might be as good as reel to reel recording, though I have not done the comparison.

I still watch and use video tapes, both standard and S VHS and while the picture is not as good as the better quality DVDs (any one notice the recent poor transfers to DVD with lots of digital noise etc). I too have loads of items on tape which have not been brought out on DVD yet including Dr Who and the like; so I need a way of viewing them.


Regards D S D L

[Rare Bird]

I have a complete set of Dr Who video's




Do you have any of the missing William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton episodes?

[Spectral Morn]

Do you have any of the missing William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton episodes?


Doubtful unless Dave had access to a very, very early video. Do/did you ?


Regards D S D L

[DSJR]

I'd have sent them to the BBC (or Ian Levine) for copying if I had... :(

All I have are the beautifully restored sound tracks and memories of watching 'Masterplan, Power and Evil of the Daleks fIrst time round - twice in the case of Evil as it was repeated........

I have watched ep 2 of "Evil" on an ex broadcast 16mm film. TBH, the restored DVD of this episode is far, far better as the "Vid-Fire" process, the cleaned up sound-track and the clearer transfer take the perceived quality to a higher plane IMO..

[Spectral Morn]

I'd have sent them to the BBC (or Ian Levine) for copying if I had... :(

All I have are the beautifully restored sound tracks and memories of watching 'Masterplan, Power and Evil of the Daleks fIrst time round - twice in the case of Evil as it was repeated........

I have watched ep 2 of "Evil" on an ex broadcast 16mm film. TBH, the restored DVD of this episode is far, far better as the "Vid-Fire" process, the cleaned up sound-track and the clearer transfer take the perceived quality to a higher plane IMO..

At least you saw them I have only read the novelisations of some of them and seen the DVD episodes that remain. Poor old Patrick suffered the worst only a handful of his stories survive.

John Pertwee is from where I recall things. My Mum and Dad were very careful in what they allowed me to watch back then, so I must assume they felt DR Who was to old for me when I was 3 to 4 but when I was 5 it was okay; that's when John started.

I also remember being most annoyed at not been allowed to stay up to see Day of the Triffids and I was not allowed to see The Village of the Dammed. I can't understand the first but do the second.


Regards D S D L

[electrafixion]

I too recently rediscovered my VHS machine. I was fooling around with my new Denon AVR-3310 receiver with Anchor Bay video upscaling, and I thought I'd see what it did for VHS. Not only does it deliver my old tapes to my TV through HDMI, the upscaling makes the videos quite watchable. I dug out some of my old music videos and watched stuff like "The Complete Stone Roses" for the first time in nearly 15 years. Who would have thought that I'd be watching VHS on 1080P someday.