The official "I still use VHS" thread

[Harvestman]

I have begun cataloguing my VHS collection, and currently have around 120 tapes.

My parents were clearing out their VHS tapes, so I gladly acquired tapes like the Beatles' Anthology (sadly not in optimal quality) and 12 hours of "Friday Night Videos" from 1982 to 1986.

I've just finished setting up a two-deck setup for recording short segments of particular tapes onto a separate tape - a sort of "best-of" compilation, if you will.

Just out of curiosity - does anyone know when the first VCRs with stereo RCA outputs came onto the market?

[Ed in Tx]

First stereo VCRs I recall, linear stereo, no stereo tuner, not Hi Fi, Panasonic PV-1780 and the PV-6000 portable and about 1983. I owned one of each. I have old MTV recordings I made on them in stereo, when the cable co. carried the stereo audio on an FM frequency around 88 mHz, and used the "simulcast" function of the VCR to record video from the cable box and audio from an FM tuner. First Hi Fi came 1984, still no MTS stereo tuner until late '84-85 models.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Harvestman

12 hours of "Friday Night Videos" from 1982 to 1986.

Totally awesome! I still have all of my original Friday Night Videos recordings on Beta tapes from that same period.

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I have old MTV recordings I made on them in stereo, when the cable co. carried the stereo audio on an FM frequency around 88 mHz, and used the "simulcast" function of the VCR to record video from the cable box and audio from an FM tuner.

That is how I made my Friday Night recordings, on a Sony Beta Hi-Fi VCR, with the stereo audio from the local FM radio station that transmitted the matching audio.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Harvestman

I've just finished setting up a two-deck setup for recording short segments of particular tapes onto a separate tape - a sort of "best-of" compilation, if you will.

Also, when you do that, copy a tape to another, you lose another generation of quality. More video noise, wow and flutter, other artifacts of the process get added every time you copy.

Let me know when you're done with those. I have about 1,000 tapes tapes here you can go through!

[Harvestman]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Also, when you do that, copy a tape to another, you lose another generation of quality. More video noise, wow and flutter, other artifacts of the process get added every time you copy.

Hey, it comes with the format...

Besides, it's better than rewinding and fast-forwarding 90 million times to find a certain clip.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Also, when you do that, copy a tape to another, you lose another generation of quality. More video noise, wow and flutter, other artifacts of the process get added every time you copy.

My hope is to someday bring my recordings into the 21st century, or at least the late 20th century, and copy each song video into an individual computer file. Then, I could either make DVDs with directly-accessible songs, or even make rearranged tapes if I ever want to play with that for fun. Or, just let a computer play them infinitely as desired with no further quality loss or wear.

[Ed in Tx]

Would be nice to get all the good stuff on DVD or digitized. Trick is in the conversion process. And good tape machines for playback.

Yes I remember now, had forgotten the Akai portable 7350 (?) that was linear stereo. Notice the dual L and R mic inputs on the front. I remember working on these. Seems I recall a lot of head drum motor problems. Had a tuner that matched, mono of course.

[centralradio]

I still use mine daily.I dont trust the digital crap of DVR or DVD recorders.If the power goes out.Atlease I have some of the recording left to watch.

[centralradio]

Originally Posted by centralradio

I still use mine daily.I dont trust the digital crap of DVR or DVD recorders.If the power goes out.Atlease I have some of the recording left to watch.

Update .Ditto here.Still using them as the supplies dwindle .I'll try ordering some blanks from Walmart.com next week since the stores dont have them on the shelves anymore.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Harvestman

Just out of curiosity - does anyone know when the first VCRs with stereo RCA outputs came onto the market?

If I remember right, Akai was the first to manufacture and sell stereo (VHS) VCRs, probably in 1981. As Ed said, they (and the others that followed) split the audio track space on a regular VHS tape into two halves to record in stereo, and they added Dolby noise reduction to help compensate for the half-size audio recording area. Later, Hi-Fi audio (audio multiplexed onto the video signal/recording area) came along, that blew away the linear sound quality.