VHS winding down...The Official Death is finally here...

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Vexx

In the US, unfortunately they really haven't put out products to replace the VCR (no, TIVO does not count, I don't need a subscription to use my VCR). They exist but they're really hard to find. Currently I'm using a dedicated PC for "taping" but its a bit too complicated for my wife to want to mess with (the UI is.... not-ready-for-prime-time).

What do they use outside the US? I know about DVD recorders, but given the occassional headaches I've had with single layer burns on my PC, I've always questioned the consumer friendliness of the things. And don't even get me started on dual layer (I'm not sure if TDK branded Ritek S04s are really shitty discs or if they just don't like my burner).

Legal issues aside, I have to wonder how much most people need recording ability when you can get a Philips DVD player that will play xvids off a USB key for under $100 now...

[Vexx]

There's a number of digital video recorders that use large hard drives ... but they're mostly sold outside the US. Apparently, 'tivo' and its competitors make the manufacturers believe there isn't much of a market here because of them. Last year, I did find one model sold here but it had a ridiculous price point. I suppose its time to review whats available again.

[Mgz]

death in the US but still damn alive in Asia and China Town tho. I still rent occasionally 10-15 VHS tape from the local China Town video store to watch the latest remake of Jin Yong classics or TVB series (Heart of Greed, Moonlight Resonance, etc)

[Tri-ring]

Although minor compared to the end of VHS;

Pioneer Announces End of LaserDisc Player Products

I also heard that Mitsubishi had ended production of the 3.5" floppy disks.

[wingdarkness]

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

Although minor compared to the end of VHS;

Pioneer Announces End of LaserDisc Player Products

I also heard that Mitsubishi had ended production of the 3.5" floppy disks.

There’s still 2 people in this world with a laserdisc player? O_o WTF are they watching?

Floppy discs need to die too...

[Vexx]

The thing is.... whether it be VHS or Laserdisc - those people spent a lot of money on the "license to view a film for home use". When the tools to view that vanish, why aren't they able to exchange that VHS or laserdisc for the same film in a new medium? Mmmm?

[cuteycindyhoney]

My brother has a laserdisc player too! He gets upset when I call the disks giant DVDs.

LOL

He has a lot of anime titles too. They're raw though, so I never watch them.
(That sounds a bit shallow!)

[Vexx]

I finally found a video digital recorder with a hard drive (made by Phillips) it also has a digital tuner so its "post-February" compliant. Hoping it'll be my VCR replacement for timeshifting -- doesn't require any stupid subscription either.
If i like what I've captured enough - it also has a DVD burner on it. So between that and my region-free DVD player... I think I'm in fair shape in terms of tv crapola....

[0utf0xZer0]

For those interested, you will soon be able to upscale your VHS tapes to delicious 1080P:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/01/10...blu-ray-decks/

We've heard about Panasonic's new Blu-ray players a couple of times now, but we put our mitts on them today. The DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80 on the low and high side of the line, respectively, are solid players and also add in the VIERA Cast capability we heard about, but we'll be honest -- we really came to see the DMP-BD70V. This omnivorous deck will gobble up your old VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs and upscale them to 1080p glory.

...Somehow I can't see it catching on.

[wingdarkness]

Originally Posted by cuteycindyhoney

My brother has a laserdisc player too! He gets upset when I call the disks giant DVDs.

LOL

He has a lot of anime titles too. They're raw though, so I never watch them.
(That sounds a bit shallow!)

Who the hell makes CURRENT TITLES in laserdisc format?!?! Am I going crazy here?

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by wingdarkness

Who the hell makes CURRENT TITLES in laserdisc format?!?! Am I going crazy here?

I suspect that the laserdiscs in question have been around for a while and are part of a collection, rather than being discs of recent manufacture. Considering laserdisc was basically a videophile format, there's not much point to still producing them because the target audience has moved on (although I believe that laserdiscs don't suffer from compression artifacts like DVD sometimes does, I don't think most would consider this to outweigh the disadvantages).

[Vexx]

At one point, my parent's household had a laserdisc, vhs, beta, and dvd collection with a player for each. My dad (since passed away) wanted to strangle the media companies because he strongly felt he should be able to turn an obsolete medium for an updated medium.

Ever wonder why companies put extras on DVDs? The original motivations included not having to admit they were selling licenses to a product and said the new additional content made it a "different product". That's how they skipped around people wanting to exchange their VHS products for DVD when DVD first came out.

At the moment, they still claim they are selling a physical product (which they don't have to replace) OR a license (which they would have to replace and only charge you the true cost of the media) depending on what they're trying to interfere with.

Its a dance with many dimensions but the overall vector is that money only flows from you to them, repeatedly if possible The ultimate goal is still pay-per-view.

[Ledgem]

There's nothing good about VHS compared to DVD. Posters at the beginning of the topic claiming that VHS was better for a reason either had faulty DVD equipment, a poorly mastered DVD, or were experiencing a placebo effect knotted with nostalgia.

I suppose it's a point of marvel for my generation. We were used to laughing at the older generations (haw haw, you grew up with grayscale televisions and no computers) as everything was seemingly new and wonderful, fully embraced by us and regarded as the norm. Now a part of that "new" technology has been fully replaced by the digital era. Today there are people young enough that they've never handled a VHS, yet they're old enough to laugh at us and call us ancient dinosaurs because we were around in a time when people used tapes. It's the realization that we've aged.

[Guernsey]

I am getting old! These new fangled DVDs and Blu Rays are a bit complicated for me. I remember a time where all I had to do was just put in a Video tape and I would watch a movie but nowadays with all these special features and what not, I just want watch a movie! I feel even older especially since nowadays even eleven year olds can make a website.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Pfft. You whiny whippersnappers. Why, in the old days, we didn't even have VHS! We had to make sure we got home on time to catch our cartoons on TV, otherwise we'd miss them for good!

Why, in the even older days, we don't even have TV! We had to make do with puppet shows!

Blu-ray schmu-ray. Here, have a wooden stick. Go amuse yourselves.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Guernsey

I am getting old! These new fangled DVDs and Blu Rays are a bit complicated for me. I remember a time where all I had to do was just put in a Video tape and I would watch a movie but nowadays with all these special features and what not, I just want watch a movie! I feel even older especially since nowadays even eleven year olds can make a website.

Maybe it's just me, but I always found it really easy to just select play from a DVD menu. Actually I imagine that menus must have been a godsend to anyone used to trying to play episodic content from a tape - no more fast forwarding and rewinding to find the start of the next episode.

[Vexx]

The aggravation in our house is the "remote control" proliferation. Even my attempts at "universal" units fail... every unit has some function that requires its own remote for.

Once I actually velcroed all our remotes onto a stick of wood. Didn't last but it was symbolic of the stupidity of it all.

Right now I'm trying to decide what I want to be the "center" of the home theatre unit. Every single piece just assumes you want it to be the center (tv, dvd, dvr, pre-amp).... :P so I have to matrix which arrangement gives me the simplest set of controls to have to deal with the most functionality :P :P :P

[CPOK]

I still have a working Beta player around here somewhere (it is next to the VCR) Donno how VHS won over Beta tho.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by CPOK

I still have a working Beta player around here somewhere (it is next to the VCR) Donno how VHS won over Beta tho.

Longer runtimes for one. If a show that was on the history channel a while ago is to be believed, then more support from the porn industry. (I think it was Modern Marvels that was on, not 100% sure though.)

[Takeru]

I have a box full of VHS tapes in my closet. Currently moving them over to DVD before they die.
Can't really say I'm sad to see it go. Though, it wasn't until wingdarkness pointed it out, I will miss that odd smell of a brand new VHS tape.

One thing I won't miss though is that stupid VCR I had from Panasonic that to program it you had this IR wand that you scanned barcodes with and "beamed" them to the VCR itself. Even if that was an awesome VCR that could play NTSC, PAL, and SECAM.

Originally Posted by yezhanquan

Mine is not in storage, just that I don't record much nowadays.

It was nice to just be able to pop in one and hit record to get your favourite TV show. But, nowadays it's worth dropping $50 or so to have either a DVR or (like me) a video-capture box attached to the Video Out and USB'd to your computer.

Originally Posted by Tri-ring

I also heard that Mitsubishi had ended production of the 3.5" floppy disks.

Now those I will miss. I remember building entire HTML websites by hand in Notepad and storing them on a mountain of 3.5" floppies.
Though...I still have nostalgia over the old 5 1/4" floppies as well. One can never forget the sound of one of those being accessed.