Outdated Technologies: VCRs/VHS tapes

Tsutarja

Tsutarja

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    Week #3: VCRs and VHS Tapes​

    New week, new technology go go go!

    I'm sure at one point in time, we all have seen a VCR (or video-cassette recorder) and a VHS tape in our lives. These were the two components that were used to watch movies on your own accord primarily before the invention of DVDs. VCRs were also used to watch and record television by way of blank VHS tapes, primarily prior to the invention of DVRs and DVD recorders.

    • How long ago has it been since you used a VCR/VHS tape?
    • Do you still own a VCR? How about actively use it?
    • Do you know anybody that refuses to go digital with DVDs and still uses VCRs?
    ​

    If you have any ideas for future discussions for Outdated Technologies, send me a message!
     
    Well VCR's are really outdated in the fact they are no longer produced and VCR players are mostly out of production.

    I still have a VCR and use it to watch old cassettes (I watched the Emperors new Groove last week so yeah I used it quite recently).

    The big advantage of VHS over DVD's in my opinion is the better fast forward and rewinding (and the fact you can faSt forward the don't pirate this film thing at the start which some DVDs don't let you skip or fast forward) and the fact A video remember where it was upto once taken out where a DVD does not (unless you put it back in the same player). Also VHS are far more robust than fragile and easily scratched DVD's

    But the disadvanteds compered to DVD are the fact VCRs only carry onel anguage rather than multiple ones like DVD's and subtitles can't be turned on or off. Aslo the the quality of VHS is much much poorer than DVD's, and DVD's carry bonus features (that I rarely watch anyway lol). Also DVD's are cheaper and easier to produce.
     
    If I want to watch something on VHS, the only option I have is this little all-in-one travel TV at my dad's house because it has a built-in VCR. You have to fight to get it working and tracking correctly, but it still works pretty well--or it certainly did the last time I used it which was probably a few years ago. Even though I think both my parents still have an old VCR somewhere, you can't actually use them because no one has TVs old enough. At my dad's house we actually have to use that travel TV to play any older consoles because it's literally the only thing he owns that still has old AV ports.

    We got a DVD player earlier than most people I know, so I don't think we've bought any VHS tapes since like... probably 1996 or something like that. However I do still catch myself saying "can you tape this for later?" when I'm talking about a DVR or something like that. I've been trying to shake the habit and use the word "record" but even after all this time it's still hard. :P
     
    It's been a good few years since I've used a VCR of any kind. Probably because the only VCR I've had in recent years was attached to the older TV I had, and I've had all of one VHS to even use in it - and that TV broke and was thrown out, so now I don't even have a VCR to use at all!

    I don't think I know anybody who still actively uses one. Pretty much everybody I know has converted to at least DVD, if not blu-ray, and even for recording they employ a DVR instead of a VCR. I'm actually surprised if I go over to anybody's place and still find tapes instead of discs.

    Pretty much the only reason I'd ever watch a VHS anyway (assuming I did actually have a functioning VCR) nowadays is mostly for nostalgia value and if I don't have that movie in a newer format. I think the last time I really watched a VHS was many summers ago when I went on my "let's rewatch old Disney movies" kick, most of which we only had in that format. So yeah.
     
    I have both a VCR and DVD player in my room and sometimes I like playing a VHS in the background, so the VCR has its use once in a while. The last time I did that was probably a few months ago as I felt like playing some of the old movies I have.

    I remember years back my family and I sometimes record movies that were airing on TV into VHS tapes. I would also record some episodes from various shows so that I can watch them again. Those VHS tapes though are pretty much dusty now as I haven't checked those out in a while.
     
    If I still had anything to record, I would probably still use VHS because that is what is available to me (no DVD recorder, etc). I have still used it as late as 2008.

    The only problems I had with it were the poor picture quality and the tendency for the tapes to degrade over time.
     
    There was great drama here a few days ago when my dad asked me to help him with the VCR player. Something happened and he accidentally messed up the tuning in of cable channels, and he wanted me to tune them in again in the same order that they were on the actual TV. So yeah, that was fun.

    You'll more than likely find a VCR player in every room of the house here, and there used to be one in my room too but I moved it out when I got a flatsreen TV. I do prefer using them to DVDs, though each forms of media have their advantages and disadvantages, naturally.

    Whilst I don't know anyone who refuses to go digital (save for actual digital tv), i guess my granddad sorta straddles the line between VCRs and DVD players. His own DVD Recorder is on its last legs, so he has gone back to recording via VCR. To the extent that he has three VCR recorders on the go at any one time. It's nuts. He also used to fix them for a living.
     
    It's been quite a few years since I regularly used VCRs to watch movies and record TV shows. I now only have one unit left, which I hope lasts awhile since I'm using it to digitize/transfer my VHS collection over to DVD. Considering how I have to keep showing my mom how to work the DVR I bought her (which is a rather generic unit designed for broadcast television), she misses VHS and being able to record shows to tape (which was all the time when analog broadcasting was still around.)
    What's making my mission to transfer my VHS collection over important is that I've been having problems with my VCRs in the past several years. Sometimes they try and eat my tapes, or they shut off all of a sudden to error mode. Not to mention I can't find head cleaning tapes in the stores anymore.
     
    LeviathanX said:
    You'll more than likely find a VCR player in every room of the house here, and there used to be one in my room too but I moved it out when I got a flatsreen TV. I do prefer using them to DVDs, though each forms of media have their advantages and disadvantages, naturally.
    Click to expand...
    I am actually quite curious to know why you prefer VHS to DVD. How come? Ease of taping and retaping TV? Aside from that I'm kind of struggling to come up with anything...
     
    Cherrim said:
    I am actually quite curious to know why you prefer VHS to DVD. How come? Ease of taping and retaping TV? Aside from that I'm kind of struggling to come up with anything...
    Click to expand...

    There's a few reasons;
    -Tapes are more 'sturdier' than DVDs,
    -VHRs, in my experience, have been more reliable to use than DVD Players, with a less higher rate of failure than compared to DVD Players. Plus my dad knows the ins and outs of a VCR player, so if anything happens he can thankfully take it apart and fix it with ease.
    -Some of my favourite movies of all time are still on tapes. Yeah, that's probably a silly reason but it's the truth.
    -Easier to tape stuff from TV. I love using long play to get about 6-8 hours of stuff recorded.

    Sure there's the inferior quality of tapes to DVDs and Blu-Rays, less content than that featured on discs and of course the dreaded 'fallout' that afflicts tapes, but I grew up using them and ultimately, that's why I prefer them.
     
    LeviathanX said:
    There's a few reasons;
    -Tapes are more 'sturdier' than DVDs,
    -VHRs, in my experience, have been more reliable to use than DVD Players, with a less higher rate of failure than compared to DVD Players. Plus my dad knows the ins and outs of a VCR player, so if anything happens he can thankfully take it apart and fix it with ease.
    -Some of my favourite movies of all time are still on tapes. Yeah, that's probably a silly reason but it's the truth.
    -Easier to tape stuff from TV. I love using long play to get about 6-8 hours of stuff recorded.

    Sure there's the inferior quality of tapes to DVDs and Blu-Rays, less content than that featured on discs and of course the dreaded 'fallout' that afflicts tapes, but I grew up using them and ultimately, that's why I prefer them.
    Click to expand...
    Fair enough! Although I have to admit, my experience dictates that VCRs were way less reliable since we had at least 1 or 2 that broke over a short timespan just before we upgraded to DVD players (which we never had any problems with). One used to mangle the tapes if you tried to rewind without pressing "stop" first and I lost many a childhood favourites to it. :'( But then I guess I also didn't have an expert dad who fixed them, he just bought upgrades instead, haha.
     
    Surprisingly, I still have a VCR that still works! The videotapes that I still currently have work perfectly, and the cabling is also working alright. Gives me a bit of a nostalgia feel when I'm watching a Pokemon movie or a Disney movie on VHS.

    I'll miss those days though. Most of my life was all about buying movie tapes and slamming the VCR for it to work.
     
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