What to do with collection of VHS Trek tapes??

[Manchester]

As others have said, the only option you have is to get them transferred to DVD but that can be a long and expensive process. I had a VHS tape of my first wedding transferred to DVD and it took a couple of weeks and it was only about a five minute ceremony. It's not really worth the money in my opinion.

Plus I see a vinyl vs digital discussion breaking out. This should be fun.

 

[Jayson1]

Reading this thread reminded me of when I was buying Deep Space Nine on VHS from Columbia House. I started that prior to the DVD release. It thought I was getting a great deal, getting 2 episodes for the low, low price of $19.95 (at the time the single episode tapes were on sale for $12.95). Then DVD's started and DS9 was released on DVD. Needless to say I ended my VHS with season 5 and bought season 6 and 7 on DVD. When I cancelled the Columbia House rep asked why and I told her I could get an entire season on DVD for less than $100. Well, she didn't even try to talk me into staying on, I mean, what could she say.

What disgusted me is I eventually bought the first 5 seasons on DVD and ended up selling all my DS9 VHS tapes for $15. And it took me about 2 or 3 years to finally sell them. Hundreds of dollars I spent on them and I could only get $15 for all 5 seasons. When the guy bought them I was just like 'get them out of my sight'.

However, I did keep my VHS collection of the original series that I started buying back in the 80's when they first started coming out. I'll never sell those. They probably aren't worth anything but still. I also have the first 6 movies on VHS that I'll never get rid of. I got the 1st edition releases of all of them (I got the first 3 movies as a birthday gift at a time when TMP was still $39.95 to get on VHS). Those are keepers too.

Really when you think about it Star Trek was a pioneer in home video. At the time the original series was first released on VHS no one really thought about releasing TV shows on home video.

The positive way to look at that is you did get them for a great deal, only a better deal came along latter. But in that moment of time you were coming out ahead and when you got the DVD's you won again because it saved you from spending even more money on the VHS tapes were you would only have to replace them as well with dvd's.

Jason

 

[Damian]

The positive way to look at that is you did get them for a great deal, only a better deal came along latter. But in that moment of time you were coming out ahead and when you got the DVD's you won again because it saved you from spending even more money on the VHS tapes were you would only have to replace them as well with dvd's.

Jason

Haha, yeah, ultimately I am much happier with the DVD's of Deep Space Nine then VHS. Part of it was I got sick of hauling a big box of VHS tests to yard sales we kept having. Every time I had to throw them back in the van I was like Ugh I wish someone would just buy them (I started at a higher pr. So while I was a bit disgusted about having to sell them all for $15 I was relieved at the same time that they were gone. But that was a long time ago now so it's more a funny anecdote to me these days.

Same kind of experience here The one I had the hardest trouble finding though was The Trouble With Tribbles, which was annoying because of I kept reading how it was the best episode and all that I think I'd probably seen the DS9 sequel and read David Gerrold's script book long before I ever tracked down the tape, lol

The funniest thing about Catspaw is while it was the last one I was able to finally rent at the Pathmark store, it was the first episode I got. I got my first two episodes as gifts (with Friday's Child)

 

[johnnybear]

As others have said, the only option you have is to get them transferred to DVD but that can be a long and expensive process. I had a VHS tape of my first wedding transferred to DVD and it took a couple of weeks and it was only about a five minute ceremony. It's not really worth the money in my opinion.

Plus I see a vinyl vs digital discussion breaking out. This should be fun.

Couldn't you have bought a VHS/DVD combo and did it yourself? That's what I did with all my WWF Saturday night's Main Event episodes that I'd taped over the years!
JB

 

[Manchester]

Couldn't you have bought a VHS/DVD combo and did it yourself? That's what I did with all my WWF Saturday night's Main Event episodes that I'd taped over the years!
JB

I could have but it was out of my price range at the time. I never really owned that many VHS tapes.

 

[clorets]

Yeah, are these people...adults? If an adult says something like that to you, you have the victory of knowing they are sad, sad people.

Kids and unfortunately adults. It's something people don't grow out. These days though I get "what's Star Trek?" a lot.
It's tough being a fan sometimes.... At least I still have my VHS tapes. I can make a fort out of them and hide inside.

 

[Jayson1]

I know I had a big collection of VHS movies and also tv shows and what happened to mind is they basically were put in a storage shed. When we couldn't afford the payment because of money issues I just left them there. Who knows what happened to them. I was more upset that I lost a great deal of baseball cards though in that shed.


Jason

 

[Forbin]

I'm so old, I've had a wall-full of movies and TV shows on Betamax, which I eventually replaced with a wall-full of movies and TV shows on VHS, plus some movies and TV shows on laserdisc, all of which I've replaced with several walls-full of movies and TV shows on DVD, some of which I've replaced with movies and TV shows on Blu-Ray.

If another new system comes out, I'm going to cry.

 

[Jayson1]

I'm so old, I've had a wall-full of movies and TV shows on Betamax, which I eventually replaced with a wall-full of movies and TV shows on VHS, plus some movies and TV shows on laserdisc, all of which I've replaced with several walls-full of movies and TV shows on DVD, some of which I've replaced with movies and TV shows on Blu-Ray.

If another new system comes out, I'm going to cry.

You haven't heard about 4K Ultra HD? The thing that will make your blu-rays look they are covered in poop.

Jason

 

[Guy Gardener]

You haven't heard about 4K Ultra HD? The thing that will make your blu-rays look they are covered in poop.

Jason

And that is why there is no Smellovision as of yet.

 

[johnnybear]

One day we will have the option of the new holographic discs, where we can interact with the real characters on the screen! A bit like the holo-deck on TNG or you could probably just watch the episodes like we do now but in full unblemished quality! Probably not in our life times though sadly enough!
JB

 

[Tomalak]

One day we will have the option of the new holographic discs, where we can interact with the real characters on the screen! A bit like the holo-deck on TNG or you could probably just watch the episodes like we do now but in full unblemished quality! Probably not in our life times though sadly enough!
JB

I think if such a thing were possible, there's no chance it would come on a physical disc!

One of the things that really dates First Contact is Zephram Cochrane's neon plastic Steppenwolf minidisc.

 

[Jayson1]

I think if such a thing were possible, there's no chance it would come on a physical disc!

One of the things that really dates First Contact is Zephram Cochrane's neon plastic Steppenwolf minidisc.

But society is in shambles. You would think the stuff they find would be old junk they are able to savage and whatever they can find. That's why you only see one vehicle and people mostly on bikes.


Jason

 

[johnnybear]

There are some people who still own a gramophone in this day and age so why is it beyond reason that Cochrane wouldn't have something like that in his reality too?
JB

 

[Forbin]

Yup, my sister has the family's old gramophone and all the 33 rpm records.

 

[BillJ]

One of the things that really dates First Contact is Zephram Cochrane's neon plastic Steppenwolf minidisc.

It is post-nuclear war, may not have reestablished internet infrastructure.

 

[Tomalak]

It is post-nuclear war, may not have reestablished internet infrastructure.

Yeah that's a fair point.

 

[fireproof78]

It would be neat to kind of check these tapes out but who even has a VCR these days to even play them?

Jason

Um, I do. As well as several VHS tapes. My daughters know how to work it even.

 

[Lance]

Yeah I've still got a VHS alongside my DVD recorder and hard drive and blu ray etc. Even still use it to record stuff from time to time, and it's amazinghow many old movies and shows can be found secondhand that never got a DVD release but did maybe get episodes released on videotape I've got a setup where I can transfer these gems to DVD or hard drive.

No one is saying VHS has got a technological advantage in any way, but there are pluses to still having one

 

[1001001]

I'm sure there are advantages to churning your own butter, too...