VHS finally taken off life support.

[Sheep]

Too bad, as VHS is better than DVD any day of the week.

That guys sure did put a lot of effort into that post, it's too bad that most of his points are totally wrong. Not just in hindsight, they're just wrong. He's seriously arguing that VHS sound is superior and Dolby 5.1 and DTS are "junk" because the human brain can only analyze four channels of sound at once? If that's even accurate, which I doubt, that's not the point! VHS tapes at their best had "Dolby Surround", a much inferior audio format that attempted to do what 5.1 eventually did but rather poorly.

That's not even taking into account that most VHS tapes started to lose their audio integrity long before visual integrity, my Gold Edition of Independence Day (the last VHS title I bought) crackles like crazy, especially the rear channels. The picture is still OK, but not as good as the picture I get on my DVD copy.

And he is delusional about wear and tear. As a little kid he might not have noticed, but I'm willing to bet all of his tapes had scan lines, slow spots, color issues, etc. after dozens of viewings.

I also don't miss tape jams and head tracking issues. Jesus.

I *think* that article was meant as a parody of a VHS fanboy, but I'm still not 100% convinced, personally.

 

[Trekker4747]

It was also written several years ago when the change-over from VHS to DVD was just starting. I think there's a bit of bitterness in it.

 

[Bad Bishop]

I have more than of 100 hours of backed up programming on VHS that I "definitely want to watch" or that I'm "sort of" interested in. VHS has allowed me to be lazy and put off watching crap indefinitely. If I relied upon DVR only, I might have to be more disciplined about viewing my backlog of shows.

 

[Aragorn]

I don't think that's a parody. The guy sounds like he's being dead serious in his pro-VHS, anti-DVD rant. Though he hasn't posted (under that screen name, anyway) since 2002, so who knows how he feels now? Maybe on some other board he's currently going all pro-DVD, anti-Blu-ray.

 

[Kryton]

"Why, when I grew up watching DVDs at grandma's the RED ray was fine for us, dammit...and we LIKED it!"

 

[Trekker4747]

I don't think that's a parody. The guy sounds like he's being dead serious in his pro-VHS, anti-DVD rant. Though he hasn't posted (under that screen name, anyway) since 2002, so who knows how he feels now? Maybe on some other board he's currently going all pro-DVD, anti-Blu-ray.

Yeah, as I said, a lot of people were pretty anti-DVD during the initial switch over. I suspect he's all about DVD now and coming up with similar reasons why Blu-Ray is poorer over DVD.

To be fair, there's probably some good argument in that tape (being analogue) is better over DVD (being digital) in compression and digitizing the information. Under the same arguments on why records are better than CDs. One is the pure, unmolested, trueness of the work the other is a chopped up, processed and digitized form of it. The problem with tape is that it's so darn fragile. "Scratch" a DVD, sure, it's fucked but you can also get it resurfaced. Set a tape on the TV too long and it's going to be fucked. There's a number of ways a tape can get messed up. A dirty head in the VCR, a kid pulls the tape out. Hell I've h ad tapes where the tape became disconnected from one of the wheels inside the casette. Not to mention every, single, time a tape is played it becomes a little more worn out. My DVDs will *always* look clear and sharp even if I watch them 100 times. Same can't be said for tape.

So tape's downfalls far outstrip any benifits it may have and DVD's "faults" are pale to all of its benifits.

And the guy writes off audio commentaries because he doesn't like them. Well, slick, some people do. I *love* commentaries. So :P

 

[Kryton]

A friend of mine from 20 years past (who was a broadcast radio engineer) would be the first to tell you that recording TAPE is bullshit ("rust shavings on a piece of mylar" was how he used to characterize it). I wish that both his first and last name weren't so common because I'd love to hunt him down and re-establish that friendship....

 

[jamestyler]

I will hold onto VHS with my very last breath. I still have Beta and an NES... I'm not eady to let go

 

[Trekker4747]

I will hold onto VHS with my very last breath. I still have Beta and an NES... I'm not eady to let go

Kind of a clumbsy limerick there.

 

[trekkerguy]

VHS? Just now?

It's been at least 5 years since I've see anything to do with a VHS or VCR anywhere.

 

[jamestyler]

I will hold onto VHS with my very last breath. I still have Beta and an NES... I'm not eady to let go

Kind of a clumbsy limerick there.

I never even noticed.. I'll be bored out of my mind for the next three days - I may get bored enough to make something of it. Maybe.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

VHS? Just now?

It's been at least 5 years since I've see anything to do with a VHS or VCR anywhere.

In my case, 8 years.

 

[WillsBabe]

In my case, 8 years.

Me, too. The article amazed me because I thought VHS had been dead, buried and decomposed long, long ago.

 

[Sephiroth]

this thread reminds me of the episode of cowboy bebop where Spike & Jet have to go hunting through the ruins of some old city to track down one of the last VHS players, only to return with...BETA

 

[tharpdevenport]

One of the best arguements for DVD that can be made is that your collection will weigh more than less than half of what the equilivant VHS would. You get a complete season on VHS, you got a bulcky large space-eating menace, on DVD you got one little box.

And with a good DVD player one little scratch won't matter. And you have to think about resale value. VHS's these days at pawn shop and eBay wont' fetch much, in fact many pawn shops will not take VHS tapes anymore.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

I'll never give up taping with a VCR...you'll have to pry the remote from my cold dead hand. Yeah I record on DVD but HATE FFW & REWIND on those-you can easily jump too far in one direction. Not so with VHS.

 

[Hermiod]

I will hold onto VHS with my very last breath. I still have Beta and an NES... I'm not eady to let go

A fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached!

 

[Aragorn]

I will hold onto VHS with my very last breath. I still have Beta and an NES... I'm not eady to let go

They must look nice right beside your 28.8 modem.

 

[jamestyler]

A fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached!

Thats one thing I would be happy to let go... if I ever owned one. A mate called me this time last yea as he just bought one and wanted to know if he could send me a fax. I think my answer was "No Barry, I don't like in 1882."

They must look nice right beside your 28.8 modem.

When did they come out with modems that fast!



Actually... I do have a couple of PC's in the attic that are that old. And an old green screen model thats older than I am. I have some bad attachments issues...

 

[John Picard]

Since I live in the sticks and don't have satellite, I record with VHS, but all movies bought are DVD. I made that choice back when DVD's were first coming out. I knew the format would be superior, I was just waiting for prices to drop (just like I always do with new technology).

Once I move to "civilization", I'll get a DVR. The only reason I'll keep the VCR is for older movies I own that my son likes I've had my copy of Transformers: The Movie since 1988, and I'm not giving that up.

Heck, when February 17, 2009 comes around, I won't be watching any TV because I'm not going to buy a converter box NOR will I buy a new TV until I've sold my current house.

I'll live.