Posted on 11/24/2004 12:38:44 PM PST by weegee
LONDON, England -- Video recorders have taken a step closer to extinction after Britain's largest electrical supplier said it would stop selling VCRs to concentrate on their successor, the DVD.
[snip]
Dixons said it now expected to sell its remaining stock of VCRs by Christmas, although other electrical retailers said they would continue to sell them for the foreseeable future.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
We still have audio cassettes, recorders, and players.
Do recorded DVDs last 20+ years or do they experience data loss? Do we have to pay some technonerd $20/hour to transfer our old videotapes to DVD now?
The VCRs in the stores today are largely crap. I bought a "Panasonic" this year (there haven't been many manufacturers of VCRs for decades, just companies slapping their names on essentially the same box). It has already died (less than 6 months after purchase).
Meanwhile the "replacement" is DVD-R, er DVD+R, er DVD+RW, er Sony's HD-DVD, er other manufacturers' standard of HD-DVD... you get the idea. None of that technology is going to be in use in 5 years because it is ALL in transition. So you can buy the stop gap solution and throw out all of your VHS tapes (if you think it is hard to find a workhorse VHS player now, wait 5 years down the road) and repeat the process transferring your current mode recorded DVDs to the new format. Meanwhile every generation, expect to pick up ever so slight pixelation as the compression algorithms reduce the space required to store the images. You may not notice now but you probably will on your HD set.
20 years after turntables got scrapped, you can STILL buy new records.
The industry hates analog technology. No "digital codes" to prohibit copying.
Think the broadcast industry is going to throw out all of their tape based systems? Not on your life.
Buy now! Consume! Or else be left out in the cold!
until I can get a cheap DVD recorder(less than 50 bucks) to tape everyday programs, the VCR rules.
What exactly is the lifespan of "Digital" Media?
The DVD recorder has dropped under $500. That is the "buy" point for most consumers.
I was just looking at my video tape player and wondering if my modest video tape collection soon will be going out to the shed along with my LP vinyls.
I saw one the other day advertised for $350.
I agree. My husband tapes to radio shows for me because I can't get an AM signal in the building I work in. If the VCR goes away I will not be able to listen to Rush and one other show until I retire. That would be a complete bummer!
Did you clean your VCR? I just ask because the last one I bought lasted about 3-4 years. And since the price for them is down to around $60-$70 at Wal-Mart or Best Buy, that's not a lot to plunk down every few years if you take care of it.
Yes my older VCRs lasted for over 7 years. One eventually ate tapes, the other had the loading mechanism jam.
I may pay the hundred bucks or so to fix one of these better machines.
The new $50 ones ain't worth a dime.
It was very heavy, had a wired remote and you had to tune each channel separately.
interestingly, I still have it and if all you want to do is record and playback, it still does a fine job.
BTTT
Sniff, sniff,,,,,,,,,,Your pic brings back such memories for me.
Ah but some TiVo programming forces the expiration after a certain time (say 2 weeks). Some TiVo programming (like some PayPerView offerings) are even prohibiting taping of the TiVoed program.
It is about control and preventing home taping in SPITE of the Supreme Court Betamax ruling.
The entertainment industry wants the best laws money can buy.
VHS = RIP
Oh, my! Whatever will I do with my laserdisc collection........?
Got a Tivo, haven't used my VCR since.
Technology marches on...
That is why I have to get the DVD recorder. I have a treasured VHS library of films that are not available on DVD. Some aren't even on VHS. I just taped them off of cable. And old programs like "The Story of English" that I have on VHS.
That's why I have a computer-based PVR instead of a TiVo. I don't get the recommendations and season passes and stuff, but I do get the assurance that the hardware is controlled by me, and not a third party who might sell out my interests to Hollywood.
I can do without taping NEW programs with a VCR but I want to be able to access my 1000+ videotapes. Currently I do not have a VCR that works or that I would trust with my tapes (eating tapes is WRONG).
Some are off air, some are public domain films, some are footage I got from friends (live performances, etc.).
I could live with never being able to access my full set of Outer Limits (those are available in better condition even if they don't come with the Cal Worthington & His Dog Spot car commercials from the late night broadcasts).
I have a lot of 8mm videotapes as well. All privately shot footage. I put some of it to VHS for convenience but want to store them on discs for easy access and backup.
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