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Composite video out of a flat screen?

Sempron on a cheap ECS mobo. Try it and you'll never go back to a VCR. Heck man, you repair that junk so you know just how crappy a VCR really is. The PC I'm on right now is recording as I type. It can also play out multiple HD streams while in record and never drops a frame. I have 2 more nearly identical machines that get used as plain jane PCs but are often in record. No heads to wear out, no dropouts no record time limits. It's way easier to implement than you think.

there's still the PITA factor of using a computer as something else.

my VCR takes up 2U in a rack. I don't need a remote for it, or to even have a TV connected to use it. You just hit some buttons and it does stuff.

I just tried dragging an old computer to my front room to connect to the projector. I'm still not done as I need to make some sort of PS/2 extension cable for the keyboard, I've not even thought about the mouse yet, and I'll probably have to setup a monitor for the thing as well. I got a DVI to HDMI converer cable, which possibly just blew up my HDMI switcher box, but I won't know until that gets replaced. Where the hell should I stash a keyboard and mouse connected to a computer across the room anywas?

It's big hassle, even more obnoxious than having to flip over a laserdisc in the middle of a movie in the dark.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader
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Yes, as much as I hate to admit it. I used to always use and tout Maxell, h igh end Sony and TDK. However if you think about it, bet that most magnetic recording tape of any kind in that era was made either by TDK or BASF. Rem ember BASF ? Tween the two of them they ruled most of the tape field and a few other things.

However they of course made different formulations for different customers, who were then subrogated to the results.

I forgot to mention that I personally had the best results with BASF. With helical scanning, it seems there is another factor, the physical durability of the media. BASF was tough and if you put a T120 in a machine not quite aligned right it would be affected less than a TDK equivalent for example. However in initial recording quality the TDK was slightly better.

The is my observation and it is based on experience, in my case I usually u sed Sony betas although I did have one Sanyo, and Panasonic VHSes. I had on e NEC VHS deck which I still actually have, it's actually branded a Harmon Kardon but it is an NEC. Top of the line, equivalent to an N-965U. This thi ng has the peculiar ability to record not only in hifi stereo, but linear D olby stereo as well at the same time. I just had to have it. You could feed the NTSC off the tuner with MTS to the linear tracks and have pretty decen t stereo and record totally different material on the hifi tracks. I did th is a couple of times with football games back when I was into it. It was ni ce on Monday night games because ABC didn't f*ck with the mix, we got the c rowd noise in the back speakers and the radio announcer in the front. Watch ing on a five foot Advent we never heard a TV commercial. Sawum, didn't hea rum.

Anyway, all we need now is to preserve this old stuff because eventually it will be gone.

J
Reply to
jurb6006

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: >>"the most durable VHS tapes I recall were from Kodak" > > Yes, as much as I hate to admit it. I used to always use and tout Maxell, high end Sony and TDK. However if you think about it, bet that most magnetic recording tape of any kind in that era was made either by TDK or BASF. Remember BASF ? Tween the two of them they ruled most of the tape field and a few other things.

customers, who were then subrogated to the results.

I wish I had beta deck to see how the L750 tapes of Dr Who are doing.

With helical scanning, it seems there is another factor, the physical durability of the media. BASF was tough and if you put a T120 in a machine not quite aligned right it would be affected less than a TDK equivalent for example. However in initial recording quality the TDK was slightly better.

Abot 10 years ago, when I bought my last case of VHS tapes the only option was Fuji, and somehow they're still making (or there's some infinite supply in a warehouse somewhere of these BGR-120 "broadcast master grade" or something equally japanese marketing speak-ish.

Somehow most of my miniDV tapes from the same time, about 10 years ago can still be played. some have dropouts, but if you rewind them and play onece more, they work again. Those things are so thin, stretchable and flimsy it's amazing they even worked the first time. I had a weird problem with using different brands of tapes. If I used panasonic tapes, then one type of sony tape they're all get eaten. If after cleaning the deck, I only used the sony tapes it was ok. The rumor was there was a different lubricant on the tape that wasn't compatible, somehow. I have no idea if this was true, but I was able to repeat it over and over again.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

Sony equipment may be good stuff, but Sony media, unless the top of the line, is crap, subcontracted out to the lowest bidder.

I've had: Sony VHS tape that was too wide so that the tape guides in the VCR put a wrinkle on the edge.

A cake box spindle of Sony CD-R blanks with 2/3rds of them that wouldn't burn, on a Sony burner.

Sony 3.5 inch 1.44 Meg diskettes that had a five percent failure rate for a clean format. (Even the no-name Chinese diskettes from Office Max had less failures).

Mark Zenier snipped-for-privacy@eskimo.com Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

Reply to
Mark Zenier

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