VHS recorded tape going bad?

Nov 28, 2007 4 Replies

Viewed a movie (Return of the Pink Panther) I recorded about 12 years ago on good Scotch VHS tape. Saw a few vertical color bars, but I expected that due to the age of the tape.



But one effect is a question:



Usually a movie scene has a sort of leadin effect to the next location or event. We noticed that scenes changed suddenly, no transition effect at all, an example, a scene in a room, a sentence ends, a jump to inside a car driving. We saw that throughout the movie, and IIRC, the original had better direction than that. Like the tape had been spliced badly.



Is it possible that age of a tape can produce this kind of effect?



ms


Don't know, only guessing, maybe has something to do with copy- protection circuitry built into newer VCRs?

Jerry

Jerry wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@b40g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

This an originally blank tape, and my VCR is about 10 years old. No copy involved, this movie I recorded directly from a TV broadcast years ago. It may just be the movie, as I don't notice this on other tapes of similar vintage.

ms

They must have come from somewhere, if they were actual colour bars it could be they were on the tape before the movie was recorded and the tape was not 100% erased. Particularly If the tracking during replay (now) is not the same as when the programme was recorded.

Sounds like the original programme had been edited "quick, dirty & cheap" to get it to fit into a broadcast time slot, no more than that.

No. The sound and picture are recorded at different physical places along (And across for that matter) the tape, nothing that happens to the tape at any one point or points can effect sound and picture in the same way. If you see a "Jump Cut" then it must have been done before the programme material was recorded.

I can also say with certainty it's not at all typical of normal tape deterioration such as oxide coming off the tape leading to noise or noise bands on the picture, or the tape cynching on the reel (through thermal cycling) and in effect getting creased, the effect on the picture being similar to the above in a cyclical sort of way.

DG

Derek Geldard wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks, it sounds like you said, they edited the movie on a local channel to get the commercials in.

ms

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required