does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Talk about just about anything else that is non-gaming here, but keep it clean
User avatar
isiolia
Next-Gen
Posts: 5785
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by isiolia »

BoringSupreez wrote:
mas wrote:Thanks for the info everybody. I will find one and pick it up. I just got the rocky saga for 3 dollars. All 5 for three dollars!!! I would rather have that than trying to pick up the saga for 30.00 on dvd or 60.00 for blue ray. I want to get the star wars saga on vhs but I dont know or recall if they came out with the trilogy as a whole or do I get the singles or for that matter is there better versions or quality? thanks
Actually, one of the VHS editions of the original trilogy is considered the best version, even over the DVD versions. It has the redone special effects, without the added footage. I can't remember which VHS set it was, but if you look up Star Wars VHS tapes on Amazon, you should be able to figure it out from the reviews.

I thought the THX release on Laserdisc was the preferred release? It doesn't have the redone effects - was the last version released prior to the SE, which added the new effects (and was in the theaters, which was awesome).

With regard to those - the gold box ones are pan n' scan. The silver box are widescreen.

Cost is certainly one thing with picking up old tapes, but the quality/longevity of DVDs is worth the extra few buck IMO.

Far as still having one...yeah, I still have a VCR. It's in the basement. On top of my Laserdisc player, cassette deck, etc. I do have a few commercial tapes hanging around, but nothing that I need it hooked up full-time for. Most of what I have are recorded MS3k episodes...but I've long since downloaded them (or heck, Netflix has quite a few up for streaming now too).

If you find a dedicated VCR with S-Video, chances are it's a relatively good machine. While it's rather meh today, for the U.S., it was reserved for mid/high level devices for a while (hush you SCART-hoarding EU folks).
mas
Next-Gen
Posts: 2615
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 5:22 pm
Location: ma

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by mas »

Well I went to a flea market today and I picked up 2 vcr's and I got superman 1 and two Star wars trilogy braveheart batman 1989 and rambo first blolod for 10.00. I will put a link up to show you what version of the star wars trilogy I got and The 2 vcr's. They are in great condition and the funny thing is I was just watching rocky and I do have the dvd also but I noticed that the 1990 re release set of rocky 1-4 saga that I bought, I can hear more backgrounds and talking and little things of the backgrounds and scenes I never heard or saw on the dvd. Well here are the links:
http://www.bing.com/shopping/jvc-hr-s39 ... &FORM=HURE

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/home-vid ... 88crx.aspx

and the star wars trilogy I picked up:
http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/membe ... e-you.aspx
User avatar
Betamax001
Next-Gen
Posts: 1356
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:47 pm
Location: United States

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by Betamax001 »

isiolia wrote:
BoringSupreez wrote:
mas wrote:Thanks for the info everybody. I will find one and pick it up. I just got the rocky saga for 3 dollars. All 5 for three dollars!!! I would rather have that than trying to pick up the saga for 30.00 on dvd or 60.00 for blue ray. I want to get the star wars saga on vhs but I dont know or recall if they came out with the trilogy as a whole or do I get the singles or for that matter is there better versions or quality? thanks
Actually, one of the VHS editions of the original trilogy is considered the best version, even over the DVD versions. It has the redone special effects, without the added footage. I can't remember which VHS set it was, but if you look up Star Wars VHS tapes on Amazon, you should be able to figure it out from the reviews.

I thought the THX release on Laserdisc was the preferred release? It doesn't have the redone effects - was the last version released prior to the SE, which added the new effects (and was in the theaters, which was awesome).
Yeah the Laserdisc is the preferred release, but you if you dont have a laserdisc player, then you could watch a letterbox VHS. Or those DVDs that are just the laserdiscs put on a DVD.
NES, SNES, PS1, N64, DC, PS2, GCN, Wii, PS3, 360, GB, GBC, GBA, GBA SP, PSP 3000, and 3DS XL

PSN ID: SaturnXMKII
Steam ID: betamax001
mas
Next-Gen
Posts: 2615
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 5:22 pm
Location: ma

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by mas »

You know if we all went back ten or so years ago these vcr's would be over 100.00 dollars or so. All I had to do is wait for ten years to get them for 10.00 bucks.
User avatar
Betamax001
Next-Gen
Posts: 1356
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:47 pm
Location: United States

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by Betamax001 »

mas wrote:You know if we all went back ten or so years ago these vcr's would be over 100.00 dollars or so. All I had to do is wait for ten years to get them for 10.00 bucks.
You know I bought a VCR once at thrift store and the clerk made a similar comment. Makes you think.
NES, SNES, PS1, N64, DC, PS2, GCN, Wii, PS3, 360, GB, GBC, GBA, GBA SP, PSP 3000, and 3DS XL

PSN ID: SaturnXMKII
Steam ID: betamax001
User avatar
o.pwuaioc
Next-Gen
Posts: 8484
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:59 pm
Location: I miss NYC.

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by o.pwuaioc »

Betamax001 wrote:
mas wrote:You know if we all went back ten or so years ago these vcr's would be over 100.00 dollars or so. All I had to do is wait for ten years to get them for 10.00 bucks.
You know I bought a VCR once at thrift store and the clerk made a similar comment. Makes you think.
Hmm... I remember VCR's being pretty cheap ten years ago.
User avatar
CRTGAMER
Next-Gen
Posts: 11933
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 11:59 am
Location: Southern California

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by CRTGAMER »

Betamax001 wrote:
isiolia wrote:
mas wrote:I want to get the star wars saga on vhs but I dont know or recall if they came out with the trilogy as a whole or do I get the singles or for that matter is there better versions or quality? thanks
Actually, one of the VHS editions of the original trilogy is considered the best version, even over the DVD versions. It has the redone special effects, without the added footage. I can't remember which VHS set it was, but if you look up Star Wars VHS tapes on Amazon, you should be able to figure it out from the reviews.
I thought the THX release on Laserdisc was the preferred release? It doesn't have the redone effects - was the last version released prior to the SE, which added the new effects (and was in the theaters, which was awesome).
BoringSupreez wrote:Yeah the Laserdisc is the preferred release, but you if you dont have a laserdisc player, then you could watch a letterbox VHS. Or those DVDs that are just the laserdiscs put on a DVD.
Keep in mind the very low resolution of VHS, followed be CED, LASER then DVD.

I have the first three movies of Star Wars on Laser, Empire Strikes Back was actually my very first disc purchased with the top loader LD-660. Unfortunately not the Trilogy release with the lost scenes. This was a time when there was no DVD, Laser was the ultimate format of the day. Yes the Laser Discs has a couple scenes lost, but I still prefer the newer DVD versions simply because of the higher resolution as well as in Anamorphic. Laser Players do have the rock smooth Jog Shuttle, great for scanning back to closely inspect scenes.

Laser Disc Guide: The Forgotten Jog Shuttle Dial

There is also a 2 disc CDROM Behind the Magic that has exclusive Star Wars footage. No, not the games but an encyclopedia Star Wars Disc. Now where did I put that? Your local library or Thrift Store may just have one in the pile somewhere.
Image
CRT vs LCD - Hardware Mods - HDAdvance - Custom Controllers - Game Storage - Wii Gamecube and other Guides:
CRTGAMER Guides in Board Guides Index: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 5#p1109425

Image
Image
mas
Next-Gen
Posts: 2615
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 5:22 pm
Location: ma

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by mas »

o.pwuaioc wrote:
Betamax001 wrote:
mas wrote:You know if we all went back ten or so years ago these vcr's would be over 100.00 dollars or so. All I had to do is wait for ten years to get them for 10.00 bucks.
You know I bought a VCR once at thrift store and the clerk made a similar comment. Makes you think.
Hmm... I remember VCR's being pretty cheap ten years ago.
I think your right but I remember seeing ps2's just comming out in 2000 and I'm seeing a bunch of vcr's and vhs tapes at full price and seeing the first dvd players and dvd's saying "Why is anyone going to spend that kind of money on the same movie just because it's a cd while they have it on vhs? That is never going to work. I give it a year or two the most"
User avatar
isiolia
Next-Gen
Posts: 5785
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 1:52 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by isiolia »

CRTGAMER wrote: There is also a 2 disc CDROM Behind the Magic that has exclusive Star Wars footage. No, not the games but an encyclopedia Star Wars Disc. Now where did I put that? Your local library or Thrift Store may just have one in the pile somewhere.
It's not that expensive regardless. I have the earlier Making Magic disc they tossed into the first Star Wars game bundle back in the day.

At one point, I considered trying to get a THX edition box set of the laserdiscs, doing video capture, etc...but that's essentially what they wound up releasing with the double-dip DVDs of the original trilogy. Not like the Laserdiscs were anamorphic either :/
User avatar
AmishSamurai
Next-Gen
Posts: 2179
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:06 pm
Location: Charleston, SC

Re: does anyone still use a vcr? What is the best one to get?

Post by AmishSamurai »

At my folk's place we have a VHS player that's been going strong since before I was born, and one that's built into a small TV. We use them for disney films, our Indiana Jones Trilogy, and the non-butchered version of the original Star Wars trilogy.
MrPopo wrote:The life lesson here is jobs will come and go, but Earthbound will always be there for you.
I'm a girl btw
Post Reply