8mm Forum: Collecting "films" on VHS.

8mm Forum

my profile | my password | search | faq | register | forum home

next oldest topic

next newest topic

»	8mm Forum » General Yak » Collecting "films" on VHS.

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

Author

Topic: Collecting "films" on VHS.

Ken Finch
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 543
From: Herne Bay, Kent. U.K.
Registered: Oct 2011

posted March 05, 2019 12:04 PM

Email Ken Finch

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

I know that many of us collect films on a number of formats and having reached the age of 85 have decided to dispose of a number of these and wonder if anyone is still collecting this format. Seems a pity that they may have just throw them away. Oh how I hate this throw away society we have become. Whilst I still have the facilities in my cinema to show them, It would take years to get through them all and one never knows what the future beholds. Many people deride this old format but I find them quite watchable as the projector appears to upscale the image as it does with DVD,s. Ken Finch.
[Frown]

[Frown]

| IP: Logged

Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 05, 2019 12:54 PM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Keep any VHS, much the same with Cassette (audio), believe me, they will be transferrable andif anything rare is contained, you won't want to dispose of them - Cheers, Shorty

| IP: Logged

Steven J Kirk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008

posted March 05, 2019 01:13 PM

Email Steven J Kirk

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Keep them or sell on eBay. I collect a few rare ones from the early days and I have kept most VHS I have had. Even the earliest 1979-1980 ones still play well enough... Don't throw them out.

--------------------
VistaVision
Motion Picture High-Fidelity

| IP: Logged

Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 05, 2019 02:31 PM

Email Dominique De Bast

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

You never know. A French startup is trying to resurect audio tapes.

https://geeko.lesoir.be/ (the article is in French)

--------------------
Dominique

| IP: Logged

Leon Norris
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 958
From: Elkins Park, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 2012

posted March 05, 2019 02:32 PM

Email Leon Norris

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

I really don't think you can get much for vhs tapes? I also had plenty of them and when I got out of it! I tried to sell them! No luck! So I took them to a place that buys them! I got no more than .50 cents to 1.00 apiece. I had over 90 of them!Some were never open! I also did not care for the Quality of vhs to me it did not look all that sharp! I will always stick with film! It has vhs beat by a mile!

| IP: Logged

Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 05, 2019 03:09 PM

Email Steve Klare

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Credit where credit is due!

-without VHS tape Tom Hanks would still be stuck on that island! [Wink]

[Wink]

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

| IP: Logged

Steven J Kirk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008

posted March 05, 2019 06:37 PM

Email Steven J Kirk

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Keep everything. Never throw anything away. You never know when it might come in useful...

--------------------
VistaVision
Motion Picture High-Fidelity

| IP: Logged

Bill Sherren
Film Handler

Posts: 43
From: Kent, England
Registered: Dec 2018

posted March 05, 2019 11:51 PM

Email Bill Sherren

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Despite storing them in good condition. Not too dry or humid on an inside wall out of light I have found certain makes have developed white mould on the tape itself! UK made Maxwell are all affected, though any Japanese versions of Maxwell tapes are still fine. A few other tapes randomly tried have jammed also.

| IP: Logged

Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted March 06, 2019 02:47 AM

Email Brian Fretwell

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

I believe that problem (or similar) happened to 2" video tape as well. However that was Memorex not Maxell, hence the name of the BBC Engineers Christmas tape being "White Powder Christmas" one year.

| IP: Logged

Melvin England
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 707
From: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Feb 2016

posted March 06, 2019 05:06 AM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Brian - I am glad you mentioned Memorex. Although I didn't have any issues with their video tapes, their cassette tape was another matter. Wow / flutter / drop out / mangled tape. The lot. Not a patch on TDK.

--------------------
"My name is for my friends!"

| IP: Logged

Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted March 06, 2019 07:10 AM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Hello Ken nice to read your post hope you are well.

When DVD came along I transferred my own videos onto DVD (not commercial) which was more than a job as I had well over 1000 tapes on VHS and Beta. In the end I let the transfers run when I was video editing productions at work finally completing after some months. We were lucky to be asked to field test a recorder 20 years ago so I guess you could say it had a good run. I also did a couple of Low Density open reels from the 60's.

Not a advert but I am still piled high with transfers of VHS,Super VHS,Beta,Video 8,Hi-8, Digital 8, Mini DV and DV Cam on a regular basis and actually pleased to say most of what I get in plays perfectly as well. Stored well tape is standing the test of time.

Regretfully the VHS film market is a shadow of itself although if you have any Pre Cert (Pre certification BBFC) material they do go for a few bob even yet.

Keep well my friend!

| IP: Logged

William Olson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 287
From: Poughkeepsie, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2010

posted March 06, 2019 08:24 AM

Email William Olson

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

I'm with Steven Kirk on this. Hey Steve, VistaVision rocks!

| IP: Logged

Steven J Kirk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008

posted March 06, 2019 09:35 AM

Email Steven J Kirk

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

On that the blu-ray of ONE-EYED JACKS is stunning. VistaVision was so good it yields the best transfers even now. I'd only ever seen the Brando film on TV, the disc is a complete revelation with lush colours and a good film look, ( on a Panasonic VP.) I have the Marketing Super 8 cutdown and it is a bit average but has good colour, the trailer ( don't know who did that ) was great definition but has faded, sadly...

--------------------
VistaVision
Motion Picture High-Fidelity

| IP: Logged

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 06, 2019 11:13 AM

Author's Homepage

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Occasionally they are still needful ...

I have been looking for a copy of "The Adventures of frontier fremont" for years! Incredibly rare, even on VHS.

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

| IP: Logged

Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 06, 2019 11:23 AM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Remember what happened when VHS came into being and was all-the-rage, while collectors of film dumped their quarry, to later regret - I have 123 VHS, some pre-records on MAXELL, they haven't disappointed - All have many rare shorts and such - Take it as you will, shorty

| IP: Logged

Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 06, 2019 01:11 PM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

All my VHS tapes play fine. Can't say the same for DVD's many of which have failed, and continue to fail. At least with VHS you can skip thru any bad sections, whereas with DVD/BR the whole disc just locks up.

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

| IP: Logged

Leon Norris
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 958
From: Elkins Park, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 2012

posted March 06, 2019 01:53 PM

Email Leon Norris

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Hey Paul, your a lucky one! I had my ups and downs with VHS tapes! I had a few get jammed up in the machine! I'm film only! I don't miss VHS at all! Leon.

| IP: Logged

Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted March 06, 2019 03:59 PM

Email Graham Ritchie

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Last weekend I tried out my Panasonic NV-HD620 6 head long play unit that's both PAL and NTSC.

Its been years since I last used it, but to my surprise it still worked fine, so watched a number of our old home movies on it. I still have the Panasonic adaptor for the camcorder tapes. As a result I went to a local electronic shop and bought a USB Video and audio grabber that was on special. I have since loaded the software disc that came with it, so hopefully I can put some of the home movies into the computer then edit them.

What I am finding is the VHS tapes seem to be lasting a lot better than the DVD-R discs.

| IP: Logged

Nantawat Kittiwarakul
Master Film Handler

Posts: 280
From: Rajburana, Bangkok, Thailand
Registered: Aug 2017

posted March 07, 2019 09:25 PM

Email Nantawat Kittiwarakul

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

This probably won't apply in this case but...

In my country some early VHS release could be more valuable than average,if it contains original theatrical dubbing (most foreign films were dubbed in Thai for wider release). Most later DVD/BD release were re-dubbed,and not so desirable by many collectors - hence the demand for those early release.

BTW while most of my Super8 home movies were VS attacked (even the ones that is less than 40 years old) and are now unsuitable for normal projection,almost all of my VHS home videos are still playing just as good as the day it was shot - although they're only 10 years younger than those Super8 counterparts. Only 2 cassettes that are so warped that it's now unplayable. But since they're from the same brand&batch so I suspect it's the specific problem for that lot. The hot&humid atmosphere in this region would be the main culprit IMHO.

--------------------
Just a lone collector from a faraway land...

| IP: Logged

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 09, 2019 10:47 AM

Author's Homepage

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

I'm with you Paul!

I switched from VHSC to MINIDV because the image quality was better, but i now have three MINIDV cam's over the years and even with cleaning cassettes, the damned MINIDV cassettes won't play ...

Ahhhh, but the low image quality VHSC cassettes, AND the camcorder, work just fine to this day. It was built to last, to be sure!

... and film, well, film outlasts them all!!! What a "format"!!

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

| IP: Logged

Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted April 01, 2019 03:05 PM

Email Bill Brandenstein

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Osi, may I suggest trying to get a different playback device for your mini-DV tapes? You're so good with second-hand bargains, just look for something on eBay with a digital output. Oh wait... in those days that would be Firewire.

Well, this might not be too simple. But my suggestion is to play those tapes into a computer as a straight DV-codec transfer. Then you have a computer file containing the precise data of the original tape. Then it's just a matter of backing up some large computer files.

You might have to find an old computer and use an external drive to make this work, but when it's done, those files will play on any computer with VLC Media Player, or could be converted easily to DVD.

| IP: Logged

Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted April 02, 2019 02:21 AM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Unusual Osi for MiniDV unless poorly stored or branded TDK,the only tapes I have problems transferring for customers. The TDK ones seem to go very powdery and clog the micro sized video heads.
Transferred hundreds of Mini DV, Video 8, Hi-8, VHS, Betamax, Vid2000, Umatic and even 1" open reel here we sure have seen some funny things over the decades.

| IP: Logged

Steven J Kirk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008

posted November 04, 2019 12:36 PM

Email Steven J Kirk

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Keep every format, never throw anything away and just build more shelves!

--------------------
VistaVision
Motion Picture High-Fidelity

| IP: Logged

Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 04, 2019 01:05 PM

Send New Private Message

Edit/Delete Post

Told ya

| IP: Logged

All times are Central

Move Topic

Delete Topic

next oldest topic

next newest topic

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Visit www.film-tech.com for free equipment manual downloads. Copyright 2003-2019 Film-Tech Cinema Systems LLC

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2