[Guy 13]

http://mentalfloss.com/uk/business/44942/japan-will-make-its-last-ever-vcr-this-month

[JohnR]

That's interesting, I had no idea any were still being manufactured. I suppose the writing is on the wall for any other company making devices that read physical media.

[FullRangeMan]

That's interesting, I had no idea any were still being manufactured. I suppose the writing is on the wall for any other company making devices that read physical media.

+1. It may become vintage right now.
VHS tape is a reliable storage tape, much better than DAT, DCC or open reel.

[Guy 13]

I got a JVC - VHS player free in mint condition,
a gift from my cousin.
Last year I bought for 10 $ in a garage sales a Pioneer VHS player
that look new.
I'm good for some time now with two (Almost new) units. 
I have lots recorded VHS cassettes and about ten new - unrecorded VHS cassettes.
Some have been recorded about 25 years ago
and are still lookable, if you are not too demanding.
Some have on them precious souvenir of my daughter when she was a baby,
when I kick the bucket, I will give her the cassettes and the VHS player.

Guy 13

[dminches]

I still have tons of PCM recordings on VHS (and beta).

[Phil A]

I still have a VHS player (actually 2 if one wants to get technical - I have another VHS with a USB out and software to convert it - the player also has audio and video input jacks for other formats - bought it for $30 new and have used it a few times), and probably only have a handful of tapes (movies).  With DVD players as cheap as they are, I'm surprised it hung around this long.

[charmerci]

Phil - you forgot that most of the world can't afford new tech. Goods are often the same price in other countries so $200 can be a month's wage (or not!) in Africa, Asia and South America. So replacing a cassette with CD's or VHS with DVD/BR comes very slowly if at all in most of the world.


I met a young boy and his mother in Fez, Morocco who lived with several families in a courtyard apartment. They both slept in a single room with a kitchen with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The average wage there was about $6 day ten years ago.

[dB Cooper]

dminches, you might wanna get those tapes onto an HD and/or some Blu-rays, while you still can find a working deck to do it. Not sure what hardware would be required though.

[dB Cooper]

+1. It may become vintage right now.
VHS tape is a reliable storage tape, much better than DAT, DCC or open reel.

DAT found some success in the Pro audio market for awhile years ago. DCC was DOA; it sank like a rock right out of the gate. So not sure why those would come up. But curious why you say VHS is a more reliable format than open reel.

[FullRangeMan]

DAT found some success in the Pro audio market for awhile years ago. DCC was DOA; it sank like a rock right out of the gate. So not sure why those would come up. But curious why you say VHS is a more reliable format than open reel.

VHS is a robust sealed tape, full size opel reel cost was $300!

[dminches]

VHS is a robust sealed tape, full size opel reel cost was $300!

The cost of open reel and its reliability are 2 different things.  And I am not sure what you are saying cost $300?  You can buy 10.5" reels today for $40.  I have reels that were recorded in the 70s that still sound better than any other audio format.

VHS hifi was a very good audio format but the machines were unreliable due to all the moving parts.

[Guy 13]

The cost of open reel and its reliability are 2 different things.  And I am not sure what you are saying cost $300?  You can buy 10.5" reels today for $40.  I have reels that were recorded in the 70s that still sound better than any other audio format.

VHS hifi was a very good audio format but the machines were unreliable due to all the moving parts.

That's why when I was in Montreal I bought an extra VHS (Pioneer) machine.
Both units are in mint condition,
therefore I should be good for many years to come.

Guy 13
Since I still have ten new VHS tape in original wrap,
I thought of use them to record music,
but I am still hesitant,
because I have my radio Internet (Grace Mondo)
with continuous music 24-7.

[FullRangeMan]

The cost of open reel and its reliability are 2 different things.  And I am not sure what you are saying cost $300?  You can buy 10.5" reels today for $40.  I have reels that were recorded in the 70s that still sound better than any other audio format.

VHS hifi was a very good audio format but the machines were unreliable due to all the moving parts.

Correction this price were inthe analogue times of top brands as Memorex.

[dB Cooper]

The cost of open reel and its reliability are 2 different things.  And I am not sure what you are saying cost $300?  You can buy 10.5" reels today for $40.  I have reels that were recorded in the 70s that still sound better than any other audio format.

VHS hifi was a very good audio format but the machines were unreliable due to all the moving parts.

I had a top-of-the-line Panasonic VHS HiFi recorder way back when. Manual record levels (no ALC), level meters , the works. It was a reliable machine and sounded great, BUT... VHS HiFi as a format was prone to dropouts which either sounded like farts or, if long enough, reverted to the 'main' lo-fi-mono audio program which sat on the tape (the machine required a video signal on it in order to play properly). These artifacts, when they occurred, were much worse when the LP or SLP tape speeds were used.

[FullRangeMan]

VHS tape was used to PCM audio rec in a studio in special recorders not home video recorders, also was used as transport vault tape to CD factory in other city/country etc.

[dB Cooper]

Sony made the PCM-501 and several other audio processors for the home audio market which connected to the RCA video input and could turn any $99 VCR into a high quality PCM tape deck. VHS HiFi was FM-based analog but competitive with digital in terms of SQ. I've never been in pro sound field but thought they used formats like UMatic in the early days and DAT later on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_PCM-501ES_digital_audio_processor

[dminches]

Sony made the PCM-501 and several other audio processors for the home audio market which connected to the RCA video input and could turn any $99 VCR into a high quality PCM tape deck. VHS HiFi was FM-based analog but competitive with digital in terms of SQ. I've never been in pro sound field but thought they used formats like UMatic in the early days and DAT later on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_PCM-501ES_digital_audio_processor

I still own my PCM-601 (16 bit instead of 14 bit) and it works fine.  As long as the VHS (or beta) tape tracks it works like a charm.