I didn't get into LD until 1994, but I was still collecting movies before then . . . on VHS. What choice did you have as a teenager/early 20s-ager working for chump change at a fast food joint? I eventually sold my VHS collection on ebay (some 500 tapes) in 1998 when I started collecting DVDs. Didn't see the point of holding onto them at that point, especially when I was replacing the same titles on VHS with LDs and DVDs.

Still though, I have some fondness for the format. I'll never forget when my family got our first VCR in 1984 (a Panasonic VHS top-loader.) We of course did some time-shifting with it, but we mainly used it for movie rentals. Back then there was only one video store, Video Image, in the next town over from ours. They rented both VHS and Betamax. It was then that I really became a movie fan because of all the titles that were available, right at my fingertips (so long as you had the $2.25/night rental rate.)

It's the reason why I like to pick up HorrorHound Magazine. They regularly have an article called "Video Invasion" where they detail a video company from the 70s/80s which released movies on VHS and Beta back then (like Media Home Entertainment, Vestron Video, Wizard Video, Paragon, Thriller Video, etc.) Gives me a huge nostalgia rush.

I don't think I'll ever pick up another VHS tape (other than maybe if it has a nice piece of exclusive cover art I've been looking for), but I'll still look back on the format fondly--but only in noisy, 240i images!

If you remember those video store rental days of the late 70s and 80s, go to this page if you want a trip on the wayback train.

I have rented VHS tapes from a nearby public library even now.
Because there are some video rental (no charge) quite rare old.

I was about to say that the only VHS-only title I want at this point is The Doonesbury TV special but evidently it was on LD (I had no idea).

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/08789/ID7 ... al-A-(1984)

Hah, and it looks like Wizard Video/Charles Band is heeding my call, and is re-releasing some of those Wizard Video big boxes!

http://www.wizardvideocollection.com/

Problem is, each one is $50! I think finding the original released tapes on the Ebay would be cheaper!

Here's an interview with the director of that documentary, Josh Johnson. He actually says that there was a portion of the documentary on LD, but was ultimately cut out.

He talks a little on Selectavision as well for all you CED collectors.

A great, great book about the home video revolution is FAST FORWARD. You can't get it for a few bucks now on Amazon - it covers the various video formats development and the invention of the rental store and the studios attempts to make tapes rental only in the early 80's. it's awesome.

Also, get RCA AND THE VIDEODISC - it's a great look how a format is developed and the things that interfere and change or delay the format. And RCA's blindness to the market realities and defects in their system. The Japanese company JVC got an early look at CED and developed a massively improved version of it, the VHD videodisc.

I've been working on a book about the development of the LaserDisc format for years now and have interviewed a lot of MCA DiscoVision engineers and Philips engineers for it. But, as with all things, life interferes and I work on it only sporadically. I'd it rather be a movie, but that's not possible.

agree, it have a really high detail level, i use the same player it also handles really crappy tapes, unlike a lot of the high-end jvc players.

I personally prefer JVC. Almost all my decks are JVC, with the exception of an AG 1970, which is a very nice Super VHS deck. To be honest, I can't tell much of a difference between all the VCRs I've had. Really, the only exception is if it's the older decks pre 1997. All those decks are better than decks made in the 2000s.

JVC is good, but head wear goes quicker than Panasonic

Would love to have a nice VCR here for the collection; currently using some JVC VHS/DVD combo which works decently enough, but I know I can probably do better.



Expensive or not, I'm pretty stoked for this. Most of my VHS collection is horror-related so this is right up my alley.

just a few of my VHS tapes.




I like the SIDE art on some, and how they connect to make a picture.

Love this player and the PAL version. Do most of my transfers with these two VHS players. What I don't like about the Panasonic DMR-ES10 is how it handles the blacks and I don't think it adds much to the transfer quality and actually introduces some noise. All depends on the VHS tape quality, if there is flagging, then yeah, use the DVD VCR passthru.
But for the best transfer, if possible go straight from VCR to capture card/device. Let the software take over from there for some fantastic finalized captures.
Sound, a different story, I always capture separate to a DAC and replace.

Elvis

cleaning up sound with adobe audition is amazing, it have some great features for sound cleanup =)

what is that anime? Superdeformed? what is it like? I've never heard of it.

f you want the best SVHS deck, you don't get a Panasonic. Panasonic images are just too soft, or too grainy. The best image your going to get is out of JVC decks. My favorite deck that does the best is the JVC HR S6900U. Even some of the later JVC decks are good such as the SR V101US as they have the built in TBC.

here's my collection (minus Amadeus which was on the TV stand, Drunken Angel since its with the Criterion DVDs/BDs and the DVHS on the floor by the tv stand)
Doom Megalopolis volume 4 is in one of the volume 3 (why someone would sell me it that way is annoying)

Has there ever been a site like LDDB but for VHS? It'd be really helpful for avoiding tapes that are pan & scanned.

I don't think so but almost all tapes are pan and scan though at least the early ones

It's silly. You have never seen any Superdeformed anime? It's not always for kids, it's sometimes just silly parodies of Gundam, Gall Force, and etc that can also be naughty (Like Shin Chan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTiz-lB52Cw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4mFnCvO7Mc
not on this VHS, but interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1_3YauVR6Q



That would be nice if this site expanded for VHS, since it seems to cater to all the defunct mediums.

I only know some when it pertains to a normal series. I never knew there was show called that and thinks for links. I'll look into it.