# But I don't want to give up my VCR! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291 "2002-06-21T16:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/21 "2002-06-21T21:54:27Z")
RealityChuck, I’m (for the most part) with you. I have a DVD player, and it is pretty cool in a “golly gee whiz” sort of way. The extra features are nice too. But for all of the build-up I received from people of how I’d never look at video the same way again once I got a DVD player, I have to say it fell short. Don’t misunderstand me; I do like the DVD player I have, but a good film is a good film, whether you’re seeing it on a VHS tape, a DVD, or a black and white television. As for the “extra features,” I can’t see myself watching all of them. Take the deleted scenes feature, for example. The scenes were deleted for a reason: they’re not very good scenes. But, since the technology is obviously moving forward, I’m ready for it to do so. VCR’s and VCR tapes will continue to be available for at least another ten years, probably more. In the 1980’s, when CD’s first came out, some people said that cassettes would die out in a year. You can still buy them, of course. As long as there are people who will buy VCR’s and VHS tapes, they’ll still sell them. So, I guess I’m a reluctant DVD guy, but a VCR loyalist. When DVD recorders go under $100, I’ll buy one of those too. (I finally broke down and bought my DVD player when the $50–after rebate–price tag was too cheap to resist any longer.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/22 "2002-06-21T22:55:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > Let’s see, I think we agreed on how can one sleep while there’s a homeless man bleeding in your garage…anything else? Well we both balance our checkbooks to the penny every month, but I think I noticed this phenomenon when I was logging on to Cafe Society regularly to check threads for The West Wing, Enterprise, and CSI, and I noticed you posting (or being the OP) in every one. Television…bringing the world together.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/23 "2002-06-22T01:58:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\* > Of course, once you do buy a DVD player with a decent surround system, you’ll never look back. > \*\* **Gobear** (or Anyone): Pardon the mini-hijack, but for a small apartment, how much would you suggest I spend for a Surround System, and which brand-names do you recommend? Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/24 "2002-06-22T02:31:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpoilerVirgin \* > \*\* > > I had the exact same thought when I read the article in the San Francisco Chronicle about 15 minutes ago. (And this is not the first time that I’ve read an **ivylass** post and thought, "wow – the two of us are sharing a brain. 😃 ) > > I edit, collect and trade T.V show tapes. I have hundreds. While I’m aware that this is not the primary purpose of video recording devices, it’s the one that’s most important to me, and it seems to be the one that doesn’t have a ready replacement available. > > The last time a took my VCR in to be repaired, I found that my much-loved repair shop was going out of business. It seems no one is using them anymore. > > Maybe DVD recorders, or very large memory Tivo-type devices, or even some new form of media will eventually work for me, but I’ll always have a soft spot for good old VHS. When I was a small child, I used to dream about _owning_ T.V. shows and being able to watch them over and over again whenever I wanted. Then along came VCR’s, and my dream became a reality. :sniff: \*\* Me too, except for the trading part; I have a over hundred tapes in my room of tv shows I _needed_ to tape so I could watch them again and again…and I’m going to have even more once WE starts airing \*\* Felicity\*\* and \*\* 2 Guys and a Girl\*\* this fall since I didn’t realize when they were on that I needed to watch them again…how foolish of me. I would never buy a Tivo because it doesn’t let you keep all your shows forever. Don’t get me wrong, I love my DVDs too, but they’re only good for watching movies and seasons of shows released for sale so far, so my friend the VCR will have a place of honor for a long time to come. I seriously doubt that they’ll stop manufacturing blank video tapes in the next few years, so I’m not going to let it bother me that one chain of stores has declared tapes obselete. ---
**Author:** ![KoalaBear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47c2d/32.png) [@KoalaBear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KoalaBear)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/25 "2002-06-22T02:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I have probably 100+ tapes, with movies and home videos, including the birth of my daughter (my husband was in the Navy and missed it) and I don’t want to face the possibility of never watching them again. Take them to Walgreens and have them transferred to DVD for $19.95. It’s cheap insurance against both obsolescense and loss. > [@](#): > > how much would you suggest I spend for a Surround System, and which brand-names do you recommend? Not to steal **Gobear’s** thunder or anything, but you can buy a very nice ‘[home theater in a box](http://www.bestbuy.com/HomeAudioVideo/HomeTheaterSystems/ViewSelection.asp?b=0&m=1&cat=1552&scat=242&sort=1)’ containing a DVD player, receiver and speakers for ~$500 (plus or minus) from respectable brands like Yamaha, Sony and Pioneer. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/26 "2002-06-22T04:23:13Z")
If you already have a DVD player, you can pick up a Kenwood or RCA 600-watt home theater for about $250 at Best Buy. For a small apartment, that will provide more than enough power to blast some some sound. ---
**Author:** ![Narile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@Narile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Narile)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/27 "2002-06-22T04:24:26Z")
Will also point out, that the next generation of DVD recorders coming out can store up to 17 hours of normal TV video on them. The current generation you can expect to drop in price pretty dramatically in the next year or so, and the new blue light laser DVD’s will probably start out a bit high, but should drop pretty dramatically. Provided, of course, that Hollywood doesn’t get to dictate matters like they are currently trying to. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/28 "2002-06-22T04:36:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*If you already have a DVD player, you can pick up a Kenwood or RCA 600-watt home theater for about $250 at Best Buy. For a small apartment, that will provide more than enough power to blast some some sound. \*\* Thanks, **Gobear**. I will definitely check it out. Heretofore, I’ve been running my DVD through my stereo system, and while it boosts the sound through my stereo speakers, it also boosts the sound **track** , making the dialogue very difficult to hear over the music at times. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/29 "2002-06-22T04:36:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > **My father and thousands of others have hung onto their record players and LP collections. As long as the equipment works for you, there shouldn’t be any concern of general obsolescence.** I think a better comparison is between audio cassettes and CDs. Everyone still has a tape deck, and they still sell blank tapes everywhere, but virtually no one buys albums on them anymore. I’d imagine this is just the way it will be with VHS tapes. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/30 "2002-06-22T14:09:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > \*\*Don’t misunderstand me; I do like the DVD player I have, but a good film is a good film, whether you’re seeing it on a VHS tape, a DVD, or a black and white television. \*\* True. There’s absolutely nothing lost when, say, you’re watching **The Wizard of Oz** on a black and white TV and…Dorothy steps out of the farmhouse into Oz. :rolleyes: \*\* > [@](#): > > As for the “extra features,” I can’t see myself watching all of them. Take the deleted scenes feature, for example. The scenes were deleted for a reason: they’re not very good scenes.\*\* This may be one of the single _dumbest_ generalizations I’ve ever read on the Dope. Scenes are cut from movies for all sorts of reasons: studio politics (the proper ending to **Brazil** ), a fight amongst the creative team involved ( **Twice Upon a Time** ), ratings reasons ( possibly the “love scene” from **Tron** …I’m not positive that’s why it was deleted) or, dumb as it sounds, legnth: When Disney’s **Bedknobs and Broomsticks** opened, it was going to premier at Radio City Music Hall, which back then was a big deal. Radio City Music Hall said “Mmm…we want one more showing a day. Cut out 20 minutes.” and the film was butchered. Two dance numbers starring the incomparable Angela Landsbury were cut and a bunch of dialogue (enought to make the movie into gibberish:) went…after seeing the restored (partially…one number seems to be lost forever) version, my only conclusion is that a chimpanzee was given a pair of scissors and the film and let loose to cut more-or-less randomly. If you don’t see the deleted scenes, among other little tidbits, you don’t know that the kids’ parents are dead…and it’s implied they’re alive, since the kids trying so hard to get back to London, presumably to be with their folks. That removal of the dialogue where they explain that their parents died in the Blitz makes the scene where they’re trying to get Professor Brown to stay so that they’ll have a father weird and jarring. The musical **The Fantasticks** was a wonderful little movie that the studio did it’s best to ruin for some reason: the studio cut _the most famous song_ (“Try to Remember”) from the musical completely out, along with like…3 other songs): it would be like cutting “Big Spender” out of **Sweet Charity** :rolleyes: But thanks to the magic of DVD, I’ve got the movie back and can see it the way the director intended. Sure: some scenes should stay on the cutting room floor, but to blythely say that all cut scenes are cut because they’re “not very good” is ridiculous. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/31 "2002-06-22T17:54:21Z")
Like **Fenris** above, I’ve discovered that you can tell a lot about a director, or whoever did the editing, by the deleted scenes. In a good movie, deleted scenes are usually scenes that reinforce an idea already present. In a poorly edited movie, they contain vital information. We watched the deleted scenes for **The Wedding Planner** (not the greatest movie in the world, but our DVD player was still relatively new, and we wanted to play with it). The movie made _way_ more sense with the deleted scenes in. To make it worse, the commentary on the scenes kept running along the lines of “I don’t know why I cut this scene. I wonder if it’s too late to put it back in” followed by laughter. Um, yeah. Why did you take those scenes out? I agree with **cckerberos** ’s vision of the future. Tivo? Last time I checked, it wasn’t available in Canada, so that’s not even an option. I like to archive my favourite shows. There’s not a lot of shows that I archive, but until I can replace my entire BtVS or DS9 collection on DVD (which is slowly happening by the release of official DVD’s), my VCR isn’t going anywhere. I argued this whole point in a thread sometime last year (where were some of you guys to back me up??). My point was that there are far too many technophobic people out there, and people who do not want to spend the extra money on the high tech recording equipment to spell the doom of VCR’s. It’s going to be a very long time before the public in general quits using them. Nothing beats the price and ease of recording with one, hence, at least for recording purposes, they will not be going away for a long time. I love my DVD player. But I am not getting rid of my VCR until my extensive collection of VHS tapes are replaced on DVD (and I’m not sure if that’s ever going to happen) and until I can tape and archive anything I want to view on TV as easily and economically as I could with VHS. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/32 "2002-06-23T01:45:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\* > True. There’s absolutely nothing lost when, say, you’re watching **The Wizard of Oz** on a black and white TV and…Dorothy steps out of the farmhouse into Oz. > > :rolleyes: Right. And “Freddie Got Fingered” becomes great art when you watch it on a DVD. Gosh, I’m sorry that my use of exaggeration was not understood. Let me put it another way, then: No, nothing is lost when Dorothy steps out of the farmhouse and finds no director’s commentary or deleted scenes. Nothing is lost at all. The film speaks for itself, as any good one should, and does not need a director or anyone else to explain it to the audience. I guess I’m odd in that I enjoy a good movie in whichever form I see it, and that added picture clarity and/or sound does not improve what most people care about in a film: the plot and characters. As I have said, improved technology is nice, but it doesn’t improve a good film, nor does less-than-up-to- date technology ruin a good film. \*\* Sure: some scenes should stay on the cutting room floor, but to blythely say that all cut scenes are cut because they’re “not very good” is ridiculous. \*\* The film as it is shown in the theater is the “real” film. There may be other interesting tidbits of “what we might have done” or “what we could have done” or even “what we should have done” from the makers of the film, but if a scene is deleted, it is no more a part of the film than a discarded rough draft is a part of a finished novel. There was a fight among the creative team in the movie? There were political differences? OK, but that’s part of the reality which led to the version of the film that was produced. If said scenes were not in the version of the film that was released, they’re not vital. Again, they’re a nice little diversion and fun, I suppose, but far from necessary. If every novel I read came with “author’s commentary” telling me why he wrote each sentence the way he did, along with “deleted chapters not available in the original novel,” I’d probably steer clear of those too, choosing to let the work stand on its own merit. And if increased clarity of the words were available, along with nifty 3-D images to go along with the words in the novel, well, that’d be just lovely, but not necessary either. It’s the same with DVD: the bells and whistles are nice to have, but I will stand by my statement that a good film doesn’t NEED all of the extras, as fun or interesting as they may be. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/33 "2002-06-23T02:06:39Z")
In the special edition of _Alien_, you get to see the deleted scens AND an explanation of where they go, why they were cut, and (more importantly) how their removal affects the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/34 "2002-06-23T02:49:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > \*\* > The film as it is shown in the theater is the “real” film. There may be other interesting tidbits of “what we might have done” or “what we could have done” or even “what we should have done” from the makers of the film, but if a scene is deleted, it is no more a part of the film than a discarded rough draft is a part of a finished novel. \*\* Sez you. Let’s talk novels. Heinlein had a _very_ clear message he wanted to covey in the book **Red Planet**. His psychotic editor decided that she didn’t like it and had cut chunks out. The novel has been restored to _exactly_ how Heinlein wanted it. Heinlein’s estate won’t allow the butchered version to be reprinted (at least in the US) Which is the “real” book? Let’s look at this in another context: the stage production. There are probably 8 versions of the musical “Chess”. The authors keep tinkering with it. Several versions often play at once. Which is the “real” one. Or even movies: if being shown in the theater is the magical determinant of what’s real, which version of **Fantasia** counts? The original, with the black centaur shoe-shines, or every re-release since 1967(?) that doesn’t have them? What about **Bedknobs and Broomsticks**? Butchered to incomprehension at the whim of a theater who wanted time for dancing girls to perform between showings. Are you honestly saying you’d rather watch an semi-incoherent version missing about 20 minutes _that the director wanted in_ rather than watch one that makes sense, even if it _wasn’t_ what was originally shown? And what about **Star Wars** : the first time it was shown in a theater (for a test screening) it had none of John Williams music. Is every version _with_ music an interesting ‘what might have been’? Artists revise their work all the time. No one but the artist has the authority to say “This is the real one”. “This is the one I prefer” yes. “This is the only true one”: no, IMHO. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/35 "2002-06-23T03:15:32Z")
The funny thing is that it’s really academic. Don’t like commentaries and deleted scenes? Don’t watch or listen the farkin’ things. If all you want to do is watch the movie, what difference does it make to you if it’s on a DVD or a VHS tape? It costs the same to rent it at Blockbuster or Hollywood whichever format it’s on; and if you’re buying them, they aren’t any more expensive than VHS tapes were when they first started offering them at sell-through prices. And they’ll get less expensive as market penetration increases. So if it costs the same to rent as a VHS version, and gives you the same movie as the VHS version (actually better), then it serves the same purpose as the VHS version, so what difference does it make to you if it’s on a plastic disc or in a tape cartridge? It isn’t as if you rent the movies then record over them and return them, I hope. And I still don’t get this deal about “The sound and picture quality don’t matter.” Of **course** they matter. Anyone who has seen a shitty pan & scan transfer of _Lawrence of Arabia_, then watched the DVD transfer in the original aspect ratio, can tell you it matters. If it didn’t matter, directors would still film in 1.33:1 and record their sound in mono. Do you think Alfred Hitchcock just stood there when filming _Vertigo_ and said, “Oh, just put the camera any old place; it doesn’t matter?” Would you say that Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” was just as good if half the canvas was missing and it was in black-and-white? Is the “1812 Overture” as good if played with the brass section missing? Cripes, I hope not. How an artist composes the elements of his work has a direct bearing on how the work is experienced by the audience. Adding to Fenris’s point about “real versions” of films, here are two more examples. _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ was rushed into theaters in 1979 because the studio had committed to an opening date. It was sent out with unfinished special effects and temp music in places, and that’s what people have seen since 1979. The recent DVD release is, according to director Robert Wise and everyone else involved, the “real version.” Similarly _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ has gone through many permutations. The original release was not what Spielberg wanted, but again, the studio had committed to an opening date and needed the movie. Spielberg asked for permission to re-edit and re-release the movie, and the studio agreed on the condition that he add footage of the inside of the mothership. He agreed to do so, and that was the second version. There have been combinations of the two cuts throughout the years, but the version recently released on DVD – _without_ the mothership footage\* – is, according to Spielberg, his cut, the “real version.” That DVD also contains several deleted scenes, particularly with Francois Truffaut’s character, that reveal a great deal about how the pacing and focus of the movie changed during the shooting, and how material was moved around in order to provide better structure. There are some of us who, as film students (in the amateur sense of the word) find that interesting, and enjoy seeing it. Just because some people like to passively absorb a movie and then forget it doesn’t mean everyone does. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/36 "2002-06-23T04:18:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Right. And “Freddie Got Fingered” becomes great art when you watch it on a DVD. Gosh, I’m sorry that my use of exaggeration was not understood. Let me put it another way, then: No, nothing is lost when Dorothy steps out of the farmhouse and finds no director’s commentary or deleted scenes. I also vehemently disagree The commentary tracks on the Universal horror classics, like **Dracula** and \*\* Bride of Frankenstein\*\* are immensely illuminating on the careers of Karloff and Lugosi. Roger Ebert’s commentary on **Citizen Kane** is a master’s classd on camera technique and composition. Some people like to think about the elements that go into the creation of film, as opposed to just watching a movie. > [@](#): > > There were political differences? OK, but that’s part of the reality which led to the version of the film that was produced. If said scenes were not in the version of the film that was released, they’re not vital. Sorry, but that is just gross ignorance. Take, for example, Orson Welles’ masterpiece, **A Touch of Evil**. It was taken from Welles and reedited (with a hatchet) by the studio. The opening three-minute long tracking shot, which is crucial to setting up the character development and plot of the movie is obscured by credits. The DVd restores the movie to be seen as Welles intended it. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/37 "2002-06-23T05:40:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*The musical **The Fantasticks** was a wonderful little movie that the studio did it’s best to ruin for some reason: the studio cut _the most famous song_ (“Try to Remember”) from the musical completely out, along with like…3 other songs): it would be like cutting “Big Spender” out of **Sweet Charity** :rolleyes: But thanks to the magic of DVD, I’ve got the movie back and can see it the way the director intended.Fenris \*\* **The Fantasticks** is one of my wife’s favorite shows; she actually knew some of the people involved in the original (pre-Broadway) production. When it was first announced that a movie was being made, we were wondering how they would handle the “abduction song” since there was no way the original lyrics would be acceptable in a movie. Due to the movie’s extremely limited release, we completely missed it until I came across an article which mentioned the video version, which is when we found out how badly it had been butchered. When I found out there was a “special edition” DVD with the missing songs, I ordered it even though we didn’t have a DVD player (in fact, the only one we have now is the one on my computer, for various reasons). I love the fact that they put out DVDs with “missing” scenes, alternate endings, commentary and interviews. As **gobear** said, the insight into the creative process, the chance to see what the director wanted to do as opposed to what the studio forced him to do, etc all enhance my viewing experience. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/38 "2002-06-23T06:18:22Z")
I’ve got a home theater with a 102" screen, and it would not be possible without DVD. VHS tapes are unwatchable at that size, whereas a good progressive scan DVD can look as good as an average print in the cineplex. DVD gets a big thumbs-up from me. But there is a worrying trend towards removing letterboxing from DVD’s and going back to TV aspect ratio. I believe Blockbuster has already announced that they will not distribute a DVD that does not have a 1.33 version on it. Worse, my local video store will ONLY stock 1.33 versions. So even if the DVD is available in both aspect ratios, the store will only bring in the 1.33 versions. The only movies I can rent there are the ones where both aspect ratios are on the same DVD. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/39 "2002-06-23T10:10:31Z")
Until I can record something off the TV and take it over to my friend’s place without involving our computers, I’m not moving my VCR. Take that, TiVo. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291/40 "2002-06-23T10:44:50Z")
Fenris’ post reminds me of that bit on TCM or AMC with various director’s talking about the evils of pan and scan. Very interesting. And I think DVDs are great. Now watching VHS is like reading Lord of the Rings without the appendix. We are becoming a digital society. First PCs, then CDs and now DVDs and photo disks. Making things digital makes them so much smaller and more portable. I can’t wait till I can get rid of my VCR and I can stop worrying that it will eat one of my tapes. With my DVD player I know I can always get it back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-i-dont-want-to-give-up-my-vcr/115291.md?page=3)