Lightning did in my 11 year old VCR and now I’m forced to replace it. I’ve noticed that the VHS formatted VCR players are pretty damn cheap - $75 for a name brand with all the bells and whistles that I need. Seems tempting.
However, there’s the flashy new DVD players displayed along side the cheapo VCR’s and now I’m feeling like maybe I’ll ultimately be wasting my money by buying technology that may very well be obscure in 2 years.
But at the same time, I have a pretty sizable collection of VHS tapes and don’t really relish the idea of pitching them all like I (gleefully) pitched out all my records when CD’s replaced them.
What are your thoughts on this, o sage Dopers? VHS or DVD?(And, please, can we come up with some solution before Wednesday at 8:00?)
TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING:
Three months, three weeks, 20 hours, 51 minutes and 42 seconds.
4514 cigarettes not smoked, saving $564.34.
Life saved: 2 weeks, 1 day, 16 hours, 10 minutes.
The picture and sound on a DVD is much better then that of a video cassette. If you want to see if it is worth it I suggest you rent a DVD player from Blockbuster and check it out for yourself.
I have Austin Powers on DVD and my roommates have it on video. My copy has more vibrant colors and a much better sound. I’d go with DVD myself.
I agree. If your VHS collection is anything of size, get a VHS just in case. DVD is the way to go later though. I’ve had a DVD player for about 7 months and have about 9 movies (you get a bunch free just for buying it). They’re very enjoyable. Sound and look better. Are much easier to use and navigate through, and have extra features. All in all, DVD shouldn’t be replaced for a good 20 years, so it’s the way to go. (At least I hope it makes it for a couple decades.)
What really makes me want to get a DVD player is Galxy Quest. I know, I know, it’s not a very good movie. I didn’t even like it that much. What impresses me is that the DVD version gives you the option of watching the whole movie, perfectly dubbed, in whatever the fuck alien tounge they speak. I’m just waiting to rent it on DVD, go get some friends, get them stoned, and then half way through the movie, switch it over and watch their reactions.
And if they can do it with that, imagine the other possibilities. Dirty Harry, dubbed in Klingon. Citizen Kane, dubbed in Patois.
I also weigh in for both. You can, as noted, get a perfectly usable VCR for under $100, and a serviceable DVD player for around $150-160. Recordable DVD won’t hit the market for a few years, and will be expensive when it does, so for recording off-air or off-cable, VHS is still it.
For movies, though, there’s nothing like DVD. I bought my player in January '99, and I’ve neve regretted the purchase. Both Blockbuster and Hollywood have extensive DVD rental sections now; or, you can rent online at http://www.netflix.com, keeping 4 titles at a time out for as long as you want and mailing them back when you’re finished. I’m a real movie freak, so when I rent a title I watch it at least twice, if there’s a commentary track on the disc.
So, my suggestion to you is to buy an off-brand VCR for taping/watching your existing VHS collection, and the DVD for movie rentals/purchases. I, for example, can only watch my “Beatles Anthology” or “Mystery Science Theater” on VHS, but I’m building a DVD collection, including titles I already had on VHS because they’re better transfers and include extra features. oldscratch: You’re probably mostly right about obscure titles remaining on VHS, although companies like Anchor Bay are making strides in bringing a lot of cult and horror titles to DVD. BTW, I rented Galaxy Quest and watched part of the “alien language” track. It’s damned annoying.
Another vote for DVD or both. We keep a VCR around for the few movies that aren’t available on DVD (Star Wars, etc.), but generally stick to the DVDs. It’s a whole 'nother world.
Seriously… DVDs will change the way you watch movies. Skipping to scenes, reading about the cast, watching trailers, watching special features, etc. Not to mention, of course, the incredible difference in video/sound quality.
Okay, if I get both (geez, you people just love spending my money, don’t you!), some questions:
Will it be compatible with my Sony cable-ready t.v., circa 1997? I have cable, which is plugged directly to the VCR, which is then plugged into the t.v. Will my t.v. have another plug to accomodate the DVD or will I need to visit Radio Shack and pester my electronics professional (who dives under the counter whenever I enter the store)? Will I need an a/b switch in order to do both VHS and DVD?
I know you can’t record to DVD yet, but can you record from DVD TO VHS?
What are the prices of buying DVD movies vs. VHS?
Are DVD’s “kid friendly”? I’ve never seen one, but it looks like a CD, doesn’t it? VHS tapes, for all its bulkiness, are at least sturdy.
and, finally,
I know you are all going to tsk-tsk me, but must I NOW submit to getting a big-screen t.v. and Bose surround-sound speakers? I have a 27 incher right now.
If you start testing DVD players, make sure you test them with S-video cables. I know a lot of people with DVDs and S-video ready TVs who never hooked up the S-video, and wonder why it doesn’t look that much better that VHS. Its much higher resolution, and crisper.
Ah, at last! An issue of REAL importance! I am the High Priest of DVD and owner of the Temple of the Sacred Disks ( http://www.geocities.com/rick_summon/) and I would be happy to answer your questions about the One True Video Format.
Most of the time, you can’t run a DVD player through your VCR because most DVDs have Macrovision copy protection, which screws up the picture if you run it through a VCR. If your TV has a composite or S-Video input, use that; if not, you’ll need an RF modulator.
As stated above, you can’t record from DVD to VHS without using a Macrovision buster. Besides, that breaks one of the Ten Commandments of DVD (unless it’s just for your own personal use, of course.)
DVD movies are generally more expensive than VHS movies, but you can usually get them online for up to 40% off retail price at places like buy.com or amazon.com. But look at what you get! The picture quality is better, it’s in widescreen, there’s alternate languages so you can learn what “fils de puta” means in French, there’s commentary tracks by the film’s director, you can jump to any point in the film without having to wait, and MUCH, MUCH MORE! For a comprehensive look at DVD, check out the DVD FAQ at http://www.thedigitalbits.com/.
A DVD is physically the same as a CD, so it is subject to damage if not handled carefully. On the other hand, it doesn’t wear out through normal playing like a tape does. There is also this spray you can get which adds a protective coating to your DVDs, making them difficult to scratch.
You don’t need a widescreen TV or a home theater system to enjoy DVDs, but if you’ve got the money, it makes them even more enjoyable!
Instead of a stand-alone DVD player, you might want to consider getting a DVD-ROM drive for your computer. You can download hacks for most of them that will allow you to defeat the Macrovision and even play DVDs from different regions. You see, DVDs have a region code according to their country of origin, and US DVD players usually won’t play DVDs published outside North America. It’s all in the DVD FAQ. Anyway, the Temple of the Sacred Disks hopes that you will convert your video collection to the One True Video Format as soon as possible. I did, and it changed my life forever!
ok, a couple people have said DVDs are GENERALLY more expensive then VHS. Correct me if i’m wrong, but a new release on VHS can run around 15 bucks or so. How much more then that do DVD cost? And how much is a DVD player? is the $150-$160 for a cheap one or a top of the line one? Is there a wider range?
Don’t trust us. Take a look at buy.com and dvdexpress.com and compare the prices of VHS and DVD flicks. Generally, DVD’s are around $20-30 in retail stores, while VHS tapes are more like $15-20. However, online, you can get most DVDs for under $20, and some places offer a free/fixed shipping no matter how many you buy.
If you’re feeling adventurous, there are also a few DVD rental sites online that will mail you a DVD in a CD mailer (little cardboard square, cheap postage) and let you watch it for 7 days before you send it back. There are others that’ll let you have up to 4 DVDs out at any given time for a fixed monthly fee. And of course, most Blockbuster rental stores now have a full wall of them.
Believe us. Once you switch, you won’t regret it. I’ve gotten my whole family hooked.
i’ve purchased 1 DVD disc. the director’s edition of Aliens. had a friend transfer it to VHS. there are very few movies i want to watch multiple times so i don’t want a DVD movie collection. i have two VCRs and tape stuff and edit out commercials if necessary. have Star Treks and Babylon 5, and other sci-fi stuff. with 15 minutes of commercials every hour skipping commercials saves time. 8 hours of commercial TV a week could save 2 hours. even at minimum wage that more than pays for a good VCR in a year. TIME is MONEY. LOL!
No offense, Rev, but the “Temple of the Sacred Disks” has all the credibility of the Heaven’s Gate cult with me.
I’ve got a DVD-ROM drive on a computer I bought 2 years ago. I have never downloaded an anti-Macrovision patch, and yet I’ve been running the signal through my VCR and recording the DVDs on videotape without any problems whatsoever. I find it hard to imagine that Gateway ships its computers with anti-Macrovision DVD drivers. And the VCRs I’ve used are not Macrovision proof.
From the FAQ linked on your home page: “some DVDs are Macrovision-protected and some aren’t.” That’s quite a far cry from your blanket statement that “you can’t” copy a DVD to tape without defeating Macrovision first.
I’ve copied a pretty fair number of major studio DVD releases onto videotape and have never once ran into one that posed any copy protection issues.
Gotta go with Nurlman on this one. I have my '98 ProScan DVD routed through my VCR via cable (cuz I don’t have video in/out on my TV). I do notice a difference, but it is a very slight one: Occasionally I will notice a vague darkening of the picture which gradually lightens again. It is far from unusable.
I’ll join in all the others who say to go for both. What clinched the deal for me was this. I would buy movies regularly. I decided I dodn’t want to pay for the same movie twice anymore, which I would have had to do more of if I had held off on the DVD purchase.
And goboy asked:
HDTV kicks in then, and it’s mandatory. Broadcasters will cease to send out browadcasts in the old analog format through the airwaves, so you’ll have to have a TV that handles the new digital format. But don’t rush out to buy that HTDV just yet. No one’s quite sure exactly what the format will be just yet, so even these people with their $5000 digital sets may have to buy a different converter than have already.
And never fear. You will probably be able to buy converters for your old TV. And if the demand is enough, there mjay even be cable services that will downconvert the digital signal and pass it along to the backwards analog users still among us in 2008.
