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The VHS Revival, It's True And Happening
- Thread starter Sal1950
- Start date
Galliardist
Major Contributor
No it wasn't. VHS HiFi wasn't digital... unless you used a PCM adaptor to record digital to the format.
The first "consumer digital medium" came from the other side, Sony's PCM-F1 with a companion Betamax player, which just beat CD to market. I remember that early "live" digital recordings in the UK were made with the PCM-F1 as well.
Galliardist
Major Contributor
I don't think U-Matic was ever really "domestic" though. It was digital with a suitable PCM adaptor - the originals to the PCM-F1 to Betamax recorder setup.
I never saw one in a domestic situation but they were very expensive.
My school had one, which they would use to show us BBC adaptions of Shakespeare plays. Highly illegal then and now of course.
Galliardist
Major Contributor
But are you ready for the big one, the phonautograph revival?
Tryphon
Member
Last edited:
OP
- Thread Starter
- #109
The what ???
OH, I get it. Just like vinyl.
| Function | Recorded sound as wavy lines on paper or glass coated with soot |
| How it worked | A membrane at the end of a tube transmitted sound vibrations to a stylus that engraved them onto the paper |
My father watched a lot of TV, mainly the American shows as that's where he grew up, only moving to the UK aged 15. So we had colour TV as soon as it was introduced in the UK and he rented a VCR machine as soon as the cost became realistic.
In those days there were only 4 broadcast channels and no cable TV, so the ability to rent videos was a huge step up in choice. Plus the ability to 'tape' a channel while watching another - since unlike today, programmes were not repeated ad infinitum. If you missed it, it might be 10 years before it was shown again.
VCRs were a big target for housebreakers and so it became standard practice to prop a cushion in front of the LED display when leaving the house empty, so that if 'chummy' were to peer through the window, he would not spot there was a VCR.
No-one considered that a cushion propped below the TV was an equally big giveaway...
Blank tapes were expensive so the same tape would be used for pretty much all recording. This created issues since you might tape over someone else's recording before they had a chance to watch it, creating a bitter family feud that could last months. Especially if you taped over 'Coronation Street' before my mother had seen it.
Consequently it was important to remember to wind to the end of their recording and then start your own. This meant the whole tape was filled with recordings.
Someone recorded the film 'Escape To Victory' on the last 90 minutes of our tape. Most of it got recorded over, but the last 15 minutes remained, so whenever you finished watching something, there would be that slow, crackly screen wipe and then into the end of 'Escape To Victory.'
Which for some reason, we'd always sit and watch. I think I must have seen the end of that film at least 50 times.
Eventually it got replaced by the ending of 'Raise The Titanic.'
Anyway, fond memories of VHS. We salute you.
In those days there were only 4 broadcast channels and no cable TV, so the ability to rent videos was a huge step up in choice. Plus the ability to 'tape' a channel while watching another - since unlike today, programmes were not repeated ad infinitum. If you missed it, it might be 10 years before it was shown again.
VCRs were a big target for housebreakers and so it became standard practice to prop a cushion in front of the LED display when leaving the house empty, so that if 'chummy' were to peer through the window, he would not spot there was a VCR.
No-one considered that a cushion propped below the TV was an equally big giveaway...
Blank tapes were expensive so the same tape would be used for pretty much all recording. This created issues since you might tape over someone else's recording before they had a chance to watch it, creating a bitter family feud that could last months. Especially if you taped over 'Coronation Street' before my mother had seen it.
Consequently it was important to remember to wind to the end of their recording and then start your own. This meant the whole tape was filled with recordings.
Someone recorded the film 'Escape To Victory' on the last 90 minutes of our tape. Most of it got recorded over, but the last 15 minutes remained, so whenever you finished watching something, there would be that slow, crackly screen wipe and then into the end of 'Escape To Victory.'
Which for some reason, we'd always sit and watch. I think I must have seen the end of that film at least 50 times.
Eventually it got replaced by the ending of 'Raise The Titanic.'
Anyway, fond memories of VHS. We salute you.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #111
Remember the days when the 2 most important controls on your TV were the Vertical and Horizontal Hold controls? LOL
Most kids and mid adults wouldn't know how to watch one of those CRT's
Horizontal was always the first to go, for a while a good whack on the top of the set would fix it.
Then eventually you'd have to 'Get the man out.' He'd open up the back of the set, do a lot of soldering, and it would all work again, at least for a while.
In those days no-one paid any attention to the fact that children were then watching hours of TV in a room full of lead solder fumes...
OP
- Thread Starter
- #113
We survived just fine.
Wiredforsound
Member
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2024
- Messages
- 68
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- 24
Lead solder fumes. Lol
The level of attention to what might get you first.
Who knew what fear would take away?
The level of attention to what might get you first.
Who knew what fear would take away?
OP
- Thread Starter
- #115
Just don't eat the paint chips.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
Elcaset
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2019
- Messages
- 13,388
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Just don't eat the paint chips.
Pro tip: Don't eat Elcasets, either.Elcaset
Life is full of hazards.
Does it detect earthquakes too?The what ???
OH, I get it. Just like vinyl.
Function Recorded sound as wavy lines on paper or glass coated with soot How it worked A membrane at the end of a tube transmitted sound vibrations to a stylus that engraved them onto the paper
The likelihood of you getting sick and dying from thousands of other things is much higher: (having a tree limb that was broken off in a storm) has a much higher chance of killing you in most places. Probably a quicker death, too.
OP