Death of video recorder finally played.

[Zak33]

The DVD film memory on most players has a limit to how many it can remember....and YES I have lots of VHS video's half way through. Only Fools and Horse, Men Behaving Badly being the highest level really. If you watch a few films through too...you soon run out of spaces for these positions.

Seconds, I KNOW VIDEO PLAYERS DIE>...but that doesnt take the tape with it very often....whereas Hard Disks die...and you loose everything on them

Now...recordable DVD players....very clever. Ace in fact. Are they compatible with each other? I mean if I record a TV show on my brand new DVD recorder and take it to work and lend it to someone with a DVD player OR recorder that is 18 months old....wil it play? Can I even cue it up for him to watch the 30 minutes he's interested in?

Can I pull the DVD out in a hurry and whack a new DVD in and hit record in 5 seconds flat without scartching either disk...in a hurry? Can I drop it out of the door of my car and not worry about it scratching as it slides down the drive?

VHS and SVHS exist for a reason. POPULARITY.

CD exisits for that reason too....but people still use Turntables.....blimey...Dixons still SELL turntables.

So why on earth drop VCR's?

Publicity...it causes a stir.

[Stewart]

So why on earth drop VCR's?

Publicity...it causes a stir.

Almost, it does begin with P - Progess.

[Zak33]

progress is a cure for cancer....

progress is NOT the removal of the finest home entertainment medium (bar telly itself) the world has ever seen.

I think it even outstrips the humble cassette deck. Why? Cos I dont use cassette's myself for audio at all. Why? Cos CD is perfect. But DVD is not. Not for home recording AND sharing between friends.

Simple question: Can you record on every Dixon's purchased DVD player, a program from tonight, and take it to work tomorrow and let every person at your work watch it at home, with no compatibility issues?

[Zak33]

ok....here ya go:

I buy this today http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/stor...fm=3&sm=1&tm=1 ...get home...and record Eastenders for someone...or Coronation street....

Right....my mate has this: http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/stor...fm=3&sm=1&tm=1 and he takes my DVD+ home and plays it on this DVD- machine? Does it work?

He brings it back and lends it to my other mate who has this: http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/stor...fm=3&sm=1&tm=0 ....will it play on that either?

I personally dont actually know

But I DO know that from this page http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/stor...&show_all=true there are 10 player/recorders which are NOT all compatible with each other

[Barakka]

VHS is a long way from dead yet.

VHS is a mature technology, and DVD/HDD based recorders have a long way to go before they knock VHS down. Yes, the quality is sub-standard, but don't forget when video recorders came out Sony started it all with Betamax which was much higher quality (I know nowhere near DVD) but was beaten by VHS. Why ? Because people voted with their wallets, they didn't care about the slightly higher quality of picture, they cared about cost, ease of use, and compatibility - VHS still wins on all these !

The main use of video recorders is disposable watching, soaps, dramas etc. which are recorded, watched and erased, again VHS still wins.

My gran is in her eighties, has been using a Video recorder for years and years, couldn't be without one, would she be able to setup a DVD recorder? Doubt it, I could set it up for her, but I doubt she could use it... also, she doesn't even own a DVD player, and she's not the only one....

Also, what about the degredation of DVD media, I know VHS tape degrades, but I have tapes well over 10 years old that still play fine, but most of the CD's I recorded with my 1st CD recorder are dead or dying, little over 6 years old.

[daniel_owen_uk]

But thats like comparing betamax and vhs, they are both video recorders, and no you can't use the arguement that nobody bought betamax cause it isn't true.

Sure some player are incompatible with some media formats but thats life, not all video player do long play.

Yes they can get scratched, but tapes can get chewed up in the recorder (cant take tape with them?).

As for why they still sell turntables, thats a quality issue, one you surely aren't gonna use to support your arguement?

Why drop VCRs because they don't provide the quality or usability of DVDR.

As for sharing I think if you finalize the disk it should be fine to share, although I don't think you are supposed to share recorded tv programs anyway (something to do with copyright laws, not sure though).

[Zedmeister]

Speaking of wearing away VCRs my Grandparents still have an ancient Mitsubishi VCR from the mid 80's. Works fine and even still has a cable 'remote'!

[Zak33]

But thats like comparing betamax and vhs, they are both video recorders, and no you can't use the arguement that nobody bought betamax cause it isn't true.
......
Sure some player are incompatible with some media formats but thats life, not all video player do long play.

The first bit I disagree totally on...Betamax is dead....VHS is not. Period. VHS does not deserve to be pulled from the shelves

The second bit is avery good arguement...I agree...Long Play makes some Video incompatible.

[Gunbuster]

Mixed feelings about this one. Just becuase they pulled VHS doesn't meen they won't bring it back. No point is using up space on something that doesn't sell, let the other guys sell that. Besides VHS VCRs aren't prestege items, let Tesco and ASDA sell them.

Tapes are still used in camcorders, not discs. I'm suprised MiniDV hasn't replaced VHS in the home. But I guess its hard to upgrade people to another type of tape. Could you write digitally to VHS? would there be any benefit?

The DVD format wars is such a pain, RAM sounds the most sensible of all the formats from a replacing VHS point of view.

just my tupence

[Zak33]

and a good tuppence it is too

[Rys]

My gran is in her eighties, has been using a Video recorder for years and years, couldn't be without one, would she be able to setup a DVD recorder? Doubt it, I could set it up for her, but I doubt she could use it... also, she doesn't even own a DVD player, and she's not the only one....

But why? You're just replacing one type of media with another. You insert it, you choose a channel, you press record.

There's no functional difference in using a DVD recorder, compared to VHS, bar the media. One is round and thin, one is boxy and bulky. Does it confuse people that much?

Baffling.

[Knoxville]

Your also replacing the interface though, menu's, chapter selection sound and subtitle options. With VHS you bung it in and press play, simple as it gets, with dvd's you put in the disc (the right side up of course as some flippers do the whole "widescreen one side full screen on another thing") then you work your way through the menu's.

As for vhs as a format, i'd say its got 10 years left before it goes the way of betamax.

[Zenith]

PVR, hard disk and DVD recording is a young and (IMO) immature technology which is no way close to denting the maturity and simplicity of VHS recording.

My Mum can't really use a pc yet she can record, watch and delete programs on my PVR, so they can't be that complex

[turkster]

My Mum can't really use a pc yet she can record, watch and delete programs on my PVR, so they can't be that complex

Well when they are setup and working they probably do work reasonably easily. But you say its your PVR so I'm betting you set it up with your tv skybox etc and got the whole lot working before your mum ever went near it.

[Zedmeister]

The DVD format wars is such a pain, RAM sounds the most sensible of all the formats from a replacing VHS point of view.

Aye, if any format deserves the crown of VHS replacement its dvd-ram. Tis the best format - allowing timeslip, a large capacity and no fiddling around with erasing the disc before you can record on it again.

The other formats are crap in a word. DVD+ discs won't generally work on DVD- drives and vice-versa. Its a mess.

If anything, i'll get DVD-ram. Or more likely hang on to my trusty tapes until the whole thing blows over...

[Gunbuster]

All ways struck me as the right idea, which is DVD as a large floppy disk. Maybe the next time around they will get it right. I doubt it, big businesses seem to so far up their arses these days to do it right anymore.

Panasonic SD and DVD-RAM are about two of the most sensible formats I've seen in a while, maybe I should start buying Panasonic.