13 replies to this topic

[caramal]

What video watching unit do you have?If you have DVD and VHS witch one do you get the most use out of?

[Mike]

Most definitely DVD. My VCR isn't that great anymore.

[Scott]

At my house we watch mostly DVDs. The upstairs TV has a dedicated VHS player which probably hasn't been used in a long time. The downstairs TV has a combo VHS/DVD player, and the VHS side is seeing more use than the DVD side because we usually stick DVDs in the Media Center computer.

Last week I went through all our VHS tapes and pulled out anything that we also had on DVD. If it was taped off TV, the tape was destroyed. If it was bought from the store, I put it in a box for my Mom to take to the thrift store (she volunteers one night every week or two). I also wrote down all the titles of all the DVDs and all the VHS and typed them up in MS Word for my Dad because, a) he has trouble remembering what he already bought, and b) so he knows which VHS still need to be purchased on DVD so we can get rid of the VHS. He doesn't fully see the point of buying all our VHS on DVD, but I keep telling him they take up less space!

We bought a new entertainment wall unit which arrived last week. The old TV stand had all the VHS in drawers at the bottom, but the new TV stand didn't have drawers in the bottom so at first I put all the VHS on the shelves of the surrounding unit. My Mom complained it was too colorful (ie. an eyesore) so we moved the VHS into a mostly empty filing cabinet in an adjacent room. I had originally put the DVDs on top of the entertainment unit; with the VHS off the shelves, the DVDs moved down. The wall unit looked perfect on-line, but not quite so in person. The media center didn't fit on the shelves, so it sits on top; not what I wanted. Also, the width of the opening in front of the shelves is a few inches smaller on either side than the shelves themselves. This meant that three DVDs on either side were hidden behind the facade. That just wouldn't do, so I removed four DVDs from either side and stuck two Betamax tapes on either side, making sure to choose tapes without labels for the ones that would be visible from the front. A single hard-plastic VHS case is a perfect fit, but we only had two of them. Besides, Betamax tapes haven't been so useful in 20 years.

Yeah, we still have all our Betamax tapes, as well as the Betamax player. They don't play very well, so I don't have it connected to the rest of the equipment at the moment. I suspect the tapes have deteriorated, because my uncle insists the machine is fine. He refurbished it for us a few years ago.

EDIT: It's too bad you didn't make the poll multiple choice. I don't seem to have enough privileges to make it multiple choice either.

[JacobSteinAFM]

DVD is the obvious choice since it has far better video and audio quality than VHS and it doesn't take up as much space. And of course, you gotta love the fact that they can add a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes!

Heh, when DVDs first came out, I kept hearing that the quality was much inferior to VHS. Since I had been watching movies on VHS tapes as far back as I could remember, I didn't think the quality would be any better on DVD. But as I compare them today, the VHS quality looks like crap.

[TakkunEG]

We have a DVD/VCR combo player we got for Xmas, plus the DVD-Rom drive on my laptop that I use for screencapping.

I only have 7 movies on VHS because most of them aren't availible on DVD yet ("Neighbors", "This Is My Life", "Old Boyfriends", "Love at First Sight", and "Wired").

I really want a new computer with video capture capabilities, so I can transfer my media class projects onto it so I can YouTube them and make DVDs out of them.

My prized taped-off-the-TV piece is all 6 eps of "FLCL" from when it aired on Adult Swim, since the 3 DVDs of it are about $30 each (though the new full set is a little cheaper!)

[Scott]

takkuneg said:

I really want a new computer with video capture capabilities, so I can transfer my media class projects onto it so I can YouTube them and make DVDs out of them.

ATI Theater Pro tuner cards are around $100.

[TakkunEG]

Scott said:

ATI Theater Pro tuner cards are around $100.

I have a whole $1.64 to my name My current computer is probably too slow to run it anyway.

[bluesharp]

Definitely dvd,i only use the video to record from the telly!!
All the VHS tapes are in the loft,gathering dust!!
Love the out-takes you get on some of the dvds and all the other goodies!!

[bbcentral]

I mainly watch DVDs, but we watched a VHS tape last night. It was so weird having to fast forward through the previews! I had to operate it, my sister couldn't remember how to operate it.

On the flipside, I also own a Mediagate MG-350HD, which is one of the best things I have ever bought!
Here's what it looks like:
[img2]http://www.airlinktek.com/english/img/mg350_top.gif[/img2]
And the back panel:
[img2]http://www.airlinktek.com/english/img/prod_show_mg350HD_Back.gif[/img2]

The way it works is that I download a file (perhaps a 350MB XVid TV show episode) and save it into a folder on my computer, ie:
F:\TV\The Colbert Report\the.colbert.report.05.03.07.dsr.xvid-crimson.[VTV].avi
My F:\TV folder is shared on my network, so any LAN computer can access it. My router has wireless capability, and the MG-350HD has a wireless LAN antenna on it. It sits on top of my TV plugged in, and when I turn it on and select "Wireless" it connects to the wireless LAN, scans for all the Windows computers that are active, and lists all the shared folders on each one. I go to the TV folder, then to "The Colbert Report", and then click on the episode I want to watch. The MG-350HD streams the file over the network and plays it on my TV!

It's so cool because I don't need to encode and burn every episode onto a VCD or DVD to watch it, or even worse unplug my computer and bring it into the other room. Within seconds of the torrent finishing I can watch it on the TV screen, and the quality is just as good as a DVD.
It also does photo slideshows, mp3s etc, and can even connect to streaming radio stations and play them back!
You can create your own skins for the interface, here's some I made:
http://mediagate.bbhosts.net/skins.php
Plus you can install a hard drive inside it if you want to transport them elsewhere. Copy all your favorite TV/movies on it and watch them on your hotel TV when you go traveling
And there's a USB input on there as well, so you can plug your mp3 player or flash drive in and access the files on there.

This thing absolutely rocks, there are some TV shows which I can't get here in Australia, or on DVD. And if it's something topical about current events like The Daily Show, Colbert Report or Real Time with Bill Maher, then I want to see it right away.
The manufacturers still release firmware upgrades containing new features, Internet Radio was the most recent, but I'm hoping they'll add even more soon.
This cost me $300 Australian, and I already had a 120GB hard drive to put in it.

I honestly can't recommend this thing enough for people who download a lot of videos and get tired of watching them on their computer screen. It's not like I can invite the whole family into my room and make them sit on my bed to watch the latest episode

Update: I just checked the AL Tech website, and those sneaky guys added even more features to the next firmware version!!!!
Now it supports Samba, UPNP, NTS and FTP :D
There's a built in FTP server, which is HEAPS better for copying files onto the hard drive than the current method, which is either bring the unit to your computer and copy via USB cable, or copy over then LAN using 'NDAS', which mounts the device as a new hard drive.
Seems to have an FTP client too, to be able to connect to a remote FTP server and download the files automatically. Perhaps a podcast/RSS support will be the next feature? Who knows, but I'm impressed :D

[Dean Heuke]

Now at the 15th November 2009, 2 years after the last post here, I can say, that I only now use DVD-player, in my room, i still have + - 30 VHS Cassettes, different Disney/Cartoon Cassettes. Sometimes its really fun to watch them again
*oh hey, i think i will watch soon again DONALDS GREATEST HITS :D:D:D*

[vicious]

dvd but like Dean, i still have some VHS cassettes (most of them Dan Aykroyd movie's till i can buy them on DVD)

[elizabeth]

dvd. i used to watch vhs but it broke...

[Mr Mercer]

Definitely DVD , but the kids love to pull out VHS tapes like its a archeological dig .

[elizabeth]

Mr Mercer said:

but the kids love to pull out VHS tapes like its a archeological dig .

that's what i like to do!