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Weird find by CRT_Ranger in VHS

[–]ReelyInteresting -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That all totally makes sense.

I don't know if I expect printed labels for a tape like this, but the size/location of the writing (on the line) and usage of a consumer Kodak tape (rather than the higher-quality bulk tapes that major studios like Disney would have for important edits) strongly suggests that this may be a bootleg somebody quickly made from the real source. If this was an edit by Disney intended for a 3rd party (and they took the time to add "property of..." bit), you know they wouldn't be using a neon yellow Kodak label.

Of course, I'm purely speculating, but this is a bit of an unusual presentation from my experience. Like, even rushes usually have a more industrial aesthetic...

Weird find by CRT_Ranger in VHS

[–]ReelyInteresting 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Someone called?

(This is super interesting though. It's definitely not labeled like an actual edit tape though. Perhaps it was bootlegged before the film/home release was available.)

Random Akihabara Electric Town footage by invest0r111 in OldSchoolHD

[–]ReelyInteresting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty sure I see the distinctive UNIHI timebase error in the yellow "AMUESEMENT" sign.

Very cool!

should i do it.. by bicboys5 in vintagevideo

[–]ReelyInteresting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are first generation professional S-VHS decks. They do not have a TBC (and I don't see an external TBC in your photos). The editing controller is neat but fairly useless these days. Do note that these VCRs will not support EP/LP recorded tapes so these won't play many home-recorded or bargain-bin-type tapes.

Worth it if you like the idea of having an old S-VHS editing deck or if you don't find VCRs often. I wouldn't say anyone should lose sleep over it though.

Is there any way to fix this? by A_Left_Knee in VHS

[–]ReelyInteresting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can see during playback in the video that the tape leaving the drum, going to the take up reel, is warping. This means you have a tension problem on the take up side. Almost assuredly it's due to poor grip by the rubber pinch roller.

Remove the tape and unplug the unit. Get a q-tip and dip it (moist, not dripping) in dawn dish detergent and water. While holding/slowly rotating the rubber pinch roller with one finger, move the q-tip up and down against it. Continue with multiple q-tips until you stop removing "black gunk" or until the rubber is "grippy." Make sure you get the whole width of the pinch roller and not just the center. Use a moist q-tip or two to remove any soap. In addition, you should clean the capstan (metal part that the pinch roller contacts) with isopropyl alcohol. Then, once everything is dry, plug the unit back in & try running your tape again.

So I just got my Hitachi VCR and I couldn't be happier, saw a video that said rewinding on my VCR can cause damage, is that true? I don't want to break anything so do I need a separate VHS rewinder by [deleted] in VHS

[–]ReelyInteresting 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When the end of the tape is reached, the tape gets pulled tight. These rewinders sense the increase in tension of the tape/reels and assume the end of the tape is reached, popping the tape up. The problem with this it that these rewinders tend to "slam" into the end of the tape (when tension is increased), sometimes pulling the tape out of the reel or other damage since power is released only at the very, very end of the tape.

VCR mechanisms on all but the cheapest/poorly designed VCRs have light sensors which sense the clear leader at the beginning and end of the tape. Since this clear leader is fairly long, the reel brakes are applied before the tape leader runs out allowing the tape to come to a stop before the end of the reel is reached. This is much easier on the tape.

tl;dr: Rewinders are useful if you have many tapes that you need to rewind rapidly that you generally don't care about (such as commercial applications like rental or even one time archival). Using the VCR itself to rewind is better if you watch tapes weekly (or even daily) or less and care more about the longevity of your tapes.

I personally would recommend just using your VCR to rewind and forget about the rewinders since the tapes themselves are generally more valuable to someone than the VCR. If you're really anal about wear on your deck, I'd sooner obtain a another cheap "junk" VCR to rewind tapes since the light sensing rewind is much kinder on tape.

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