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I came across a box of VHS recordings that must be over 20-25 years old. These are Super Bowls, World Series recordings from that era. The problem is, I dont have a VHS player anymore. My question is, Are these VHS tapes still good? Or do they become crappy over time quality wise? I ask this, because I would like to get a VHS player, only if the quality of these tapes were adequate and watchable. Anyone had this experience with this old technology.
Depends on a lot on how they were stored, if they were in a cool dry place they should be in excellent shape as long as they weren't played a lot previously, taken care of before, recorded in SP... lot of factors, it's a crap shoot.
Depends on a lot on how they were stored, if they were in a cool dry place they should be in excellent shape as long as they weren't played a lot previously, taken care of before, recorded in SP... lot of factors, it's a crap shoot.
They were stored in a cool dry place and werent played alot. Dont remember if they were recorded in SP. If I can find a player for around $200 may just go for it. Thanks for the reply.
Anyone else have VHS tapes that are in excellent shape, that are around 25 years old?
Does it really make sense to pay $200 for a chance to sit through videos of championship games from around 1990?
LOL, I can think of several other things that I can pay $200 for entertainment. That said, its not only championship games, but other television programming of that time. It just intrigues me to be able to go through these archives which would equate to several hours of entertainment perhaps. I actually thought about tossing them, but decided to post here and get peoples experience with this old technology then decide what to do.
BTW I do have a good collection of DVD, BluRay, etc. this will just be another form of media to possibly enjoy.
They were stored in a cool dry place and werent played alot. Dont remember if they were recorded in SP. If I can find a player for around $200 may just go for it. Thanks for the reply.
Anyone else have VHS tapes that are in excellent shape, that are around 25 years old?
a few years back I converted my collection of a couple hundred VHS tapes to DVDs, many of which I'm sure were at least 20 years old. Most of them were recorded as SLP (4 hrs) and are certainly still watchable on DVD but of course not DVD quality. Don't recall any that got ate or were not able to be played back. Before you throw out that unreplacable VHS because it won't play back, I'm sure you could find a repair kit that can restore the VHS using a different case/spindles.
I've got plenty that are that old and probably older. The technology was a lot more robust than it was given credit for. OTOH, I REGULARLY get DVDs from Netflix and Facets that are unplayable. Never trust advertising hype.
Rockycity! I'll bet you can cut down that $200 price down a very substantial amount by checking out the thrift stores in your area (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.) I have a few hundred VHS tapes that I still play every once in a while. Lots of westerns, scifi (Star Trek, Star wars), etc. And also 100 plus football games that go back a few decades. I keep them for reference and at times they come in handy as I moderate the football forums on City Data.
About 6 months ago I finally broke my Magnavox combo VHS/DVD player out of the box and hooked it up after the old one bit the dust(which lasted 9 years) It wasn't the VHS problem at all, it was that the dvd wouldn't play once out of every half dozen plays. Then finally it wouldn't eject at all, but VHS tapes would play.
Rockycity! I'll bet you can cut down that $200 price down a very substantial amount by checking out the thrift stores in your area (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.) I have a few hundred VHS tapes that I still play every once in a while.
Right! "Full retail prices" for new is less then $100. You can still get some that play DVD's and VHS for around $80.
Craigslist? Pfft. $20.
a few years back I converted my collection of a couple hundred VHS tapes to DVDs, many of which I'm sure were at least 20 years old. Most of them were recorded as SLP (4 hrs) and are certainly still watchable on DVD but of course not DVD quality. Don't recall any that got ate or were not able to be played back. Before you throw out that unreplacable VHS because it won't play back, I'm sure you could find a repair kit that can restore the VHS using a different case/spindles.
Excellent information!
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