Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with VHS

a possibly deformed man...

phytage — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:31:20 -0800

Please help me figure out the name of this Japanese war movie... IMDB and Netflix have let me down. About 10 years ago I rented this movie from a ma and pop video that is no longer in business. It took place during WWII but possibly filmed in the late 80s/early 90s. What I remember is a girl is in a boat right after the bomb fell and radioactive rain/ash is falling on her. It permanently stains her skin and when she goes back to her village they treat her like a monster. She ends up with only one person to love and that is a possibly deformed man...
I've tried to search plot lines in IMDB and I have looked through every Japanese movie on Netflix with no luck at all.
This movie was a tear-jerker, and I'd love to see it again!

HDMI, Upconvert, 1080i, What is all this stuff?

bluefly — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:27:42 -0800

I want to buy my mother a new DVD player for her birthday/mother's day. She wants one that can record VHS to DVD. When I went on Amazon to look for such a thing, there were an overwhelming number of possibilities. Can you help explain to me what some of the features are? I read through all of the descriptions and picked out this one. (There is also a newer model, but the reviews aren't as good). However, the reviews say that the player is missing HDMI. I Googled that and it says it's a connector for HDTVs. My parents don't currently have one of those, but they might in the near future. If they don't want to record from the TV to DVD or VHS, does this matter? Can they still watch DVDs and tapes without it? Also, (bonus question, answer not required) can someone recommend a player that will work with (or record from) HDTV and record VHS to DVD?

Video capture on a ThinkPad T42?

stleric — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:03:03 -0800

Is my ThinkPad laptop capable of video capture? I've got a ThinkPad T42 laptop that's getting a bit long in the tooth, but since I've got a DVD+/-R drive, I've been curious if it could handle video capture well enough to convert some old VHS tapes to DVDs without having issues with dropouts, poor frame rates, or errors.

It's a Centrino (Pentium 4-M) 1.6 GHz processor, currently 512 MB of memory (I'll probably upgrade to 1.5 GB soon), 5400 RPM 80 gig hard drive (I've got an external 7200 RPM 250 GB that I'd probably store the video on), Radeon 7500 video card (32MB), two USB 2.0 slots, but no built-in Firewire ports.

So my main questions are:
1. Can my computer handle TV/DVD-quality video capture, or would I just be disappointed attempting it?
2. Are there any worthwhile USB 2.0 video capture peripherals with RCA plugs (and possibly others) available, or should I stick to Firewire peripherals?
3. If I'm stuck with Firewire, would video capture through a PCMCIA card with Firewire ports be a reasonable solution?

Thanks, everybody!

Who wouldn't want a video game movie?

cmyk — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 15:01:42 -0800

I'll Query The Hive Mind For You Filter: late-eighties or early-nineties video game that involved a VHS tape and a light gun that may have resembled a rocket ship? A friend asked me about a video game and I had no idea, so now I'm asking you.

He had, or thinks he had, a game that involved a Duck Hunt style light gun and a VHS tape. I don't know if this was attached to some sort of console, but he's had everything Nintendo since ever, so it could've been a "Plays on Nintendo!" independent add-on.

The way it worked was: you put in the tape and got your gun, which may have resembled the spaceship that all the characters lived on. There would be expository scenes, with really bad acting and worse special effects, and then you'd play a shoot-em-up sort of game that was laid over the movie. You couldn't really lose, because the movie would keep playing anyway, so whatever you shot in the game just got you points.

The only other bit of information I've got was that the people played chess on this spaceship, especially the captain and a girl. (I hope I'm remembering all of this correctly.)

What were the last films to be released in the VHS format in the UK and USA?

feelinglistless — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:30:32 -0800

What were the last films to be released in the VHS format in the UK and USA? I believe that the first film to be released on DVD in the UK was Batman & Robin (no really) but I've always wondered what the last film to the be released on the commercial VHS format was, and particularly panned and scanned. I hope it was something good.

How do I convert VHS to DVDs or digital files using my laptop?

dorisfromregopark — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:22:58 -0800

How do I convert VHS to DVDs or digital files using my laptop? I have a Dell Inspiron 9200 laptop with a DVD burner built in. My goal over the next few weeks was to take our library of family VHS videos and convert them to DVDs. After searching online (including this askme thread), I settled on the the ADS Tech DVD Xpress DX2. It seemed like just what I was looking for: I could either copy the tapes directly to a recordable DVD or grab the video off the VHS and edit them as I wish on my computer. I ordered the item, installed the programs that come with the device...and my usb port gave a power surge failure and my computer would not recognize it.

That failure led me back online and I briefly considered the WinTV-PVR-150 before I realized that this device is made for PCs. I now worry that I will be unable to convert these tapes using a laptop.

Is there any way I can do this using a laptop? Will the usb power surge failure only occur with devices that do not have an independent power supply (the DVD Xpress did not have its own power supply)? Do any such devices exist? I would rather not spend $20/tape sending these away to a professional. I'm hoping any solution costs ~$100, but I'm willing to listen to any feasible option using a laptop (I have no access to a pc short of purchasing one).

Thanks in advance for any help, friend(s)!

Where to donate a muppet?

octomato — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:01:16 -0800

Where to donate VHS tapes. I work for a great non-profit that produces award winning children's educational programming. I just found a box full of older episodes. The problem is they aren't packaged and they are VHS.

Where in the NYC metro area could i donate these?

Apparently Salvation Army and Goodwill have said no in the past because they are VHS and they always throw them out.

I don't have a problem shipping them out else where. I think it's a waste to throw them away.

Thanks!

How to Convert a VHS collection to digital format (and do it right the first time)?

jmprice — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:22:22 -0800

What is the best way to convert a VHS collection into digital format? As a Christmas gift to my parents, I'd like to convert our family video tapes into digital format. Toward that end, here's my general plan.

1. I would like to create a workstation with a TV tuner card connected to a VCR.
2. I would like to set up a system where I click record and then press play on the VCR so that it plays through the entire tape and records while I’m at work or sleeping. When I had the time, I would edit and splice the footage into individual events.
3. I would deliver the completed video collection in in one large hard drive.

My concerns:
- How would I set up the station to record video and then stop after a certain amount of time (six hours, the length of a tape)?
- Would a six hour clip be too large to work with in a video editing program?
- What video setting would be best for quality / file-size / future-proofing the videos? I anticipate that someday soon televisions and computer will combine and my parents will be watching the stuff from an Apple TV like device.

Please note:
- I do not want to convert to DVD. It would be a waste of my time since I want to preserve these files on hard drives in the future. (And in 15 years I would be looking to move these movies off of the DVD's because they would be decaying too.)
- I would like to spend less than $400. I have access to a lot of two-year old workstations, but I would need to buy a new TV card and large hard drives.
- There’s about 40 mostly unlabeled VHS tapes. Some of them only contain old episodes of ST:TNG and Quantum Leap, but I gotta play through them to find out.

Any advice you can give me on my project would be much appreciated.

Help me buy a great film!

JimN2TAW — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:28:55 -0800

I'm looking for a copy of the 1979 Dutch film "Opname" (U.S. title: "In for Treatment"), to rent or buy. I saw this film, a moving story about cancer patients, in a theatre in New York in 1982 or 1983. I'd recommend it to everybody and I'd like to rent or buy a copy now. I'll need English subtitles (second choice would be dubbing). I've tried every U.S. source I could find, and sent several e-mails to the Netherlands. This movie existed in the 80's! Can you help me find it now?

Cheap Mac Video Capture Solution

Dag Maggot — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:57:08 -0800

I'm looking for a cheap device to import VHS video onto my MacBook. I've looked at the Canopus ADVC55 but it seems like overkill for what I need - I just want to turn my old home movies into DVDs.

Bringing vintage VHS material into the digital world.

phaedon — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:43:18 -0800

Turning VHS into digital. So I used to rent this storage space near my house. And one day, as I was moving a couple of things in, I noticed two employees emptying out the contents of somebody else's storage space and throwing everything directly into the garbage. What a waste - so I stopped them and asked if I could have a look through a few things, and to my amazement I found, box, after box, after box, full of VHS tapes, that contained recordings of things that aired on television during the mid to late '80s and early '90s. I don't know what came over me, but I took 'em all.

So now I want to go about the business of converting many of these tapes into digital format. Some of the stuff is very Youtube-y. I'm looking for an affordable and simple solution that I can incorporate with existing things in my entertainment / computer system. All suggestions welcome - this project has to be done.

Right now I have these basics:

a macbook (with separate screen)
a dvd/vcr combo with a television screen
a separate "closed circuit" monitor (stored away, if need be)

The macbook doesn't appear to have any video inputs (has firewire). Anybody have any suggestions, products or solutions that they've already explored?

VHS to my computer: When you lose your digital master sometimes you have to improvise

Elle Vator — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 03:01:21 -0800

I have VHS videotape. I have a PC computer running Sony Vegas. I need to get the stuff from the videotape onto a harddrive and into Sony Vegas in my PC to splice into reel. Help me please. My computer is not the greatest, but runs Vegas fine for the kind of editing I need to do here. The computer has an s-video port, but the guy who sold me the s-video cable informed me that it does not carry sound. Plus, when I got my VCR all linked up, it appeared either that the s-video port was not activated or some setting in my computer needs to be changed.

Other orifices on my computer include 3 USB's, a jack for a mic, a P2 card port and an obscure firewire port. We are looking at about 30 minutes of footage total

Here are my ideas:

- somehow get the VHS onto a disk (avi, mov, vob) and get it into my computer that way. I can handle the data conversion from there - Thank you MetaFilter!

- somehow get the s-video thing to work.

- do the VCR to DV to Computer thing... Does anyone have a brief explanation for how that specifically works?

What's the phone-like sound at the end of my video tapes?

freddymungo — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 22:11:58 -0800

So I've been watching a bunch of older movies on VHS like Wait Until Dark (1963) and Sword in the Stone (1967). At the end when everything's black, right before it turns to the black and white noise, there's a sound of a phone dialing very quickly, or something similar. Anybody else ever noticed it? Out of curiosity, any ideas on what that is, how it happens, why it's there, or anything at all about it?

Problems with a transfer from MiniDV to VHS.

packphour — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:01:00 -0800

Transferring MiniDV contents to VHS. Red/White/Yellow component cables hooked up to the OUT from the camera and into the IN of the VCR (SVHS deck). I push play on the camera and record on the VCR. Nothing is recorded but static, why?

Export VHS audio to Powerbook G4?

rough — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:14:18 -0800

Can I export VHS audio to Pro Tools via my Mbox 2 or Powerbook G4? Wow: Pro Tools is pretty involved, huh? I'm new to it (and generally new to audio). Lots still to learn. But for now...

I need to grab some audio from VHS. I've tried the idiot's first guess -- plugging my VCR into the audio input on my laptop, but I get a lot of noise. (One track OKish audio, the other track just noise. Course, this is a cheap, old VCR with only one audio output...) Is there some super-wonderful high tech solution I'm just not seeing? Like trying to plug the VCR into the Mbox?

Sorry for such a simple question from such a simpleton. But you guys know all. I marvel at your brilliance. Thanks!

VHS to Powerbook vidcap?

GilloD — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 18:46:38 -0800

VidCapFilter:Help me get my VHS tapes onto my Powerbook! My family has several hours of home movie that are not aging gracefully, so I'm eager to get them onto my Powerbook, edit them together and burn them to DVD. This is sort of "Step 1: Idea! Step 2:? Step 3:Profit!" situation as I've never done vidcap before. What options exist? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money and the quality of these videos is on par with most home movies, so I'm not looking for high end equipment/solutions, either. Thanks!

Does anyone know if there is a way to recycle old VHS tapes?

moseymose — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:56:18 -0800

Does anyone know if there is a way to recycle old VHS tapes? I just finished digitizing a bunch of material that my girlfriend has recorded to VHS over the years, and now we have about 20 VHS tapes that I don't know what to do with. It seems like a shame to throw them a way.

Best way to archive VHS tapes?

cowmix — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 13:30:12 -0800

What is the best hardware/software configuration to archive 200 VHS tapes (around 400 hours)? I have 100s of VHS tapes I want to backup in a digital format. The quality of the source material ranges from OK to bad. What is the best setup I can use to import all these tapes (using Windows or Linux)? One main concern I have is if a tape is over a few hours long, I would like the audio and video to stay in sync.

VHS to DVD?

ajr — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:59:52 -0800

I am looking for a reliable and cost-effective manner to convert a single VHS tape to DVD. I don't have a camcorder or any other equipment to do the job and local shops have quoted me prices in the $100 range. I found several online set-ups that advertise in the $20 range, but I am looking for recommendations before I send the VHS tape off.

Looking for the Muppet 7 Deadly Sins Pilot

theora55 — Mon, 09 May 2005 09:40:53 -0800

I'm looking for a copy of the Muppet pilot that was on tv in the mid-70s. Googling found this: Before it became a syndicated series, Jim Henson and his associates produced The Muppet Show Pilot: Sex and Violence for ABC. It featured Muppet Show characters Dr. Teeth, Janice, Animal, and others. Notably, it featured a tribute to the Seven Deadly Sins. Amazon, Google and Froogle have failed me. While I was googling for the muppet pilot, I saw this thread that made me think of asking here.

What's the best way to digitize and edit imported VHS video?

johndavi — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:46:56 -0800

We have a few stacks of 80s-era VHS and VHS-C tapes that I'd like to both digitize and edit as a gift. Goal 1: Digitize and burn all footage to DVD for archive purposes. Goal 2: Edit the worth-watching footage into a small DVD set (the gift). I'm looking to do this myself. First question: is this an OK plan for protecting our precious home movies of people standing around awkwardly and waving at the camera?

Secondly, can I use my current computer? It's a relatively new Windows box, but I tend to think of Macs as the video-editing superpowers. Can I get quality video import hardware and editing software for Windows? If so, do you recommend any specific hardware for importing VHS?

Thanks!

Which movie(s) have been available on all sorts of format?

icontemplate — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 05:34:47 -0800

Which movies(s) have been available on most, if not all, the different movie formats? I was just wondering, has there been any movies released that have been available on all the consumer-level home video formats, like Beta, VHS, VCD, Laserdisc, DVD - heck even 16mm? I guess it would have to be a classic film of sorts.

And, in a semi-related question, which movies have been released in all sorts of different editions in those format - like a Fullscreen version, a Widescreen version, a 25th anniversary version, a collector's version with souvenir book, an "unrated" director's cut, etc.

What is the cheapest and best way to transfer A/V from VHS to computer?

Slimemonster — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 15:40:18 -0800

What is the highest quality, cheapest method/software/hardware for transferring audio and video from a VHS tape to my computer?

Question number 10853

mojohand — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 11:38:59 -0800

For an e-mail to management, I need some quick examples of technically superior products that lost out in the marketplace to inferior competition, much as Beta did to VHS. I'm drawing a blank, and my mad google skilz suq.

I need a DVD / VHS of Kansas City Bomber.

dobbs — Thu, 09 Sep 2004 16:06:00 -0800

I'm looking for a DVD (any region or format) or vhs video (ntsc only) of Kansas City Bomber. I don't think it's ever been legally released in the USA--though it has in the UK-- though apparently it was a TV staple in the late 70s. Wondering if anyone knows if it's currently available anywhere in the world or if anyone has a copy they recorded from television. Thanks!