There's Life in the
Trusty VCR
Videocassette recorders have been
with us for pushing 30 years. In a high-tech world, that may suggest a replacement is due;
it's hard to imagine anyone working on a 1975-style computer today, so why continue using
a VCR that hasn't changed materially in the same length of time?
Because, although new technologies have emerged, and
although the old-style VCR is by no means perfect, it still serves most people's needs
admirably and will do so for a long time to come. However, yours may be falling apart if
you've had it a while, so now is a good time to consider replacing it. Some reasons:
Your library
Chances are you have accumulated a considerable pile of
tapes over the years. These might be movies you've bought or things you've recorded on
your camcorder, or even your favorite episodes of Ally McBeal. All have some
sentimental value, and most would not be replaceable in a new format.
Even if they were, most of us are unlikely to duplicate
everything we have on tape -- how many people bought the CD version of every LP on their
shelves? And yet, there will continue to be the desire to watch old favorites. The
advantage of a new machine is that it is likely to make your old tapes look better than
ever.
Also, there's a huge industry involved in the rental of
tapes, and that's not likely to go away anytime soon. Certainly, DVDs are increasingly
prominent in video shops, but they are mainly of current titles; most oddball or historic
material is likely to be available only on tape. If that's your taste, you'll have to
stick with the VCR for now.
Not-so-big bucks
It seems hard to believe that the original VCRs -- clunkers
that they were compared to today's models -- went for something like $1000 a pop. Now you
can pick up a hi-fi unit for not much more than $100, and the level of performance will be
much greater than what you could buy even a few years ago.
The VCR was designed with a minimum level of performance in
mind, in order to keep costs down, and the format is still well below other forms of video
storage and transmission, but that doesn't mean improvements haven't been made. Today's
machines tend to have much less video noise than older units, for instance, and things
like 19-micron heads mean that clarity is much greater than before, even with slow-speed
recordings.
Upgraded technology
One of the best-kept secrets in video is the existence of a
long-standing bit of premium technology called Super VHS or SVHS. This was developed years
ago with the knowledge that normal tape was essentially a low-quality medium; the upgrade
allowed the recording of tapes that matched off-air quality.
It languished mainly because Hollywood refused to consider
dual inventory of their video movies, and released nothing in the improved format,
preferring to use the laserdisc as their high-quality medium (and pretty sparingly at
that), until the advent of DVD.
With no software to play on it, most people didn't consider
SVHS, even though every S machine can play regular tapes as well. Where the format shines
is in recordings you make yourself. "Time-shifting" in the SVHS format involves
minimal loss of picture quality, even when recordings are made at the six-hour speed.
Two things have made SVHS more accessible in recent years.
One is that prices have dropped dramatically, bringing the machines much closer to the
cost of a good, regular VHS recorder. The other is that a version of SVHS has been
developed that uses regular cassettes, rather than the special (premium) tape that was
formerly required. For people who do a lot of recording, SVHS is an excellent option.
Here today
Not surprisingly, given VCR's long run, there are new
recording technologies to challenge it. For instance, recordable DVDs are available at the
consumer level, although the existence of three separate incompatible standards is likely
to deter buyers. In the end, one of these may well rule the market, but that is probably
years off. For now, the VCR is a present, inexpensive reality for anyone who wants to make
and save video recordings.
Similarly, hard-disk video recording systems -- PVRs -- are
available, but even they require another medium for permanent storage. Once their
considerable capacity is taken up, anything you want to keep for the long term has to be
copied to something like videotape.
Tapes to grandma
Whatever new technologies appear, video will remain a
tape-based world for a long time to come. Even if you decide to embrace one of the newer
formats when they become current, most people won't for quite a while, so if you are in
the habit of exchanging video recordings with family or friends, they will inevitably have
to be in the form of regular VHS tapes. You can do yourself and your correspondents a
favor by upgrading, ensuring that the tapes you exchange will be of the best quality
possible.
Video revolutionized how we used our television sets and
our leisure time. Rivals are appearing to challenge the rule of the VCR, but on the basis
of cost, convenience, and familiarity, it's hard to match the old technology.
...Ian G. Masters
ian@mastersonaudio.com
|
