What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Talk about music, movies, television, books, and other media. No religious or political discussion allowed.
User avatar
astrodomekid
Posts: 183
Joined: September 10th, 2016, 12:48 pm

What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby astrodomekid » August 4th, 2021, 10:29 am

Like many people here, I have a lot of fond memories with VHS tapes, even though my childhood was spent during the early 2000's. By that point, DVD's were already taking over and VHS ultimately wouldn't last long in the "digital millennium". But despite what you might have been told, it wasn't for lack of trying. A new digital-based format known as D-VHS tried to help the tried-and-true VHS experience adapt with the times, but failed due to poor marketing, compatibility issues between different players, three different recording speeds that confused consumers, and the fact that Firewire support - which was required for recording live TV - was rarely found on TV's and cable boxes of the time. And it's sad because based on what I've heard (as I do not yet have any D-VHS tapes or a D-VHS player) the picture quality still holds up to this day, which is pretty impressive considering it's origins.

So I just started thinking: if vinyl records could make a comeback, what if someone built on the groundwork laid by D-VHS to create a new 4K-VHS format? If that format was marketed better, offered more universal compatibility (including backwards compatibility with all previous generations of VHS, plus higher-quality parts to reduce the risk of "chewing", tape getting stuck, etc.), and could record live TV more easily - all on one convenient speed that's less confusing for consumers while offering plenty of storage capacity to spare - do you think it could succeed? I'd love to see a true VHS revival at some point, and perhaps this could be a good way to re-introduce the format to a new generation.

User avatar
ActRaiser
Posts: 1544
Joined: April 8th, 2015, 12:38 pm

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby ActRaiser » August 4th, 2021, 10:44 am

Nope, not for me. I'll take instant access any day versus spending 3 minutes rewinding a tape to get back to the beginning. Good riddance.

matmico399
Posts: 1419
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 6:11 pm

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby matmico399 » August 4th, 2021, 11:34 am

Good post, I didn't even know that existed. Sadly I would say it probably won't. Although I will say Iif you have a large collection of VHS some of the titles go for very good money. But it's mostly just the Disney classics with a few others thrown in there

Teddybear
Posts: 212
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:50 pm

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby Teddybear » August 4th, 2021, 1:14 pm

I still have many VHS tapes (MTV from the '80's) that I occasionally watch but like audio cassette tapes, this format shouldn't be resurrected. The appeal of backwards compatibility is doubtful as either the remaining few of us still have working VCRs or scrapped the medium a long time ago. And there is no way a new machine is going to make my 1989-recorded Headbangers' Ball look or sound any better.

However, I will fight to the death for DVD and audio CDs (and players) to remain in circulation!

User avatar
MSR1701
Posts: 1509
Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby MSR1701 » August 4th, 2021, 2:22 pm

The gaming store that I frequent started buying and selling old VHS tapes, and is always an interesting sight. According to one of the associates when they started really moving stock, "millennials are really into these."

Of note was that they were willing to buy up almost any movie/series, with the exception of Disney, citing that Disney+ has killed the Disney physical movie resell market.

I have fond memories of VHS every so often (usually of commercials before Star Trek VI (with Cool World trailer and an ad for something called "Video Rental...;-) ) and The Land Before Time (which had a GREAT Pizza Hut ad)), and I do miss the old VHS copy of Star Trek The Motion Picture, which was an extended cut that you cannot find in any other format.

User avatar
MSR1701
Posts: 1509
Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby MSR1701 » August 4th, 2021, 2:23 pm

Teddybear wrote:I still have many VHS tapes (MTV from the '80's) that I occasionally watch but like audio cassette tapes, this format shouldn't be resurrected. The appeal of backwards compatibility is doubtful as either the remaining few of us still have working VCRs or scrapped the medium a long time ago. And there is no way a new machine is going to make my 1989-recorded Headbangers' Ball look or sound any better.

However, I will fight to the death for DVD and audio CDs (and players) to remain in circulation!

With BluRay being compatible with DVD and CDs, here's hoping!!!

User avatar
Matchstick
Posts: 977
Joined: October 26th, 2017, 6:45 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby Matchstick » August 4th, 2021, 6:06 pm

As a self-described "tapehead," I find a lot of the charm of videotape and cassettes to be their iffy quality. I still regularly tape broadcast TV onto my VCR (especially during NHL playoff season) and I love making custom mixtapes and soundtracks to this day, designing my own case artwork and labels for the tapes, themselves.

I know the cassettes I make aren't going to sound as sharp as a CD, and many of my older retail tapes are finally biting the dust, and won't play without some slowdown or a bit of warble. Part of the fun of owning a tape deck is maintaining it, regularly cleaning it and adjusting the timing screw to make sure the tape is playing back at the correct speed. Anyone who owned a Walkman back in the day can relate to the last part, I'm sure.

The best thing about tape, in my opinion, is the ease of use in recording. Just get it ready, press "Record," and when you're finished, press "Stop." Done! No fiddling with file formats or managing storage. And if you goof, feel free to tape over it, over and over again. My main VCR tape is a duplicate copy of Return of the Jedi which I've been taping over for a good 25 years now. My Walkman "taping tape" has gone through a few versions over the years, and I still keep a small stash of demos and jamming that me and my buddies made back in high school. I just love the spontaneity of recording live music to cassette.

Plus, how much fun is it to watch an old recorded TV broadcast and see all the classic ads?? I still have an old ESPN National Hockey Night tape, featuring commercials of Jeff Goldblum trying to sell me an iMac. Congrats, Jeff - it worked :lol:

MSR1701 wrote:...commercials before Star Trek VI (with Cool World trailer and an ad for something called "Video Rental...;-) ) and The Land Before Time (which had a GREAT Pizza Hut ad)...

I love the ads on retail videotapes. I never skip them. What a time capsule! I can't imagine watching Batman without the classic ad for Diet Coke ("Just look for the black car...") or the shameless self-promotion of Warner Bros. trying to sell me their stupid ball cap - and using Bugs and Daffy to do it!

I guess I'd be curious about trying out a digital tape format, so long as the ease-of-use remained. It is nice to have a hard copy to fall back on, especially for things you didn't think you'd actually miss 20 years down the line - like those damned commercials.

User avatar
MSR1701
Posts: 1509
Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby MSR1701 » August 4th, 2021, 6:22 pm

Or the Indiana Jones VHS with the Adventure! Diet Coke ad...

https://youtu.be/qDO6iNafSek

CharlieR
Posts: 429
Joined: April 23rd, 2016, 8:04 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby CharlieR » August 5th, 2021, 12:31 pm

I love vhs. I have homemade Simpsons vhs tapes that are thirty years old that play fine. I like vhs a lot better than dvd, to be honest. Just pop a tape in and play. With movies, you can skip the trailers, which you can't always do with dvd. I hear vhs tapes can wear out over time, but all mine seem to work fine. When a dvd starts to skip, it's the beginning of the end...

It seems every household has at least 30 dvd movies they haven't watched in ten years.

User avatar
MSR1701
Posts: 1509
Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am

Re: What if a new 4K-VHS format existed?

Postby MSR1701 » August 5th, 2021, 12:55 pm

CharlieR wrote:I love vhs. I have homemade Simpsons vhs tapes that are thirty years old that play fine. I like vhs a lot better than dvd, to be honest. Just pop a tape in and play. With movies, you can skip the trailers, which you can't always do with dvd. I hear vhs tapes can wear out over time, but all mine seem to work fine. When a dvd starts to skip, it's the beginning of the end...

It seems every household has at least 30 dvd movies they haven't watched in ten years.

I remember having a LOT of dying VHS Disney n Star Trek tapes... VHS can and will wear out if you watch them enough (and Lord knows I watched Star Trek n Land Before Time enough, to say nothing of home recordings of Power Rangers...


Return to “Other Media”