Recording my games to big chunky VHS casetts.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Tonight I had a really great experience. I was able to get a new VHS tape player with RCA input and output. This meant that I could record my games at full speed while playing them at full speed. Nothing like being able to record 6 hours of full speed gaming. I've never had the chance to really record games at full speed before via my computer. I have tried to play games in an emulator and then record them but it always was too taxing to do both. There is no better "retro" experience than recording a game tournament of classic 90's console games from the actual hardware onto a big chunky VHS tape at full speed. I went out and bought a 6 hour blank tape for two dollars. I pulled it out and thought to myself, that this was a very chunky manly looking recording medium durable and something that I would not easily misplace. I grew up on these but it had been some time since I had recorded to one. I know a lot of people will complain about quality because of the RCA cables, VHS tape and CRT television but this was a great experience. There was our game secession, being played on the real console at full speed being recorded at full speed. Just as the stone age man of the early 90's might have done it.

For what it's worth I played TurboGrafx and them some Wii games.

We complain about many older things but tonight I did what modern technology makes very difficult. It almost felt like I was making one of those game videos they used to publish.

So here is to our old friend the chunky VHS cassette and playing on the real console. I also can record from my more current systems since the VHS player has multiple input types. Now the quality might be a bit lower but it doesn't matter so much to me. I've very content with my possessions and am quite happy with this old technology adapting to video new consoles.

[captpain]

VHS is fun. I've recorded myself playing NES a few times and there's something so straightforward and appealing about the whole situation.

Also, the reason people collect old gear still is partly because science and my brain have both proven that playing things on the actual hardware makes them more fun.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I guess that is the appeal. It is just SO simple. You turn on both devices and then hit record. It records at full speed and there is no lagging. In the mean time you are off playing the real hardware while the tape records in the background.

I'm glad the first post wasn't writing me off as a nut.

[Ed Oscuro]

Looks like a Hardware topic actually. VHS certainly is cheaper and simpler than many of the alternatives. Hard drive recording can be pixel-perfect but I expect you need a signal splitter (+amplifier) for either recording to a DVR or on a PC. Most people really won't need the extra resolution, and especially not on an old system like the NES where the idea of pixel-perfect quality is laughable anyway (unless you have a Sharp Famicom Titler). I do have the stuff I'd need to do NES recordings to PC, but I'd need that signal splitter or a powerful PC to be able to keep up with the action at a good clip while you're recording it to a drive.

[Ghegs]

Moved to Hardware.

I guess that is the appeal. It is just SO simple. You turn on both devices and then hit record. It records at full speed and there is no lagging. In the mean time you are off playing the real hardware while the tape records in the background.

I do the exact same thing with my DVD Recorder. And yeah, I have a heavy-duty scart switch handling all the signals.

Are you planning on digitizing that video of yours for others to see?

[Ed Oscuro]

I do the exact same thing with my DVD Recorder.

This works for RCA-style, S-Video, and component signals, correct? As always, wondering about the RGB side of things.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Moved to Hardware.

I guess that is the appeal. It is just SO simple. You turn on both devices and then hit record. It records at full speed and there is no lagging. In the mean time you are off playing the real hardware while the tape records in the background.

I do the exact same thing with my DVD Recorder. And yeah, I have a heavy-duty scart switch handling all the signals.

Are you planning on digitizing that video of yours for others to see?

I might but then lossy conversion comes into play. I don't know how much the quality will go down hill when converting from VHS to the computer. VHS is fair enough for recording games, especially low res ones played on a CRT television. Another problem is space, you can store 6 hours of video on a VHS tape but DVD seems to store less in most cases.

There is really only one thing that I would like to do next. That is to add some sort of microphone layer to the audio. I'm not really sure how to do this. The only signals being received and sent right now are the RCA signals. Is there any way to add a mic to the audio? It is great to have the game captured perfectly but it would also be nice to hear peoples commentary as I bash them into oblivion. Part of the fun in playing games with friends is taunting them when they are loosing.

[cools]

Split the audio out, run it and a microphone into a mixer, feed the mixer output in to the VCR.

[Ghegs]

I do the exact same thing with my DVD Recorder.

This works for RCA-style, S-Video, and component signals, correct? As always, wondering about the RGB side of things.

I play and record everything in RGB. All my consoles (including the Famicom and PCE DUO-R) output RGB and my DVD Recorder accepts RGB signal quite happily.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Thanks for all the help. I now have a perfect recording setup that takes up to 4 mics for commentary.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d80c3fceea

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for all the help. I now have a perfect recording setup that takes up to 4 mics for commentary.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d80c3fceea

So Grandma can get in on the action too? Hell, you could even dedicate a mic to dog farts I bet.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Thanks for all the help. I now have a perfect recording setup that takes up to 4 mics for commentary.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... d80c3fceea

So Grandma can get in on the action too? Hell, you could even dedicate a mic to dog farts I bet.

Or cat farts for that matter. Lol ^_~

Yeah, there is something about the ease of recording to the VHS tape medium. Granted, there are still plently of those cool superplays on VHS format that need to be converted to DVD-R for posterity and safekeeping (considering the average VHS tape lasts for about 20 years give or take and the fact of degradation of tape during playback).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~