VHS players???

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:09 pm

I was thinking about buying a VHS player since there's a lot of anime out there that's cheaper on VHS than on DVD (Black Magic M-66, Angel Cop, etc.).

The issue is that I don't know where to start. There are the DVD/VHS combo units that can output S-Video/Component/HDMI, and can upscale to 1080p. The deal is that I run everything thru a XRGB2 (since I'm lacking room ATM).

So the question is what are good the VHS only units and the good VHS/DVD combo units?

Any advice would help, and we all know that not all VHS players are created equal.

Note: If this helps the XRGB2 can upscale composite, S-Video, and JP SCART RGB.

Also yes I know I can download the titles that I want to buy, but I like to own them if you know what I mean.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:12 pm

I know what you mean, I am all about owning something i can actualy touch and hold.

Depends on where your shopping dude. Are you in the USA or EU? Not that it matters if you get a multiregion DVD. thing is anime on VHS is old and chances are its knackered before you even get to watch it as the tape does not age that great.

You will be very hard pushed to find a VHS player which wont chew them out too.

Be a man. get that extra 2GBP out and get the DVD.

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:19 pm

in my experience with VHS( which ended almost a decade ago

) is that they tend to stand up ok but once they have been viewed and rewound about 20 times...then the image starts to go downhill quick...once the tape starts to get stretched the quality is utter shit....

avoid VHS....pretty much anything you want has been re-issued for DVD anyways as lordstar said

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:27 pm

yes Lordstar correct. I talk complete utter shit 99% of the time but I assure you that this would be that rare 1% of awesome gem of information that you need to hear. i mean fuck bluray for now, DVD is not that pricey at all dude.

http://www.dvdboxoffice.com/search.aspx ... 6-21945071

free P&P to the EU. and great prices. I know you know about cables and 1080p and shit so i dont need to inform you about the regions on DVDs

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:30 pm

Lordstar wrote:I know what you mean, I am all about owning something i can actualy touch and hold.

Depends on where your shopping dude. Are you in the USA or EU? Not that it matters if you get a multiregion DVD. thing is anime on VHS is old and chances are its knackered before you even get to watch it as the tape does not age that great.

You will be very hard pushed to find a VHS player which wont chew them out too.

Be a man. get that extra 2GBP out and get the DVD.

I'm in the US.

When I buy used VHS tapes I can get them brand new for cheap.

It's not a extra 2GBP, it's more like 20GBP for a DVD which the video was ripped from a VHS master, has ghosting issues from the PAL to NTSC transfer, and you only get 45 minutes out of it. Thanks Manga Video.

jonny5 wrote:in my experience with VHS( which ended almost a decade ago ) is that they tend to stand up ok but once they have been viewed and rewound about 20 times...then the image starts to go downhill quick...once the tape starts to get stretched the quality is utter shit....

avoid VHS....pretty much anything you want has been re-issued for DVD anyways as lordstar said

I don't watch them a lot. If you take care of them and get a good VHS player they can last for a very long time.

There's some Anime that I want to buy, but never had a DVD release (and will never be released on DVD). So what other choice do I have?

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:39 pm

are you sure? Give me an example of a non DVD anime thats good dude

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:51 pm

Lordstar wrote:are you sure? Give me an example of a non DVD anime thats good dude

MD Geist (not directors cut)
Dangaio
Sol Bianca (first series)
Compiler
Ultimate Teacher

There are others that I forgot, but yeah there's stuff will never have a DVD release.

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:53 pm

you sure about mdgeist.....cuz im almost positive i have that on DVD

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:56 pm

jonny5 wrote:you sure about mdgeist.....cuz im almost positive i have that on DVD

Director's Cut version. I want the original version.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:57 pm

Domino wrote:
jonny5 wrote:you sure about mdgeist.....cuz im almost positive i have that on DVD
Director's Cut version. I want the original version.

whats the difference?

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:00 pm

ya...in my experience director's cuts have added content and often more scenes that werent available in the original

is this not the case with the MDgeist directors cut?

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:04 pm

Lordstar wrote:
Domino wrote:
jonny5 wrote:you sure about mdgeist.....cuz im almost positive i have that on DVD
Director's Cut version. I want the original version.
whats the difference?

The original version is shorter, didn't have the long intro with the text, didn't have the extra animation that was in the Director's Cut, and the animation wasn't messed around with. In a way it's similar to Blade Runner's Movie version and the Director's Cut version.

And besides, I'm a huge fan of MD Geist.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:18 pm

Domino wrote:
Lordstar wrote:
Domino wrote: Director's Cut version. I want the original version.
whats the difference?
The original version is shorter, didn't have the long intro with the text, didn't have the extra animation that was in the Director's Cut, and the animation wasn't messed around with. In a way it's similar to Blade Runner's Movie version and the Director's Cut version.

And besides, I'm a huge fan of MD Geist.

But you dont have naruto on your VHS HA!

Domino · Post by **Domino** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:20 pm

Lordstar wrote:But you dont have naruto on your VHS HA!

But I don't watch "Narutard."

I like 80s animes and early 90s ones too.

mufunyo · Post by **mufunyo** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:31 pm

Quite a few anime series are on Laserdisc. That's a whole lot better than VHS.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:36 pm

mufunyo wrote:Quite a few anime series are on Laserdisc. That's a whole lot better than VHS.

Oh god yeah I forgot about them. They sure are sexy My friend used to have one of them in hong Kong better than DVD quality too I hear

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:23 pm

For Domino,

You might want to pick up a JVC VHS player since JVC was the inventor of the VHS format. They do have good frame by frame playback feature that really isn't too good on other VCRs besides the ones made by Sony. The Sony SLV-720HF VCR has excellent frame-by-frame playback in both forward and backward playback directions via shuttle jog controller on the VCR and remote (perfect for doing frame-by-frame analysis).

JVC and Sony made such S-Video VCRs that could play both VHS and S-VHS tapes. But trying to find places that sold blank S-VHS tapes was a pain in the ass. Plus the fact that they output in S-Video is a plus.

I have the Macross VHS tape that I picked at a Electronics Boutique and it was priced to move at a mere $2.00. It is different from the Clash of the Bionoids release with edited content.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

I'm Alec · Post by **I'm Alec** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:52 pm

Why are VHS players no longer called VCR's?

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:22 am

i love my VHS players.
they're much more male than those pissy dvd players with all their spoilness and penchant of not eating all CD's.
My VHS-System never let me down

mufunyo · Post by **mufunyo** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:09 am

Lordstar wrote:Oh god yeah I forgot about them. They sure are sexy My friend used to have one of them in hong Kong better than DVD quality too I hear

A good DVD will always outdo the best Laserdisc but there's a lot of shite transfers on DVD whereas Laserdiscs have a lot more effort put into them generally.

Aru-san · Post by **Aru-san** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:12 am

I'm Alec wrote:Why are VHS players no longer called VCR's?

(deleted for fact consistency)

Stormwatch · Post by **Stormwatch** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 3:49 am

I'm Alec wrote:Why are VHS players no longer called VCR's?

I'm guessing that's to make clear they're VHS, not Betamax or some other format.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:33 pm

Stormwatch wrote:
I'm Alec wrote:Why are VHS players no longer called VCR's?
I'm guessing that's to make clear they're VHS, not Betamax or some other format.

Back in the early 1980's, the VHS vs. Betamax VCR wars erupted with Victor of Japan (aka JVC in the USA) against behemoth Sony. Betamax VCRs had better resolution was still in used in some professional A/V editing circles back in the mid 1990's. Sony even sold such professional studio Betamax VCRs with S-Video output. You can even buy such Digital Betamax VCRs nowdays but be prepared to spend big bucks for that particluar setup.

In the 1983 hybrid sci-fi/horror film, Videodrome, a Betamax tape is inserted into the main character's so-called vagina that developes on his stomach. Director David Croneberg and his weird taste for technological fetish mixed with eroticism...definitely delivers the goods in Videodrome. ^_~

In the end, JVC and the Video Home System (VHS) VCR format won out against the superior Betamax format from Sony. Sony won finally in having Blu-Ray win over HD-DVD format. What new format will develop that will superceed Blu-Ray format in the nearby future?

I still haven't seen such standalone Blu-Ray recorder machines yet on the market. Plan on spending around a whopping $1,000 USD for one when they finally appear on retail shelves.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:40 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:
In the 1983 hybrid sci-fi/horror film, Videodrome, a Betamax tape is inserted into the main character's so-called vagina that developes on his stomach. Director David Croneberg and his weird taste for technological fetish mixed with eroticism...definitely delivers the goods in Videodrome. ^_~

man cronenberg rocks, how come there hasent been a "cronenberg collection" on DVD yet!?!? everyone else and their uncle hasone ffs!!

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:48 pm

sven666 wrote:
PC Engine Fan X! wrote:
In the 1983 hybrid sci-fi/horror film, Videodrome, a Betamax tape is inserted into the main character's so-called vagina that developes on his stomach. Director David Croneberg and his weird taste for technological fetish mixed with eroticism...definitely delivers the goods in Videodrome. ^_~
man cronenberg rocks, how come there hasent been a "cronenberg collection" on DVD yet!?!? everyone else and their uncle hasone ffs!!

Yeah, no DVD publisher done so yet with Cronenberg's collected film works yet.

However, for the USA DVD market, there is the limited print run of (Region 1) Criteron Collection of Videodrome that comes as a two DVD disc set and is considered the definitive version to own. This set has more content (including the behind the scenes of filming it, the incredible special effects that went into giving such everyday high-tech A/V equipment such a living and breathing entity, etc.) than what was released on the single DVD disc version of Videodrome.

It sold for a asking price of $34.99 USD and only the hard-core sci-fi/horror fans snapped it up for their own DVD collection. I'm glad to have gotten a Critereon Collection copy of Videodrome myself when it was still available at retail. It has since then been retired. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Stormwatch · Post by **Stormwatch** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:38 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Betamax VCRs had better resolution was still in used in some professional A/V editing circles back in the mid 1990's. Sony even sold such professional studio Betamax VCRs with S-Video output. You can even buy such Digital Betamax VCRs nowdays but be prepared to spend big bucks for that particluar setup.

I guess you may actually mean Betacam.

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:43 pm

mufunyo wrote:
Lordstar wrote:Oh god yeah I forgot about them. They sure are sexy My friend used to have one of them in hong Kong better than DVD quality too I hear
A good DVD will always outdo the best Laserdisc but there's a lot of shite transfers on DVD whereas Laserdiscs have a lot more effort put into them generally.

My only experience of laserdisc is through anime ripped from them, and in general they're not a pretty sight.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:06 pm

FIL wrote:
mufunyo wrote:
Lordstar wrote:Oh god yeah I forgot about them. They sure are sexy My friend used to have one of them in hong Kong better than DVD quality too I hear
A good DVD will always outdo the best Laserdisc but there's a lot of shite transfers on DVD whereas Laserdiscs have a lot more effort put into them generally.
My only experience of laserdisc is through anime ripped from them, and in general they're not a pretty sight.

At least, they're better than VHS medium which degrades every time one plays them back.

Octopod · Post by **Octopod** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:57 am

I love my VHS player. There are so many movies i like that still dont have a DVD release and i can only assume will never get one. I waited for years for Night of the Comet to get a DVD release. I just bought Barbarian Queen 1 and 2 new old stock VHS tapes on ebay. I guess someone must have found a warehouse find because they had 99 lots available. These movies did get a double feature DVD release a while back but it seems to be in short supply and the last copy i saw on ebay was well over $100. The two VHS tapes cost me 18.99 shipped.
Anyways, if you are into low budget / obscure sci-fi, fantasy and horror movies a VHS player is a need. Beside VHS cover art was awesome.

beam · Post by **beam** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:26 pm

Domino wrote:
Lordstar wrote:are you sure? Give me an example of a non DVD anime thats good dude
Dangaio
There are others that I forgot, but yeah there's stuff will never have a DVD release.

There's a taiwanese legal dvd release for cheap there. Shipping costs are killers but it worth the price.
This is the definitive edition on 2 dvds. Picture is gorgeous for such an old anime. It's on par with the japanese release which is way costly. There's no english at all (japanese with removale chinese subtitle only) but, if you saw the old mangled uk tape or the streamline pictures ones, you should be right on track with such an elaborate story

.