I want to record the entire series of Chico & The Man and I would like some advice on what brand and grade of videotape to purchase in order for me to be able to preserve the series for many years to come? Also, would you record in the SP or EP mode? Thanks for any advice.

hi mst,
i have been taping chico and the man on "Sony" (any grand of Sony).the 6hr. tape and i record on EP because it gives the 6hrs. i need to record a total of 12 episodes of chico and the man.the SP is only for 2hrs.i tape almost everything on Sony tapes because it seems to last longer for me and i have had too many problems in the past with other brands. i hope this was helpful for you.welcome to the board

If quality is important to you than I would recommend the 8 hour Sony tapes and record them in SP mode/ 5 episodes per tape. You would get 2 hours, 40 minutes in SP so this allows you a little extra space if you are programming your VCR.

It's only a matter of time before there are recordable DVDs and that is what everybody will tape in as DVDs don't degrade after multiple viewings.

I have things taped in SLP mode from 10-15 years and they still play fine. Preservation is key, you want to store your tapes upright and keep them dust free.

I've been taping in SLP the longest mode so I can fit more on a tape. If you don't tape the commercials, you can fit more in. Someone had mentioned on these boards that they had edited some stuff out of one episode. I wonder if they did that to others?