I am just wondering about the preferences of people who do a lot of trading.

I am going to be going on a "SP ONLY" diet :) I've gotten the shaft in a couple of trades based on the quality of tapes done in SLP. I recently put in a tape from a rather large trade and while I was told the quality was "good" when I watched it I couldn't even hardly make out the characters. The quality may have been initally good but when it gets transferred in SLP down the road it becomes unwatchable.

I get emails that say but I want to fit more episodes on a tape. But what good are they if the quality is poor?

I do tape off of TV, straight off of TV, in SLP because I tape an excessive about of TV shows and taping in SP would just be ridiculous. But those copy just fine in SP when I tape them for someone else.

I was just wondering what everyone's preferences are and the reasoning behind it.

I will be adamantly sticking to my SP only policy in trading. If I am going to spend the time and the money to trade, buy tapes, mail, etc...I want tapes that will be worthwhile to watch and to pass on to others.

Hey Jamie,will you get ahold of me on aim:wave: :D


Im also on the sp thing,I officially changed today:D

To me, if you're planning on using particular shows for a lot of trading, you're better off taping in sp. I prefer slp in trading, if the quality is decent, but things like "Sgt. Bilko" would never have been able to withstand so much copying if they'd been in slp. I trade for shows that we'd like as a family, and if the shows end up not in as good a quality as I was told and/or hoping for, I just keep them to ourselves, without listing them on my "have" list.

With shows that we can watch over and over, not just a few times when it's all said and done, really ought to be in sp. Shows that we'd be happy to watch just once or twice, slp is sufficient.

I trade tapes of equal speed when it's something I really want, but if it came right down to it, if two people had the identical shows, I'd probably go with the slp. At the rate we're going, we're going to have to put on an addition to our house if I don't quit this newfound hobby. It's a nice "problem" to have. :rotflmao:

I can see your reasoning for wanting to tape in slp mode when you tape ALOT which most of you do. Looking at my MAD ABOUT YOU collection (all taped in SP mode) I can't imagine having to do the same for all the stuff you guys have. I'm not as big of a collector either I am not even CLOSE to haveing 10% of the stuff you guys have...

My experiance however has taught me that videos I taped in SP mode last a considerable amount longer with much better quality than tapes I recorded in ep or slp mode.

I record everything I want to keep in SP mode now (have been for several years now) because there are a lot of tapes from the late 80's & very early 90's that were recorded in ep/slp mode where over time teh quality has declined conciderably but other tapes in SP mode from the same era have faired much better.

My personal thought is this....
Tape in SP if you want it to last
after all the work you put into capturing it for your collection
and the chance that you might not be able to retape off tv
again in 5 years when the tape wears out, its just safer.
Trade in sp or slp mode
I'd Leave it up to the individual trade. If they are trading
you slp then thats how you send it. If they are purchasing
from you SP should cost more because its more tapes &
shipping not to mention better quality.

Tape trading has not yet become a hobby of mine like it has for so many of you but I am never home so I do record a lot of TV & stay up till 1am to watch my shows. I notice a deffinate differance in my Thursday tape where I have to tape in SLP mode (because I am not home to swap the tape for MUST SEE TV NBC) & my other weekday tapes where I just record in SP.
Its the call of the individual really but I'd rather have MY ORIGINAL tapes be of the highest or best quality if not just for myself & when trading, having the option. The quality from SP orig to SLP is better than SLP to SLP & the more tapes get traded, the more the quality declines. Not to mention the more times your orig. tape gets played the more the quality declines.

Kukie
http://master-egypt.com/Maxell/images/VHS3.jpg

I'm an SP fan too now. I used to trade in SLP if someone said the quality was very good but I learned from experience that you can't always take people's word for it. NOT that they're lying on purpose or anything, but everyone's idea of "very good" is different and sometimes their idea of "very good" is not my idea of "very good" and vice versa. Did that make any sense? I hope so. Very good! :D

Originally posted by GrapeJelly
NOT that they're lying on purpose or anything, but everyone's idea of "very good" is different and sometimes their idea of "very good" is not my idea of "very good" and vice versa. Did that make any sense? I hope so. Very good! :D

GrapeJelly, that made absolutely complete sense. To me, one of the hardest things about this hobby is gauging quality. I've been selling books for four years, and I'm just now getting to the point where I'm confident about gauging the quality of a book, let alone videos. It is safest all around to under estimate than to over estimate to my way of thinking, and it is hard to draw the line. You don't want to undersell yourself, either.

By the way, GrapeJelly, do you really like grape jelly? I always wonder that when I see your ID.

:bye:

To me it depends on my quality of what they want. If its older shows I ask that we both tape in SP, but if it's the newer shows usually SLP is fine. Or if its something i really want I will ask for SP also.

I recently taped someone 6 6 hour tapes (36 hours in SLP) and got 6 6 hour tapes back but it was 12 hours in SP. After we had both agreed on SLP mode and that kinda made me a little angry as I sit there and did 36 hours and got 12 so I always try to make sure me and whomever I am trading with tape in the same speed so there's no hard feelings!

I like to trade in SP And SLP it just depends on the tape and show

Originally posted by Lucy & Desi fan
i like slp


Yes but what is the point of taping in SLP if the quality is so diminished that by the time you try and trade it you are sending someone crap? Don't you want to have video's that are watchable?

I think I've reached a point now that I have enough good stuff to offer in a trade that if someone wants to trade with me they will accept my SP ONLY policy.

It's a waste of time to tape and trade in SLP for me when I'm not going to be able to watch or trade what I'm getting. :(

I trade in sp or slp

Originally posted by Jeneric


By the way, GrapeJelly, do you really like grape jelly? I always wonder that when I see your ID.

:bye:

Actually, yes, grape is my jelly of choice! :D

I tape and trade in SLP. Because you can fit more episodes on a tape and you can rewind and fast forward quicker.

If I were ever to start trading, I would use & appreciate getting SP. Not only is the picture & sound quality much better, it almost always guarantees VCR compatability. By that I mean, in some SLP recordings, I've had to endure lots of "noise bars" and other technical difficulties with the tape, while on some SLP recordings, it's adequate. But, in SP I've never experienced trouble. Even on a 15 year old tape the picture remained clear and the sound, while not Sony digital quality is at least audible...does anyone really know what causes noise bars and how to eliminate them?

To all my traders: I used to be an SLP person... trade in SLP, tape in SLP... that time has passed. I used to be SP... trade in SP, tape in SP... that time has also passed.

Now, I commonly tape in Beta-III (on my Betacord) on an L-500 or L-750 cassette... I sometimes use L-830 or L-250... I just never use Beta-II on an L-250!!!

Does anyone else use a Beta format for their taping?

I find that Beta-III and an L-750 cassette can give me 4 1/2 hours of taping that no VHS format could compare with!

My rules for trading Beta and VHS are:
1. Beta for Beta -- I do NOT trade Beta unless someone else is trading Beta with me. This is because Beta cassettes are rare, and cyberspace is the only place to get them.
2. SP for SP -- If trading for an SP tape, I will provide SP.
3. SLP for SLP -- If you give me an SLP tape, you sure-as-h*** have better gotten an SLP tape from me, because I WILL NOT accept an SLP tape from anyone if I trade SP.

I'm a convert to the SP, vs. slp, too, now. After only two playings of Ozzie & Harriets I got in slp, they bounce just a tad. Enough to irritate my eyes and well enough to not dub for someone else. While I won't refuse trading slp with particular trading pals, I'd certainly prefer sp, that's for sure, especially for shows that are keepers.

:wave:

I bought my first VCR in 1980 and have been rcording in the SP mode since day one! Because tape was so expensive back then, I had to be very selective as to what I had taped. And now, with tape being so cheap I've amassed well over 2000 tapes in my collection. And the stuff that I taped back in those early years....well I don't even watch it because it is starting to 'blip'. Now I'm in the mindset of upgrading the collection to DVD. I've been buying complete TV series, but I can see the day coming when I'm going to have to transfer my videotape rariites to DVD.

My experience is that the first copy from TV in SLP is fine, but SP is appropriate for subsequent generations of a tape that will be potentially copied multiple times. I always ask for SLP in trades, since I generally only copy my originally recorded tapes to trade to others, not tapes acquired in trade.

I have used SLP to tape from TV since 1982. Virtually all of my tapes from twenty years ago are still fine. Concerning the original copy from TV, I find that more important than the tape speed is the quality of the tape itself and how it is stored (avoiding moisture is most important). The only tapes I have which now have problems are the "brand x" tapes.

I find it hard to see any difference in picture quality in one generation of copy, and when you can get three times as much on one tape, SP just is not cost effective for a collection off TV.

I have copied my SLP tapes to SP for traders who were very particular about SP quality, and they had trouble believing that my originals weren't SP.