Hi,

I've been lurking on this site for quite a while and have yet to make a trade. However, I was curious about something:
Nobody (well, almost nobody)seems to be trading on DVD-R! What's up with that?

I started taping 90210 a couple of years ago and I've been interested in TV collecting ever since I found sites like tvtome and epguides.com. The only reason I taped 90210 on VHS was so that in the event they dropped out of syndication I would have a backup set. But I held off on collecting anything else until I got digital cable (DirectTV) and a DVD recorder. I don't know what analog cable is like elsewhere, but here in Maine it was awfull! Everything had a haze in the background.

Obviously, I'm a quality freak. But it seems kind of pointless to put all that time into taping a series only to end up with tapes that look like crap 5-10 years down the road.

With some DVD recorders selling on Ebay for under $400 the prices are lower than ever. With my HS-2 I can record a show to my hard drive, edit the commercials and put it on a DVD. When I'm done with the disc, I can go directly to any episode on the disc via the menu. Each episode consists of aprx 4 chapters.

I love my DVD recorder and I definitely wouldn't be collecting TV shows without it.

I was just curious as to what your opinions were regarding VHS v DVD. How many of you are planning on getting a DVD recorder. And how inportant is picture quality/longevity?

Originally posted by dafoe241
Hi,

I've been lurking on this site for quite a while and have yet to make a trade. However, I was curious about something:
Nobody (well, almost nobody)seems to be trading on DVD-R! What's up with that?

I started taping 90210 a couple of years ago and I've been interested in TV collecting ever since I found sites like tvtome and epguides.com. The only reason I taped 90210 on VHS was so that in the event they dropped out of syndication I would have a backup set. But I held off on collecting anything else until I got digital cable (DirectTV) and a DVD recorder. I don't know what analog cable is like elsewhere, but here in Maine it was awfull! Everything had a haze in the background.

Obviously, I'm a quality freak. But it seems kind of pointless to put all that time into taping a series only to end up with tapes that look like crap 5-10 years down the road.

With some DVD recorders selling on Ebay for under $400 the prices are lower than ever. With my HS-2 I can record a show to my hard drive, edit the commercials and put it on a DVD. When I'm done with the disc, I can go directly to any episode on the disc via the menu. Each episode consists of aprx 4 chapters.

I love my DVD recorder and I definitely wouldn't be collecting TV shows without it.

I was just curious as to what your opinions were regarding VHS v DVD. How many of you are planning on getting a DVD recorder. And how inportant is picture quality/longevity?


As a single mother on a very tight budget (if that's even what you want to call it) I simly cannot afford a DVD Recorder and probably won't be able to any time in the future. I'd love to have one but I'd also love to have a husband that's not happening anytime in the future :lol:

I also prefer to tape and trade VHS because it's more accessible and there is more of an opportunity to trade. if you are trading DVDR only you are gonna have a rough time finding people to trade with you becuase not a lot of people have it.

Quality IS important to me which is WHY I ONLY TRADE IN SP. DVD-R is not a feasible option for myself at this time unfortunately.

My next purchase, if I am ever able to do so, will be one of those Go Deck VCR's.

Hang in there. DVD recorders are getting cheaper everyday. I paid $750 (each) for both of mine. But Apex just released or soon will release a DVD recorder for under $500. I wouldn't be surprised to see it show up at WalMart at $199-$249 in time for Christmas.

Furthermore, generic DVDs are actually cheaper than tapes. When I taped 90210 I was taping in SP mode on Sony Premium Grade tapes- not cheap WalMart junk. The cost per tape was aprx $1.35

On DVD in SP mode I get 2 hours and the DVD costs 85 cents including shipping. Of course I'm so anal retentive I use XP mode (highest possible setting) wich only allows for one show per disc.
For everything else I use SP mode. I can fit 5 half hour episodes on one DVD.

I have a lot of respect for anybody who raises a child alone. I'm sure it's very difficult, especially financially. I'm not suggesting that you do anything illegal, but I've seen people getting very generous prices for complete series/seasons on Ebay and Yahoo.

Yahoo seems to be better about leaving people alone. Ebay will occasionally pull auctions. I had a bid in for a complete set of Moonlighting. It was pulled and I never saw it again. :mad: I was going to record that show on Bravo but decided to wait until I got my DVD recorder and then they pulled it! Same thing happened with Facts Of Life. Oh well.

Anyway, good luck to you whatever you decide to do.

dafoe,
I've just recently purchased a DVD Burner for my computer and have been capturing TV Shows direct to my computer for some time. I've mostly captured the shows direct to VCD format due to the inexpensive cost of CDR's. I certainly prefer VCD's to VHS if they are captured properly, but I'm sure DVD will be even better. I may start capturing to DVD beginning next season and see how it goes.
Out of curiosity, what programs other than 90210 do you have on DVD?

I am still recording 90210 to DVD. I have seasons 1-6 Minus the episodes here and there that FX felt like skipping.

Right now I am doing:

Who's the Boss
Roseanne
Saved By The Bell
90210

I'm also trying to fill a few holes in others:
Cosby
Three's Company
Cheers
Family Ties- nearly complete

Partial Runs:
Brady Bunch
Happy Days

I also record a lot of sports- mainly Boston teams

Doing DVD with a capture card made me nervous. There are just too many variables when it comes to PCs which is why I went with the set-top recorder(s). I don't know much about capture cards but I do know what a pain in the butt PCs are. And as a computer junkie, I would see questions/problems regarding them all the time in PC Video forums

But I do love my PC DVD burner. I copy.... er, I mean backup tons of movies and PS2 games.

I would definitely check out the DVDRs. Best Buy is selling 2x TDK DVD-/+R for $1.80 something with free shipping.

I have a ton of stuff on DVD-R. I am a quality freak as well and most of the stuff was direct from satellite. Other older stuff looks as good as a first generation VHS because the burn to DVD looks just like the tape. I too am looking for quality trades on DVD-R. Check out my DVD tading page at www.geocities.com/dvdtrader2003

Thanks

thanks

Hello dafoe241,

How complete is your Family Ties set?

I would be interested in a trade. Here is my email.

CAJLinKAGO@hotmail.com

I'm obessed with quality and plan on purchasing a DVD recorder as soon as they drop under $300. I'm not going the PC capture route because I too get nervous with all the possible glitches. I'm gonna wait to get an actual recorder where I can go straight from my tv or vcr.

My biggest problem is that as each year goes by, our illustrious (note sarcasm) TV stations (take your pick of any of the national ones) continue to delete more and more from the shows for the purposes of commercials. Then to top it off, most stations can't even give us the ending credits without voice overs or split screens. What I really wish is that I could buy a DVD Recorder, jump in a time machine and go back about 30 years, and get FULL LENGTH recordings of all my faves (The Fugitive, Andy Griffith Show, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, etc).

B&W "my biggest beef is that the dvd's being released today from the companies are almost exclusively newer shows - only a few classics have been released to dvd) fan

Originally posted by B&W fan
What I really wish is that I could buy a DVD Recorder, jump in a time machine and go back about 30 years, and get FULL LENGTH recordings of all my faves (The Fugitive, Andy Griffith Show, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, etc).

B&W "my biggest beef is that the dvd's being released today from the companies are almost exclusively newer shows - only a few classics have been released to dvd) fan

I must say, you have very good taste in shows. :D It irritates me, too, that the good oldies are hard to come by on DVD, while many consider anything pre-2000 old. That's the main reason I'm getting a DVD burner.

The quote on your signature is great! Is it possible that there's a another Charlie Chan buff on this board? Not to mention the spiritual implications! I'm a baptist pastor's wife myself, and I'm glad to meet you!

:wave:

Originally posted by Agent 13
I must say, you have very good taste in shows. :D It irritates me, too, that the good oldies are hard to come by on DVD, while many consider anything pre-2000 old. That's the main reason I'm getting a DVD burner.

The quote on your signature is great! Is it possible that there's a another Charlie Chan buff on this board? Not to mention the spiritual implications! I'm a baptist pastor's wife myself, and I'm glad to meet you!

:wave:

Wow! Wonders never cease. I come here to post from time to time and rarely do I meet anyone who actually likes the older shows (and like you say, anything pre-2000 seems to be "older" nowdays).

I am a Charlie Chan fan (I have all the movies recorded on vhs - uncut and without commercials) and in fact his movies will be among the first I record over to dvd.

You are a very discerning person, Agent 13. I'm a minister myself, and have a wonderful wife and two little girls who are being brought up on the classics only (my kids have no idea about the modern garbage on tv now because we just don't watch it).

Take care,

B&W "it really is frustrating for those of us who like the older shows - for instance Sony recently had a fan survey and said the results would indicate to them which shows they'd release on dvd. The winners were almost exclusively modern, low rated shows, while classics like Father Knows Best still sit on the shelf collecting dust! Ughhhh..." fan

Originally posted by B&W fan
Wow! Wonders never cease. I come here to post from time to time and rarely do I meet anyone who actually likes the older shows (and like you say, anything pre-2000 seems to be "older" nowdays).

I'd never heard of tape trading until I arrived at this site, and I was frustrated at first because most traders deal with modern shows. Tape trading's great because we do not watch TV (besides the news), and our family only watches videos and DVDs that have no swearing or with TV Guardian (http://www.tvguardian.com/). :D

There are traders around with golden nuggets, but you have to search and search sometimes. I certainly can't complain because it seems like I'm forever overwhelmed with trades.

As for Charlie Chan, one of our favorite characters, I've been tempted to buy a set of Charlie Chan DVDs, but I never seem to have enough money. :-) One of these days...

:wave: