Page 1 of Videotapes - recycling?

Not sure where to post this one - move it if you like...

I am having a great time at the moment copying all my 100-odd old videos to DVD, these vids are old TV stuff, music performances etc. i.e. `blank tapes` not proper boxed videos.

The `finished with` pile is growing higher and higher - is there anywhere I can recycle `em - feels weird just throwing them away...

A couple of years ago the durability of Recordable DVD blanks was being questioned. Several people found that discs they had ` burnt ` and which played perfectly at first became unplayable viz. ` disc unrecognised ` after Three to Six months. This was pehaps due to the burners they were using but was never fully explained. If that was the cause is the present technology any more reliable ??

From experience I know that magnetic recordings made fifty years ago remain sound and I have digitized many of them.

Personally I would hang on to any tapes of material I value until the DVDs are of proven longevity.

Images

Have to agree with images post.

Not only is the media still a little bit suspect, but the hardware also as a read through the older posts to this forum will show.

I`ll be hanging on to my VCR and tapes for a while yet.

Thanks for the replies. I have considered this - but living in a small flat wth 100s of tapes - just can`t do it anymore! And moving them from house to house - they are too heavy! With all the books, CDs, DVDs etc. as well - I need some space, and shrinking them all down into a CaseLogic book is very satisfying. Also, some of the tapes are falling in quality too, this is their last chance at longevity!

Can I back up files from a DVD-R onto my computer via a DVD-ROM drive?

Any other ideas on recycling?

"....Any other ideas on recycling?...."

Charity shop ?

I have seen people selling the old used Betamax(?) video taped on Ebay. The last listing I saw a collection of 600 tapes were being sold. A lot of people would value the music and shows on those tapes.

Quote:
Charity shop ?
I went shopping with my brother in law and when he opend the the boot to his car he had two large black plastic bags full of VHS tapes,they had been given to him by a local charity shop because they cant sell them and regulary dump bags of them that have been left outside the shop..

aahh.. archiving.. when do you start? where do you stop?

Do I put my VHS onto DVD R ?

Or Do I buy a HHUUGE hard drive and keep the shows on there as DIVX?

What will last longer?

Myself?

I just Cap, DIVX and burn to a data disc. Then Throw the VHS out (seriously, used VHS are junk.. no one will take them). I just bit the bullet, wieghed up the pros and cons and went for it.

100 DVDrs and a hard drive take up less space than 400 VHS.

At the end of the day, are VHS machines going to be around in shops in 30 years?

Archiving TV is an evolving process. Just as you fnish putting them on DVD, Blu Ray comes out, then it`ll be Holo disc Honest!



My DVD collection




67suissac[at]moc.tenretnitb/cassius76.html" target="_blank">JamesL

This item was edited on Tuesday, 8th November 2005, 10:22

I`ve got no objection to keeping old technology - I`ve still got records and a turntable that are irreplacable. But when it`s backing up off-air recordings from over 100 detioriorating Vids to 100 DVDs (or thereabouts) there`s no choice... I know the DVDs wil detiorate too, but unfortunately we`ve got to keep moving.

Also a good excuse to organise the recordings, and get common stuff together on 1 disc. And it`s fun!

Why not label them all up correctly and then give to a charity shop for them to sell on.
even if they got 50p each at least they would make something :D

This item was edited on Friday, 11th November 2005, 00:25