I’m trying to solve a dilemma at the moment. I have 15 or so VCR tapes that I’d like to be able to access from time to time. Would like to play VCDs and DVDs any time. At present, I have only a TV.
Rather than pay exhorbitant fees for VCR to DVD conversion or buy a separate VCR player (hard to find, limited utility), I was wondering about a combo unit that includes a DVD recorder.
Basic idea is have my cake and eat it too. I could watch my VCR tapes as I wished, or even convert my own VCR tapes to DVD, etc.
What are the downsides? Are these units even widely available in Taiwan?
Will a combo unit with DVD recorder allow DVD recording from a VCR tape in the same unit?
You might be better off paying the “exhorbitant” conversion fees (250-700nt) than paying an exhorbitant 15k+ for the recorder unit(if you can find it).
It’s possible but there is only a very limited choice of such devices. As well combo units are usually some compromise in performance, good at one thing but not the other.
So you are probably better of with two seperate units or have some shop do the conversions.
Normal DVD players are cheap and can play VCDs, too.
Also consider the PAL/NTSC issue, if the tapes are PAL it might be even more difficult to find suitable equipment.
I think within the next year you will see a lot of new programs coming out that will help turn your computer into a dvd recorder. Your performance will probably be better on a dedicated machine though until the programs are perfected.
The trade press is reporting that Taiwanese manufacturers of Video DVD Recorders are gearing up for huge increases in volume production which are expected to drive the prices down a lot. Previously prices ranged US$300-1000, but they expect the low end to get down below US$200 by year end.
The main problem with converting VHS to DVD is that VHS quality tends to be farily poor in quality comparatively, and noise color problems make it challenging to convert to DVD. But if you can get a good conversion, it will be better preserved on DVD, if you use a good quality media. I like Ritek/Ridata brand media the best, personally. If you are copying ‘irreplacable’ videos like your wedding video or something, make at least two copies, and keep one copy in a cool, dry, dark place. While good media is expected to last 100 years, there is speculation the the organic dyes used may accellerate in aging if exposed to light.
[quote=“jlick”]The trade press is reporting that Taiwanese manufacturers of Video DVD Recorders are gearing up for huge increases in volume production which are expected to drive the prices down a lot. Previously prices ranged US$300-1000, but they expect the low end to get down below US$200 by year end.
The main problem with converting VHS to DVD is that VHS quality tends to be farily poor in quality comparatively, and noise color problems make it challenging to convert to DVD. But if you can get a good conversion, it will be better preserved on DVD, if you use a good quality media. I like Ritek/Ridata brand media the best, personally. If you are copying ‘irreplacable’ videos like your wedding video or something, make at least two copies, and keep one copy in a cool, dry, dark place. While good media is expected to last 100 years, there is speculation the the organic dyes used may accellerate in aging if exposed to light.[/quote]
Thanks, jlick. A few questions on your comments:
Are the video DVD recorders that you mentioned above “combo units” – they have both VCR tape functionality and DVD functionality?
Organic dyes. Were you referring to DVDs here? I’m simply ignorant of that, if so. Briefly, where do dyes fit in?
What is your best suggestion for getting 8 to 10 VCR tapes converted, one time only, to avoid purchasing a VCR in Taiwan? DVD is not a necessity – conversion to VCD is OK as long as they will play on U.S.-made DVD players. I want to avoid the US $15-30 fee PER TAPE to do this as that exceeds the cost of simply purchased a new DVD of the same movie, in most cases.
I think he was referring to DVD±RW, not VCR/DVD Combo Units. Just like you, no one wants a VCR any more.
Writable DVDs and VCDs use organic dyes for the recording layer. Apparently, exposure to UV radiation shortens the lifespan of the discs. Some as low as 20 years. Of course, they haven’t really been around long enough to do conclusive tests. The lifespan tests are based upon accelerated UV exposure and averaging that back to approx how many years that means.
I saw people offering to do it for NT 250 on tw.bid.yahoo. You’ll probably have to know some Chinese though if you want anything special.
[quote=“answerer”]1. I think he was referring to DVD±RW, not VCR/DVD Combo Units. Just like you, no one wants a VCR any more.
Writable DVDs and VCDs use organic dyes for the recording layer. Apparently, exposure to UV radiation shortens the lifespan of the discs. Some as low as 20 years. Of course, they haven’t really been around long enough to do conclusive tests. The lifespan tests are based upon accelerated UV exposure and averaging that back to approx how many years that means.
I saw people offering to do it for NT 250 on tw.bid.yahoo. You’ll probably have to know some Chinese though if you want anything special.[/quote]
Great reply. Thanks.
Hey, is that “yahoo” address backwards? I don’t have a clue. Never used it.
Like answerer said, recordable media uses dyes for the recording layer. When recorded, a laser burns away bits of the dye to make small pits which represent the recorded material. The problem is that dyes fade when exposed to light. If they fade enough, it’s no longer possible for the reader to see the pits anymore. The best dyes are engineered to resist fadiing, however the oldest CD-Rs are only a bit more than a decade old, so we really don’t know how things will hold up, plus recordable DVDs hold much more data and so are more sensitive to damage. Plus, there’s a lot of pretty marginal DVD media out there that is ‘just good enough’, so no telling how long that’ll last.
As for getting transfers done, it’s doubtful you’ll get much cheaper, because it requires a lot of expensive equipment and time. Actually prices like NT250-500 are cheap. A couple of years ago it cost NT1000-1500 per hour of video.
There’s no longer “speculation”; CD-R*'s and DVD-R*'s use the same sorts of dyes, and some become unreadable in as little as a couple of years.
If the video is important, keep it on a hard drive in addition to having it on DVD. It’s only about 3GB per hour of tape, which isn’t much disk space nowadays.
[quote=“DigiTimes”]Taiwan market: Entry-level DVD recorder prices to drop to US$179-199
Original date: 2004/7/23
Translator: Adam Hwang
Taiwanese manufacturers of DVD recorders, in response to worse than expected demand and the approaching launch of new models equipped with built-in hard disk drives (HDDs), will reduce their domestic retail quotations for entry-level models from US$239-249 to US$179-199, according to the makers.
The optical disc drive makers, which include Lite-On IT, BenQ, Mustek Systems, Tatung and Sampo, indicated they will begin volume production of HDD DVD recorders over the next few months, with some makers beginning in August.
As DVD recorders without HDDs continue to drop in price, they will increasingly replace DVD players in the market, these makers pointed out.
[/quote]