I just discovered that the unassuming used video game store near my place carries a sizable selection of VHS. Most are $1 each! Some go for up to $10 or $15.

I only had time to browse about 1/4 of their selection today. Below are the titles that interest me so far. I'm planning to go back some other day and browse through the rest. Will update the list then.

VHS Hi-Fi:

• Braveheart
  
• E.T.
  
• The Guns of Navarone
  
• Heat
  
• The Manchurian Candidate
  
• Mission Impossible
  
• Total Recall
  
• Vertigo
  

THX-certified VHS (not sure if Hi-Fi):

• Independence Day
  
• Titanic
  

Now, my questions:

• Is audio on THX-certified VHS at least equivalent to VHS Hi-Fi?
  
• I know we already have LD syncs for some of these (M:I and Total Recall for example), but I don't believe anyone has compared the VHS tracks (@captainsolo or @Yarp ?). With that in mind, are any of these worth picking up, either because we don't have a good LD/DVD/BD or because what we already have could still be better?
  
• I don't have a VHS player, and TBH I don't plan on getting one because it would just be another box I rarely use but need to pack on my next move. Does anyone in the US have a good capture setup who's also interested to check out the AQ on some of these titles? I'll gladly buy them and ship to you for free.
  

(2023-07-09, 04:54 AM)axeyou Wrote: I just discovered that the unassuming used video game store near my place carries a sizable selection of VHS. Most are $1 each! Some go for up to $10 or $15.

I only had time to browse about 1/4 of their selection today. Below are the titles that interest me so far. I'm planning to go back some other day and browse through the rest. Will update the list then.

VHS Hi-Fi:

• Braveheart
  
• E.T.
  
• The Guns of Navarone
  
• Heat
  
• The Manchurian Candidate
  
• Mission Impossible
  
• Total Recall
  
• Vertigo
  

THX-certified VHS (not sure if Hi-Fi):

• Independence Day
  
• Titanic
  

Now, my questions:

• Is audio on THX-certified VHS at least equivalent to VHS Hi-Fi?
  
• I know we already have LD syncs for some of these (M:I and Total Recall for example), but I don't believe anyone has compared the VHS tracks (@captainsolo or @Yarp ?). With that in mind, are any of these worth picking up, either because we don't have a good LD/DVD/BD or because what we already have could still be better?
  
• I don't have a VHS player, and TBH I don't plan on getting one because it would just be another box I rarely use but need to pack on my next move. Does anyone in the US have a good capture setup who's also interested to check out the AQ on some of these titles? I'll gladly buy them and ship to you for free.
  

There is nothing special about THX-certified VHS. It is just a marketing thing like Superbit.

i'm pretty uninterested in most stuff starting around the switch to 5.1. yes there are mixes that are probably better on vhs/ld but after this point, most stuff sounds pretty good so it's older stuff i'm after on vhs. you've just gotta do some research as to what you think might sound better. check lddb.com and vhscollector.com and ebay for what options exist and then go from there.

in terms of copyright date, the sweet spot with vhs is 83-91. i have found releases later that sound great, but 83-91 usually means its hi-fi, even if it's not marked as such, but it's old enough that it's less likely to have been tampered with, sound-wise.

you dont need much in terms of a capture setup. a cheap vcr (especially the later ones with more modern electronics, even if they are more cheaply made) are more than capable of producing great sound. i've got a few cheap vhs players and they all produce sound quality on par with digital LD. a clean tape + good tracking will make a bigger difference than anything else.

as for price, i dont like to pay for than $1 for a tape unless it's something i really want. i have a local record place near me that is packed to the walls with dvds/blu-rays/vhs/LDs/vinyl. they have a whole back room where pretty much any vhs tape is $1.

Thanks Yarp!!

(2023-07-09, 08:27 AM)Yarp Wrote: in terms of copyright date, the sweet spot with vhs is 83-91. i have found releases later that sound great, but 83-91 usually means its hi-fi, even if it's not marked as such, but it's old enough that it's less likely to have been tampered with, sound-wise.

By “copyright date” do you mean the release date of that specific edition? Or is there a separate copyright date on the packaging I need to check for?

(2023-07-09, 08:27 AM)Yarp Wrote: as for price, i dont like to pay for than $1 for a tape unless it's something i really want. i have a local record place near me that is packed to the walls with dvds/blu-rays/vhs/LDs/vinyl. they have a whole back room where pretty much any vhs tape is $1.

And thanks for the perspective on price! I’ve never bothered to look at how much VHS goes for these days. I assumed they were generally going for more because of all the retro fads that’s been going on. Good to know most are still cheaply available!

(2023-07-09, 08:50 AM)axeyou Wrote: Thanks Yarp!!

(2023-07-09, 08:27 AM)Yarp Wrote: in terms of copyright date, the sweet spot with vhs is 83-91. i have found releases later that sound great, but 83-91 usually means its hi-fi, even if it's not marked as such, but it's old enough that it's less likely to have been tampered with, sound-wise.

By “copyright date” do you mean the release date of that specific edition? Or is there a separate copyright date on the packaging I need to check for?

(2023-07-09, 08:27 AM)Yarp Wrote: as for price, i dont like to pay for than $1 for a tape unless it's something i really want. i have a local record place near me that is packed to the walls with dvds/blu-rays/vhs/LDs/vinyl. they have a whole back room where pretty much any vhs tape is $1.

And thanks for the perspective on price! I’ve never bothered to look at how much VHS goes for these days. I assumed they were generally going for more because of all the retro fads that’s been going on. Good to know most are still cheaply available!

the most recent date that is marked on the box (often times they have 2/3/4 different years listed) is usually the release year. maybe 1/10 out of older movies won't have a date but you can usually infer a range based on w/e the next dated release was. i can probably guess within a few years

weird shit, and especially horror can command some crazy premiums. and some people still drool over sealed stuff and even get it graded. i dont get that appeal but im not much of a collector i guess. a few stores near me price all their vhs at $3 but they are usually organized and all in good condition.

Don't reccomend working on VHS, even if you get a pristine VCR/ VHS copy you willl still get an occasional click/pop from the tracking, you can patch it out yeah but kinda time consuming.
I only buy a tape if theres no LD available or analog only,
Wanted to buy the old WB of Heavy Traffic but its super rare and $$$

(2023-07-09, 07:19 PM)dillon Wrote: Don't reccomend working on VHS, even if you get a pristine VCR/ VHS copy you willl still get an occasional click/pop from the tracking, you can patch it out yeah but kinda time consuming.
I only buy a tape if theres no LD available or analog only,
Wanted to buy the old WB of Heavy Traffic but its super rare and $$$

And I absolutely recommend working with VHS since it's easier and cheaper to get started and the audio quality is more or less identical. You've also often got many more releases on VHS than on LD. We need more people on here recording VHS.

Pops/clicks can automatically be removed with something like izotope. It's a non-issue and not time-consuming at all.

Occasionally a VHS cassette will have a unique track in which case the occasional flaw can be tolerated (or patched with a section from another copy).
VHS hi-fi is surprisingly good quality, Vinyl collectors used to backup an LP to VHS to reduce stylus/record wear. It's worth noting that being analogue the player and the media itself will have an influence on the quality. I have ex-rental cassettes from the 80s/90s which still play fine.

For sure the quality is good - but wouldn't take a VHS of ID4 over a Cinema DTS track lol

Most of the tapes i capped were junk and inferior to the LD's , only a small handfull i wound up syncing
my Meaning of Life VHS copy has a much louder left channel, probably can be fixed but can't be bothered.
Sometimes re playing back the tape will fix a tracking issue but not always.

(2023-07-09, 09:38 PM)dillon Wrote: For sure the quality is good - but wouldn't take a VHS of ID4 over a Cinema DTS track lol

Most of the tapes i capped were junk and inferior to the LD's , only a small handfull  i wound up syncing
my Meaning of Life VHS copy has a much louder left channel, probably can be fixed but can't be bothered.
Sometimes re playing back the tape will fix a tracking issue but not always.

If there was a track for ID4 that sounded better on VHS you'd pass on that? The only thing that should matter with an audio track (outside of foley change/making sure it's the OG mix) is the underlying audio quality. Who cares if it's cinema dts, or lossless, or even mp3. A movie like ID4 is almost always going to sound just as good if not better on more modern formats. I wouldn't tell anyone to start making recordings of modern 5.1 mixed movies on VHS, it's just not worth the time unless you know there's a blu-ray audio mix that got messed up.