Archive for the 'VHS/Video Tape' Category

Product of the Day, Day 34: Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray/VHS Player

  Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray/VHS player Ever since I mentioned it in my newspaper column, the Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray/VHS player has been the subject of intense reader interest.  A lot of people have VHS tapes they are not ready to let go of and the DMP-BD70V is the first Blu-ray/VHS combination player to hit the market.  […]

Sound Advice Column: Subwoofer cables and setup, recording VHS videotape to Blu-ray or DVD

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed By McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: Do I need to buy a special subwoofer cable to connect the subwoofer to my receiver? CHERYL BRESSO Clinton, PA A: You do not need a special cable, just a cable with RCA jacks on each end. When connecting with the subwoofer cable you […]

DVD/VCR combo a decent stopgap as you await HDTV

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 34, 2007 Q: I made the mistake of buying an LCD TV that requires a cable or satellite box. The TV is not returnable. The store’s tech guy said I can use a VCR to watch the TV. I don’t even own a VCR anymore. What’s your advice? GEORGE […]

Editing home movies, the easiest way to make DVDs from VHS tapes, Don’s new blog

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week of October 29, 2006 Q: I just read your column about using a DVD burner to make DVDs. My question comes before this. How do I EDIT my old home movies that are on VCR tapes and then burn them onto a DVD? -B.A.Kieffer A: There are two ways […]

Erasing camcorder tapes, quality speakers, black and white digital photography

Week 1, 2007 Q: Is there a cheap way to completely erase used 8 mm camcorder tapes so I can reuse them? When I looked on line for the handheld magnetic erasers they were rather expensive.   -Doug Sneddon A: Take your camcorder and put on the lens cap, rewind to the beginning, press record […]

Cambridge SoundWorks, Bose, and Polk’s new i-Sonic, DVD creation with a computer

Week of July 23, 2006 Q: In one of your articles you recommended a less expensive competitor to the Bose table radio. We want one that can play CDs. Could you please advise on which one to buy? -Bob Charny A: You are referring to the Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 740, which sells for $349. […]

DVD recorders, Lite-On recommendation, Axiom Audio update

Week of April 23, 2006 Q:   When my sister and I would visit my parents’ house we used to love renting VHS movies and watching them together as a family. Then the video stores converted to DVDs. It would seem to be a simple solution – buy a DVD player.   However, my mother […]

Importing video into a computer, turntable hum

Q: I have a lot of Hi8 and VHS tapes I want to import into my computer for editing and burning to DVD. I have a Canon ZR70 digital camcorder that apparently can be used ti convert analog video to digital. How does one go about this? Hyunchul Shin, Pittsburgh, PA A: The camcorder works […]

MiniDV vs. DVD Camcorders, Optical Image Stabilization

Week of June 26, 2005 Q: Don, I would appreciate advice on camcorders. It is time to upgrade the old analog VHS system we got as a wedding gift 10 years ago. I really don’t understand, nor do I have the time to fight through all the rhetoric that is out there. (A long way […]

Converting Hi8 (and other) videotapes to DVD

Week of April 17, 2005 Q: I have a Hi8 camcorder that is getting old and I would like to convert the Hi8 tapes to DVD. How do I do it, is it difficult, and any recommendations on what to buy? -Susie Rosenberg, O’Hara Township,PA A: The cable used to connect your camcorder to a […]

DVD/VCR Combo, iPod and computer sound quality loss from compression

Week of February 6, 2005 Q: How do you feel about TV’s with built-in DVD players and VCRs? We are thinking of getting one in a 20 inch size and space is an issue as it will go on top of a dresser. Any brand suggestions, or do you simply get what you pay for? […]

Replacing a VCR with a DVD/HDD recorder

Week of October 17, 2004 Q: I want to buy a digital video recorder to replace my VCR. I want the functions of my old VCR without the hassles of tapes. I am only interested in the channels I can pick up with my antenna and do not want to subscribe to any service. Does […]

Scanner/camera driver conflicts, the mythhical 8mm to VHS adapter

Week of November 16, 2003 Q: I have a three year-old HP printer/scanner/copier. I was recently given a Fuji digital camera and I take lots of photos with it.   The two don’t like each other. The driver from the camera displaces the scanner driver. Four times I have had to go through a dreadful […]

The hazards of re-recording MiniDV tapes, Fuji Frontier Lab Photo Printer

Week of November 2, 2003 Q:   I was recently given a digital camcorder that uses MiniDV tapes.   I use it to videotape my grandchildren and the picture looks beautiful on my big screen TV. I recently used my last MiniDV tape and went to Wal-Mart to buy more.   The salesclerk suggested I […]

Connecting analog camcorder to computer, home theater systems and music reproduction, auto-loading photo scanner from HP

Week 30, 2003 Q:     I bought a Canon ES75 Hi8 camcorder.   The guy who sold it to me said it could be hooked up to the PC so I can download, edit, and make my own videos. I haven’t seen this anywhere else. Can it be hooked up to the PC?   […]

Cable TV and front projection, Sima Copy Kit, printers and documents

Week 29, 2003   Q:     Can you hook up cable television through a front projector?     If so, is there anything special needed for the hookup? -Sam Mursau, Appleton, Wisconsin A:   You can use cable television with a front projector, but you cannot connect a front projector directly to the cable […]

Speaker break-in, converting 8mm film to videotape

Week 26, 2003 Q) I am in a bit of a quandary with my new speakers.   I did my research on the web for a set of bookshelf speakers in the $250 – $300 per pair price range.   I listened to them at the store yesterday and they sounded great.   Now that […]

Pictures on videotape, CD and DVD, selecting VCR input for dubbing, Onkyo CD player comments

Week 25, 2007 I am a teacher and have taken a lot of digital camera photographs this year.   I would like to transfer those digital pictures to a VHS tape to play on a VCR at school.   How would I go about doing this?   -Jenny Angelo, Beaumont, Texas A) If you check […]

Betamax info and repair

Week 18, 2003 Q) I’m one of the few who still have a Betamax VCR in my possession.  Unfortunately, it is in need of repair.  I called several VCR repair shops, but they all tell me that parts are not available for Beta’s because it is almost 15 years since they were manufactured and any […]

Videotapes and fading with age

Week 7, 2003 Q)   I have been wondering for some time about the impact of time on my recorded VHS tapes and have been unable to receive a reliable answer.  Some sources say the tapes decay with time, and some are more equivocal.  There are several aspects to this problem; such as, do the […]