Thursday, December 13, 2007

When to ditch the VCR?

The car's still sitting in the driveway, and now the VCR has joined it.

Hence the great debate: replace the VCR, or move into the modern age with DVDs only?

I prefer the slim profile of our tiny DVD player, but we have about 20 old VHS tapes collected for their educational value.

32 comments:

TracyMichele said...

Sorry to hear about the car! :( As for the VCR/DVD debate, we opted for a two-in-one. The littles had many VCR tapes and I just couldn't throw them out.

Linda said...

ditch the VCR! ;)

You can probably download the stuff that was on the vhs-tapes, and it's legal, since you own and paid for a copy.

Otherwise, look out for someone / somewhere where they have a dvd recorder. You can simply transfer the vhs tapes onto DVD. The tapes will 'go bad' in time anyway ;)

Goslyn said...

We have a combo DVD/VCR. We have too many old VHS tapes to just ditch the VCR all together, although I vastly prefer DVDS. Ever so much smaller.

Jane said...

We aren't buying anymore tapes. Actually, I still do buy some tapes at goodwill. For $1 it's cheaper than renting. So I will occasionally buy one to watch and then turn around and donate it again. Also, I have a ton of tapes for my classroom. That said, the VCR portion of our combo machine at home is currently on the fritz. So, we'll see.

Molly said...

Ditch the VCR. Its a dead technology sorry to say.

If you want to keep the content of the tapes there are places that can convert VCR tapes to DVDs. We do it in the library all the time, you might want to look into that.

Anonymous said...

I agree w/Molly above.

AmyG said...

LOVE our combo unit! Hubby is a movie freak and had tons of VCR tapes from before we started getting DVD's. We use both routinely and I do like the VCR for tapeing any Tv shows I want to watch later w/o commercials.

Celticspirit said...

We too have the vcr/dvd combo. I have at least 50 classic Disney movies and even though my youngest is 12 and does not watch them anymore I hate to get rid of them. I actually prefer VHS even though they no longer make them because they don't scratch. Many of the VHS tapes I have are from the early 80's and still work perfectly.

inspired said...

We have found that we are slowly moving over to strictly DVD. We have loads of tapes, but the kids are outgrowing them, so we won't replace them. If you have a lot that you love and they can be found on DVD, I suggest buying them. They will hold up and chances are, if the tapes are too old they won't last much longer. We have some tapes that we haven't watched in 10 years. We pop them in and they are so corrupted, you can barely see the picture through the fuzz!

Stephanie
www.homeschoolblogger.com/inspired

My Blessings From Above said...

We have a vcr/dvd combo. We have so many VHS tapes that I can't justify getting rid of. This has solved that problem.

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

Don't get a new VCR. The VHS tapes are going to degrade over time anyway. It should be pretty easy to find someone who can transfer them to DVDs for you -- my dad did this very easily with his collection a few years ago.

Amy said...

That is tough- we are having the same dilemma, but our VCR hasn't quit just yet. I am hoping that by the time it does, we will have made the smooth transition over to DVD :)

Anonymous said...

Well, I confess I have both. I USE both. As a day care provider for almost 20 years I have brought more than 300 VHS tapes. Now when I buy something NEW it is always on DVD...but as long as I am in business I will have a VCR to play the tapes.
I have one day care dad who is taking some of my VHS tapes and recording them on to DVDs for me. But as I have soooo many I don't know that I will ever get all of them on DVD.
If you can find a VCR at a garage sale etc. I would replace it. That is just me...Roxie

Donna-Jean Breckenridge said...

Our church children's library has many, many videos, and the kids just aren't checking them out anymore. We want to have a 'DVD shower" and have people donate some new DVD's, but perhaps we can also transfer them to DVD. I wonder how much that costs? and I assume because we as a church library own them we can do that?

I'm sorry about your car. Both of our cars 'died,' one was towed away yesterday, the other is parked somewhere else awaiting our decision on it. God is able - and will show you what to do!

Paula said...

It is really not that difficult (or expensive) to convert the VHS to DVD yourself using your computer. Of course if you have a MAc it is SUPER easy. LOL!!BUT I have a copy of software that will help you do it (and make your own movies). Email me your snail mail and I will mail it to you! We were going to Goodwill it, but might as well send it to you!! :)( PLUS, when I have your email, I will have hubby write up a HOW TO on converting VHS to DVD to email you. ALthough I am sure you can google it. Just be sure when you google to include the TYPE of computer you have. :)
paula aatt paurian doott com

TJ said...

First what is wrong with the vcr? Quite often they are quick and easy fixes you can do at home. Second if you can't fix it, ask for one on freecycle or pick up one at a thrift store or yard sale.

I say keep the VHS tapes and VCR because whoever invented DVD's did not have kids! VHS hold up so much better, and they are cheap now due to better technologies. We have so many kids shows on VHS and DD can put in her own movie without scratching it and ruining the movie.

Plus I could never get rid of all my VHS, and I definitely don't have the money to buy it all on DVD.

Lori said...

I saw DVD/VCR combo in this week's Big Lots ad for 29.99!

Anonymous said...

We rid our family of the VCR & television about four years ago. If there is something the kids want to watch, we borrow a DVD from the library and play it using the CD-ROM drive on the computer. I do have a few home movies on VHS tapes that I need to have converted, but for commercial videos, the library has more than we could ever watch.

Mary Ann said...

Both our DVD and VCR players are on the fritz, so we're looking into getting a combo unit. We have so many video tapes that we like to watch, even though we usually only buy DVD's now.

Jenn @ Frugal Upstate said...

I too vote for the combo, especially since you thrift. If you haven't noticed, they don't even SELL new VHS in most stores now, however I frequently pick up new to me titles at the thrift store and of course use the library. (My library prefers the VHS tapes because they are harder for patrons to destroy-the DVDs get scratched to easily with the heavy use)

Have you thought about purchasing on line? I bet with all the Christmas sales you'd qualify for free shipping, and if you google for coupon codes you may be able to get some $$ off.

Anonymous said...

I have repaired our VCR very easily with a rubber band. Take the case off the VCR and just see if there is a broken little black belt. Then just replace it with a rubber band. I have done it a few times and got several more years out of our VCR. Can't remember where I first read about this, but it works!

Anonymous said...

We finally gave up on ours a couple of years ago, and had a friend record our few VHS tapes onto DVD. This was a tough one for my husband...when I met the man in 1994 he still had an 8-track player...and he used it. Sigh!

Stephanie Appleton said...

Ah we are having a similar dilemma, our VCR is sporadic at best. Our DVD player is seems to be going down the same path. We still have so many kids VCR tapes. I saw Big Lots has a combo for $30, and am considering that.

majellamom said...

I'd put the word out that your VCR conked out, and see if anyone has a good VCR sitting in their garage (I know I do at the moment!)

Since our kids were born after DVDs became common, we really didn't have very many VCR tapes, we just used it for recording shows that we would miss.

For hubby's 30th, we got a DVR, and that replaced the use we had for our VCR. So, we got rid of our last few video tapes, and the VCR is sitting waiting to find a new home. Somebody may still have a VCR hooked up that they never use if they have newer technology, and your putting out the word might give them the nudge to declutter their house and pass on a VCR to you!

Mama Squirrel said...

We aren't giving up on our VCR. Most of our TV watching consists of movies that we've taped at 3 in the morning, and VHS is still the most practical format for that. Besides, we have a lot of VHS tapes that we have no intention of getting rid of.

My Mr. Fixit husband has started picking up VCRs quite cheaply at rummage sales etc., since a lot of people are now dumping them (along with their movies). Most of them need a bit of inside cleanup or minor repairs, which he can easily do. Sorry I can't send you one! But that's what I'd do--look for older ones to be widely available and cheap over the next little while.

SchrefflerFamily said...

We ended up ditching the VCR and not replacing it when it broke because we could not find a cheap VCR and we are not willing to put money into it. Or buy new equipment when we've got a perfectly fine DVD player alerady

Anonymous said...

Big Lots is currently advertising a combo VCR/DVD player for $29.99. I thought I'd mention this in case you hadn't seen the ad. Also, check their website, there may be a printable coupon of 20% off for joining their club. Not sure about the coupon, but that's a good deal on the VCR/DVD player.

Rhea said...

I've been wondering the same thing. I have a TV with a tape player inside it. I guess when the TV goes on the blink, that will be the end of the tape player. I will likely toss out my tapes unless I can find a place to donate them. Then if there was something I really wanted from the tapes, I will buy it on
DVD.

Rean Day said...

I suggest getting a DVD/VCR combo. I just saw one advertized at Big Lots for $29.96. I'm sure it's not the best quality but it could do the trick. DH and I have too many movies on VHS to get rid of ours.

Rean Day

3boysmama said...

I say look for a vcr on freecycle. I'm sure you could find one there that someone is getting rid of.

Rebecca Mecomber said...

A combo DVD/VCR player is not terribly expensive. We (finally) got one a few months ago, and it was $25 at WalMart. Of course, being in New York State, the tax was only $35, so I'd say we made out well.

(Kidding about the tax.. we just paid $3.00 tax) :-P

Liz said...

Meredith, keep an eye out at yard sales, so many people are switching to DVD or buying a VCR/DVD combo that you're sure to pick one up cheaply!