Happily I've reached the point where I'm digging into my VHS conversion project, and it's rolling along nicely. I've cataloged my MST3K's (80-ranging from early Joel to late Sci-Fi channel offerings) and I'm in the process of reviewing my bad sci-fi captures to weed out things that aren't of sufficient quality to convert...unfortunately, there are quite a few of those.
My criteria for conversion are:
-is it hard or impossible to find already on DVD?
-is the image worth the effort?
-are there ancillary qualities worth preserving (commercials, additional materials, some special quality?)
-just plain worthy of keeping?
I had a hoot yesterday, ripping and rendering my copy of "This Island Earth"; granted, it's available, but I have to mind my pennies these days. Too, I have a nice-looking copy sans commercials, AND it calls back for me the night I recorded it from broadcast, for personal reasons best not discussed here. However, we had some terrific thunderstorms moving through the area, which cut the power, which corrupted the project, which meant I ended up doing the whole thing three times before I had something I could burn! In the long run, I might've saved a lot of effort by just waiting until I could buy the thing.
Today, however, is my very favorite kind of day for this kind of project. It's a bit chilly, drizzly, a perfect day to make some chili (!) and dig through tapes. I've spent the morning making lists and reviewing tapes-an effort I will spend the rest of the day on-and putting the rendering studio through it's paces. It does a good job, for a suite of gear I have no investment in, and as I go through the process repeatedly it gets faster and easier.
In the background I'm reviewing tapes, while the suite is processing; hell, I've even finished scrubbing the shower-I'M ON FIRE! and tomorrow, I go back to work at the temp-job; at least, I'm supposed to-I'm still waiting for my agency rep to give me my hours, etc. I suppose I should just be "chill" but, dammit, I'd like to get on with it!
Oh yeah, gotta do some laundry (new work clothes!)...more later.
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I bet you find stuff you never knew you had. If you're like me you'll get caught up in a film and watch it instead of copying others.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of MST3K but it sounds like you have quiet a collection. I watched it a little until Joel left and soon completely lost interest.
Nothing better on a wet dreary day than some chili and a good cheesy sci-fi movie. You've got it made.
I've been afraid to get rid of my old multi-system VCR player because of all the old British tapes I've got or made while I lived there. Of course I haven't tried to watch them in years, and I suspect many of the ones that meet your criteria have already bit the dust. A lot of it is going to be those snippets of appearances by my favorite bands on random shows, which definitely won't be available somewhere else. But when do I just let it go and get rid of the whole lot?
ReplyDeleteWell, Lily, all I can say is this: don't toss off your old technology until you KNOW you won't regret it! There are a few cherished pieces I've held onto way past their day and have been glad I did. I would suggest, though, ripping those snippets off onto a more durable media. For myself, the hardest part has been deciding whether to just pitch the tapes once I'm done with them or trying to find someone who might still want them. I will probably hold onto a VHS deck for some time, if only because I don't have a DVR and like to know I COULD capture something if I wanted to.
ReplyDeleteI've kind of done a partial transition -- I have a DVD-recorder. It's like a VCR (has a tuner) but its saved onto a rewritable DVD which you can "finalize" and keep forever if you so choose.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the VCR, but something I also learn as I get older is that the longer you live without using certain things or certain stuff, the more you realize how much you don't really need it. Something that the idea of losing ten years ago gave me chills now is something that I haven't used in ten years and I realize, "hey, life goes on" without it. So now its the time, energy, and equipment necessary to do something with these tapes that I'm considering.