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Sony kills off Betamax

vchimpanzee said:
I generally don't. By the way, all of these VCRs are part of a TV.

So that changes the procedure. I once removed a tape that was keeping the TV from even working by breaking the tape itself, but I hope there's a way some genius can put the thing back together so I can watch something I taped.
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I would not recommend any ordinary user try to repair a VCR that is part of a TV. Too much danger of a huge shock if you were to touch certain parts of the TV.

Video tape can be spliced back together fairly easily although you may find it difficult to find the splicing tape kits today. Look online.
 
The first VCR my family had was a Toshiba VHS that my brother paid $279.00 for in 1986 and we thought that was a bargain. The last new one I bought was a Panasonic that I paid $65.00 for in 2005. That was toward the end of standalone VCRs with tuners being available, and it still works good. Now all that is available are VCR/DVD combos with line inputs for connecting a cable or satellite tuner. The last VCR I bought was $9.00 for a used Sharp from Goodwill, and I found a remote for it on EBay for $12.00, and it still works good as well.
 
landtuna said:
If memory serves, Betamax was a maximum of 2 hours recording time per cassette whereas VHS was 6
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The standard L-750 Beta cassette ran 90 minutes at the Beta I speed, three hours at Beta II and 4.5 hour at Beta III. There was later a L-830 size that ran over five hours at Beta III.
 
This announcement just means that Sony is dropping Beta tapes from its line. You can still get white label Beta blanks (probably made in China) from Mr. Betamax.

http://www.mrbetamax.com/

Dig deep enough and you'll still find media for a wide variety of dead formats. There are companies that even sell fresh film with processing for Standard 8mm.
 
Carmine5 said:
Dig deep enough and you'll still find media for a wide variety of dead formats. There are companies that even sell fresh film with processing for Standard 8mm.
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I was amazed when a photography enthusiast told me you could still get 110 and 126 film for still cameras, despite the "top tier" film manufacturers (Kodak, Fuji) dumping these outdated formats them a decade ago.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
I was amazed when a photography enthusiast told me you could still get 110 and 126 film for still cameras, despite the "top tier" film manufacturers (Kodak, Fuji) dumping these outdated formats them a decade ago.
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If you dig around the Internet you'll find those manufacturers along with mail-in film processing businesses that can handle the formats. Such film can be expensive due to its scarcity, and much of the stock is well past its expiration date, so results may be more artistic than realistic.

Over a dozen companies still make 35mm film.

You can even still get SX-70 film for the 1970's-80's Polaroid cameras, but at $24 for an 8-pack (shipping is extra) it doesn't make any financial sense unless you have money to burn.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
I was amazed when a photography enthusiast told me you could still get 110 and 126 film for still cameras, despite the "top tier" film manufacturers (Kodak, Fuji) dumping these outdated formats them a decade ago.
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Wow! That means someone had to slit the film to those sizes, perf where needed, print a paper backing for it, mold the cassettes and load the film into them. All to satisfy some enthusiasts for an esoteric format.

But if you think that's weird, Kodak just announced a Super 8 film contest. First prize? A new Super 8 movie camera!

https://theaudienceawards.com/b/kodak/kodaks-2015-super-8-film-challenge-47958

So what's next? A Betamovie film festival? I know there are a lot of Betamovie, Super Betamovie and ED Beta cameras out there. So it wouldn't surprise if we see a festival just for them in the future.
 
Carmine5 said:
Wow! That means someone had to slit the film to those sizes, perf where needed, print a paper backing for it, mold the cassettes and load the film into them. All to satisfy some enthusiasts for an esoteric format.

But if you think that's weird, Kodak just announced a Super 8 film contest. First prize? A new Super 8 movie camera!

https://theaudienceawards.com/b/kodak/kodaks-2015-super-8-film-challenge-47958

So what's next? A Betamovie film festival? I know there are a lot of Betamovie, Super Betamovie and ED Beta cameras out there. So it wouldn't surprise if we see a festival just for them in the future.
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I thought I just heard Jack Benny's Maxwell going down the street. :)
 
semoochie said:
I thought I just heard Jack Benny's Maxwell going down the street. :)
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Ha! Yes, I can see a some Maxwell enthusiasts trying to bring those back as well (although I've always harbored a secret fantasy that Chevy would resurrect the molds and roll out a line of brand new '57 Bel Airs for just one year).

But a lot of this interest in dead (read: analog) formats may just be a backlash against digital, which can look and sound too clean, too sterile.
 
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