Why tapes lost to DVD

[yakko]

This used to be a tape that would (eventually, after all the ads) play Wakko's Wish. Then my VCR decided it was hungry after I played some of it back and snapped the tape when it ejected it. So, I got a demonstrations of why DVD ate VHS's lunch in one bite

Comments

[captain18]

Keep in mind that the "M-loading" that VHS uses was a design Sony considered for the original Betamax and ultimately discarded as putting too much tension on the tape.

Actually, most "features" of VHS (like LP and SLP/EP tape speeds) were ideas that Sony had looked at and said, "If we put this in a machine we'll be laughed out of business". Of course, we all know what eventually happened there.

[yakko]

The reason that tape was eaten was because the part of the loading mechanism that directs the tape by the pinch roller decided to gum up. The tape snapped when I ejected it.

Subsequent tapes just didn't play because they were just being driven by the reels -- the pinch roller was completely out of the loop and the tracking just went apeshit after that (the tape would only sometimes contact the bits inside that were responsible for tracking).

A bit of disassembly and application of 3-in-1 oil, and these (ironically Sony) VCRs are as good as new.

VHS's slower speeds are evil on a stick. I must really have just not cared, though, as I recorded all my stuff in EP (the poor cheap bastard I was). What's left of my video tape collection looks like snow now.

I was able to eventually splice the tape back together. The ads at the beginning actually helped with this task! :oD

[captain18]

Even so, watching a U-Matic or Betamax machine thread tape always scares the hell out of me since it pulls about a mile of tape out of the cassette. It's crazy to think though that it actually puts less stress on the tape, just in general.