VHS to Digital

Posted in Psychology on August 17, 2024 by foreverliketh.is ‐ 8 min read

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Noise (commonly known as static, white noise, static noise, or snow)^֎ captured from my personal recordings.

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This page was last modified: August 21st, 2024

This post is part of…

32bit.cafe Community Code Jam #5:^֎ With a “Back to School” theme, the 32bit.cafe^֎ is accepting submissions on the topic of ‘help school others in topics we’re interested in!’.
IndieWeb Carnival:^֎ A project helping motivate people to write more on their personal websites. This month’s host is Steve Ledlow,^֎ and the topic was ‘Rituals’.^֎
Agora Road Travelogue - Aug:^֎ A project attempting to encourage individuals to both write and exercise ownership over their content.

Por Amor^֎ / For Love

Do you know what VHS really stands for, traveler? It’s: “Various Hurdles and Suffering”. That ain’t no contemporary definition neither. My father recently spoke to me of his experience with his home video collection from the late 70s / early 80s. He dealt with a big move and, alongside the business of everyday life, had ended up leaving the tapes unattended for over a year. When he finally returned to them, he tried to play each one to no avail. To his surprise, they’d been covered in mold and when he took the matter to a repair shop they told him he’d lost everything, including the player, and that he should throw it all away; out of concern for his, and his family’s, health. Naturally, the loss of mementos such as, but not limited to: tenderly captured fragments of my brothers’ childhoods, lead to considerable sadness.

Papa, for the most part, gave up on VHS after that. Mama, on the other hand, never did. She’d go through the trouble of converting some things to various formats throughout the decades, but would still wind up with an assortment of tapes in this year of our Lord: 2024. Neither of my parents has ever been “techie”, and time’s arrow has done my mother’s collection no favors…

I can barely recall the memories of even seeing a VCR in-person.
How protected, and resistant, even were her tapes?
Are they even worth the hassle?

Mom certainly thought they were; you should’ve seen how her face lit up when I first brought up the idea of converting them. Of course, I wasn’t much against it myself; and not for an abundance of ignorance, mind you, I knew I was signing up for more than just headaches. But, well…

“The magic of old must be preserved. No matter how feared.”

“I will take the Ring. Though…"^֎

It truly is a shame, the times we live in, stranger. Where a person is more likely to watch (and accept!) the first video YouTube excretes from its algorithmic anus, than to do any of there own godforsaken research on a topic. I mean, why bother, right? Not when Linus Tech Tips^֎ has you covered: ‘I Thought My Childhood was LOST’^֎. Or maybe you think yourself more of a “connaisseur” and prefer this controversial 2-parter: ‘The Best Easy Way to Capture Analog Video (it’s a little weird)’,^֎ followed by (on their second channel!) ‘Analog Video Capture follow-up’.^֎ Beware the grifters,^֎ for their intentions are not aligned with yours. They want to produce over-rushed CON-tent, with minimal effort, for their profit, at your irrelevant expense.

Am I saying YouTube can’t be useful? No, in fact, here’s a great video that summarizes many hours of research in a wonderfully thorough package: ‘VHS to digital: best method for analog-to-digital transfers’^֎ by Video Capture Guide.^֎ And it ain’t just a one-off, the entire channel is worth watching. But this is clearly selfless work (508 subscribers, at time of writing); an exception, not the rule. And even then, it’s not without flaws. This is definitely a project where videos should be your launching pad.

In other words, I strongly advise A LOT of reading. To start: The Digital FAQ.com^֎ is an invaluable repository of information. Lead by the most fearsome entity in this community: lordsmurf.^֎ This person, for various reasons, is worthy of your attention; even if solely for their sheer commitment to the cause. But as much as we seek authority, I believe it worthwhile to acknowledge criticism in hopes of realizing more tempered perceptions:

It’s Complicated

We’re talking about an issue that involves:

Priceless memories, along with the heated emotions they invoke
Capitalistic greed
A convenience worshipping public
Technology long past its prime
And plenty of opinions

Naïveté is a pity, but I too cannot blame the more enlightened for bearing witness to this circus and deciding: “Y’know what? Nah.” Especially when it can feel like a race against the clock. For how long have those tapes been neglected? How much life, if any, might they have yet to give? There are certainly no shortage of vultures (scammers) whose marketing preys on such fears: Legacybox,^֎ among others.^֎ They undoubtedly benefit from inciting your rush, from you not “peeking behind their curtain”.

To speak plainly: be patiently studious. Yes, you probably should’ve done this ~10 (~20?) years ago, but panicking now ain’t gonna solve nothin’. Especially if your tackling this as I did, with absolutely zero knowledge on the subject. Taking the time to get the lay of the land will pay off in spades. Even if you ultimately decide not to do this yourself, you will assuredly have developed some discernment / assessment ability. Which you’ll need… lotta shifty folk in these waters, sadly.

Heh, and it ain’t just the charlatans who’ll be a pain in your neck. On the other end of this spectrum are the ‘perfectionists’. Those who will always be lingering about to ensure your efforts feel… “inadequate”. To satiate them comes at a price I do not suggest you pay, for a reward I do not suggest you seek. Not that these greybeards shouldn’t be cherished, mind you; particularly in contrast to their antithesis. I’d just advise that you frame them as a sort-of “aim for the moon, land among the stars” situation. And, maybe also, consider finding humor at your own inability to please either side; that’s what I did at least.

Capturing Essence

Perspective can make all the difference, reader. Instead of thinking “I should’ve done this a long time ago.”, consider “In doing this now, I am blessed that an abundance of knowledge and advice has been explored, amassed and curated.” Likewise, instead of nitpicking at the imperfections of the medium or your transfers, consider that those very flaws imbue your work with soul; with something that, in our modern culture, is seemingly being sought after.

The prevalence of retro / nostalgic aesthetics, like Vaporwave^֎ or Analog Horror,^֎ demonstrate interest and appreciation for VHS’ heyday. And while my more cynical half acknowledges humanity’s eternal longing for the past, I can’t help but concur with the notion that (too) much has been lost in our “ascension to digital”.

One such casualty is the ritualistic nature of these vintage mediums. Their involved tactile interactions, the processes culminating in the organizing of something as sacred as “movie night”, the innate socialization surrounding the entire tradition. For god’s sakes, even its struggles impart a friction that our modern sensibilities now wholeheartedly reject.

I dove headfirst into this nonsense with the express purpose of finally being free of this archaic burden… But I came out with a deep respect, understanding and reverence for something I myself had been culturally psy-oped to look down on. If you let it, this is a journey that can go far beyond its initial premise, to provide value independent of the fruits of your labour…

Though, those sure are sweet too, yo…

Cutting Room Floor

Without mistakes (and better circumstances), this project could’ve cost me less than $1k USD. But I rushed at the start, and it cost me another $1k USD. Don’t be like me: DON’T RUSH.
Hardware I Used:
- JVC HR-S7500U
- Old (i.e. runs Windows XP natively) Dell Desktop
- I-O Data GV-USB2

Contributors: Mom & Dad | Japan Victor Company (JVC)^֎ | Tommy Torres^֎ –> Tarde o temprano^֎ | BioWare^֎ –> Dragon Age^֎ –> Dragon Age: Origins^֎ –> Morrigan^֎ | J. R. R. Tolkien^֎ –> The Lord of the Rings^֎ –> Frodo Baggins^֎ | Technology Connections^֎ | CozyBroz / cozynet.org^֎ | Aaron Swartz^֎ –> reddit^֎ –> Lemmy^֎ | Bill Gates^֎ –> Microsoft^֎ –> Michael Dell^֎ –> Dell^֎ –> Windows XP^֎ –> zone94.com^֎ –> Windows XP Integral Edition^֎ | Agora Road’s Macintosh Cafe^֎ | Nightmind^֎ –> Alex Hera^֎ –> The History of Analog Horror^֎