Backup vhs tapes? They put copy protections on those too, which made that difficult. In the 90s I had two VCRs, I ran the output of one to the input of the other to record duplicates. Some of the copy protection schemes would fuck with the signal or the tracking.
Comment on Beware Hollywood’s digital demolition: it’s as if your favourite films and TV shows never existed
paysrenttobirds@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Used to be considered simply prudent to back up the vhs tapes you bought and people were encouraged to tape their favorite shows off the tv. Now some random CEO of the month has the right to bury decades worth of creative works?
jaybone@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I had a friend with a huge copied VHS library. He ordered his equipment from Germany. No macrovision on equipment there so his copies were very good.
jaybone@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Was this in the US? Because then you had PAL vs NTSC, which is think would be an even bigger problem.
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 1 month ago
All US made VCR’s had a circuit in them called macrovision. Its what caused the distortion in the copies when the tape was recorded with it. The German units did not have this. He purchased them through friends who were in the military. They bought them from the base exchange or px I don’t remember which. As far as PAL and NTSC I’m pretty sure he had something to deal what that as well. The guy bought the second VCR in the state right behind some super rich guy. He still had it in the 90’s and it took up most of a fairly large table.
Up until he died he made copies of everything he could get his hands on. He lived right on a county line and arranged it with his neighbor across the road in the other county to drop his netflix DVD’s in his mail box for pickup. He would get his DVD’s in the morning rip them and then put them in the neighbors mailbox before noon. It would be picked up that day and he would repeat the process. When he died I ended up with a huge amount of ripped DVD’s that I eventually gave to someone just to get them out of my way. I kinda regret that sometimes.
terry_jerry@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
My gmaws wall of VHS tapes ripped from every movie she ever rented from a blockbuster would beg to differ
grue@lemmy.world 1 month ago
In the long run, shit like this is theft from the Public Domain.
0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Yeah, there really should be some expectation of stewardship in exchange for absurd post-Disney copyright durations.
Soggy@lemmy.world 1 month ago
What, and take any responsibility for the Commons?
Invertedouroboros@lemmy.world 1 month ago
What a brilliant way to put it, “theft from the public domain”. I’m gonna have to remember that one.