copper20 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) I have an 100+ VHS tape collection, but some of them squeak a little in the VCR when played. I really don't want any tapes getting ruined in the VCR. I heard about baking them but I wouldn't ever do that. Should I replace them? Edit: I understand this is for gaming in general but is this still acceptable to talk about? Edited January 31, 2016 by copper20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas10e Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I always suspected friction on the tape reels ... I would think a bit of graphite would help watched this video: some games use VHS ...so I would think pretty ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper20 Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) I'd rather not damage any spine labels on my tapes... these aren't homemade movies - they're movies from distributors such as Universal, Paramount, etc. Edited January 31, 2016 by copper20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas10e Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 the way I remove atari cart labels is with a hair dryer , I re-apply them with Elmers rubber cement it's worth practicing on tapes you care less about first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper20 Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) I'll probably just ignore it for now, it's not getting caught in the vcr or getting stuck or anything, likely just how they designed it back in the mid 80s when this tape was printed. I can post some videos of the tape rewinding/fast forwarding in my vcr to see what you think. (I have 2) Edited January 31, 2016 by copper20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 If the original video tapes are not copy-protected (did that technology even exist in the 1980s?), you might consider duplicating them before the situation gets any worse. Vintage media will not last forever, especially if it is used. My late Grandfather had a massive collection of audio cassette tapes -- both homemade and commercial recordings. In the 30+ years since his death, a large proportion of them have become completely unplayable. Proper storage conditions will slow-down the process, but nothing will stop it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fujidude Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 If the original video tapes are not copy-protected (did that technology even exist in the 1980s?) It most certainly did. It started showing up on VHS tapes in the mid 80s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Oh yeah, you bet there was copy protection on VHS tapes BITD. It was called Macrovision. Looks like there are/were decoders to defeat them, but don't see the point today, unless you're trying to preserve something commercially that's not available on a modern format. Or perhaps a tape with a different version of a film that's currently edited. Star Wars quickly comes to mind and so does the movie Needful Things. Finally released after all these decades, the Blu-ray version is the edited 2 hour movie. The original TV version was 3 hours. I hate when we get gypped like that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Really old VCR from late 70's did not work with Macrovision because it handled video a bit differently, it was prone to showing shifting brightness and rolling picture. Automatic gain control was added to VCR to improve picture quality and Macrovision took advantage of its quirk to slip in the hidden white squares in the V-sync which passes through most VCR just fine but messes up if you tried to pass the video signal through a second VCR. Sync stripper would help clean up by removing the white squares and restore V-sync to proper all black for video duplication. Back to squeaky tape, are you 100% sure it is the tape itself? If the tape doesn't squeak in another VCR, your player is probably in need of some new belt or new rubber roller. If the tape squeaks on different VCR, the tape is getting old. On the few I took apart (when they broke or w/e) some of the spools had bits of grease on the bottom to aid in reel spinning. FWIW DVD did not encode the Macrovision directly into video on the disc but rather it was added to data stream by the video chip that converts DVD date to TV signal and could be disabled on some model with firmware hack or hidden remote control command. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper20 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 I'm willing to bet that my VCR may be in need of belts, but since they're only 10 dollars, what's the point of repairing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I'm willing to bet that my VCR may be in need of belts, but since they're only 10 dollars, what's the point of repairing?Because for $10, you're more than likely going to be picking up someone else's used junk that's either already in need of repair or will shortly? Don't know that kind you have, but I have a few VCR's from the late 80's- early 2000's that I wouldn't want to ditch just because they need a little maintenance. Much better built and look a hell of a lot better than the plastic lightweight junk they made in recent times. You know the kind... where you need to hold the unit as you insert a tape, else the whole machine slides across your shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper20 Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 Because for $10, you're more than likely going to be picking up someone else's used junk that's either already in need of repair or will shortly? Don't know that kind you have, but I have a few VCR's from the late 80's- early 2000's that I wouldn't want to ditch just because they need a little maintenance. Much better built and look a hell of a lot better than the plastic lightweight junk they made in recent times. You know the kind... where you need to hold the unit as you insert a tape, else the whole machine slides across your shelf. Okay, I see what you're talking about. Perhaps I can record a video of it later today and post it here. Yep, I had a really bad VCR/DVD combo that actually snapped a tape after rewinding. Removed it from my house not too long after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800fan Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 If it's a good quality player, it may be worth fixing it. I have an old VCR somewhere that I can't toss it because there are so few VCR that has 6 heads that aren't the expensive or limited release studio equipment. (4 video head for excellent video playback on any speed + no tearing on pause and 2 hifi heads) But for 99% of the VCR, you may be better off looking at Salvation Army, Goodwill, craigslist, or a local freecycle group for a free or dirt cheap working VCR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copper20 Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) 1. This is one problem I have with the VCR. Listen to it eject - I think the belts may need to be replaced. https://youtu.be/VnLcVekZK-4 2. This tape is kind of squeaky when played. Listen carefully and you'll hear it. Could be the belts aging perhaps. https://youtu.be/e0FRngdqm2A Edited February 20, 2016 by copper20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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