Can VHS tapes get damaged by HDTV magnetic field?

[Pixelrage]

I just got a new 46" HDTV and read this in the safety instruction manual:

This TV contains a strong magnet in the speaker unit that generates a magnetic field. Keep any items susceptible to magnetic fields away from the speaker.

Should I be concerned about the dozens of VHS family movies stored in the cabinet under the TV?? I haven't turned the HDTV yet, but am going to remove everything from the cabinet first to be safe..

[filmboss80]

VHS tapes can be damaged by ANY strong magnetic field. I don't know your system, but I'd keep them away from a subwoofer and any big speakers. There are other threats to your tapes: age, humidity, dust, etc. BACK THEM UP NOW. I suggest you digitize the footage and transfer to DVD.

[lordsmurf]

A wood cabinet should dampen the affects of the magnetic field. But I still suggest moving tapes to a neutral location, especially precious "family movies" that are homemade and cannot be replaced.

Age isn't really a factor on tapes.
Humidity is, but not to the degree it's often chicken-littled about.
Dust is generally a moot point, if stored in sleeves/cases.
Heat is a factor.
Magnetic disturbances are a factor.

Please DO NOT RUSH to transfer the tapes. If doing them yourself, do it slowly, for best quality.
Or just have a professional transfer them for you on high-end equipment, for best quality. (But not a chain store or "strip mall" type location, find a specialist service online, often in your same country, or at least on the same continent.)

And kudos on being careful and actually reading the manual.

[Pixelrage]

Thanks for the responses

What do you recommend for transferring VHS tapes to digital? Back some 5-10 years ago, I used to use the Pinnacle Blue Box, I imagine that isn't on the market anymore. It was ok, but far from flawless. I'm running a quad-core PC with 8 GB RAM, 1.5 TB hard drive space and Vista Ultimate. Been looking to start doing these transfers for years, but I've been out of this niche for such a long time that I no longer know what's out there, and it seems like the VHS crowd is nearly gone!

[lordsmurf]

Good VCR. (Good VCR info.)
TBC in the middle. (Good TBC info.)
Good capture box or DVD recorder.

For a capture card, the ATI 600 USB cards are good: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138EOH8?ie=UTF8&tag=thdifa-20&linkCode=as2&camp=17...SIN=B00138EOH8
(NOTE: Ignore the stupid photo. While it has coax and PVRs HD TV, it has s-video and composite inputs, too.)

For DVD recorder, track down an older JVC with LSI chipset.
DR-M10, DR-M100, DR-MV1, DR-MV5
New DR-M10 on Amazon for $300 (good price): http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F...reative=390957
REALLY SURPRISED to see one of these. Get it while it's available!

If funds allow, an audio mixer helps. (Low cost Behringer.)

VHS>DVD is harmed since 2005, but not dead.

[Pixelrage]

Awesome, thanks so much!

You know, I never thought about my graphics card's ability to record...I have an XFX Black Edition card, but it came with absolutely no instructions. I'm sure it must be able to record from a VCR (?)

Looking into the rest of your links - thanks again!

[pinetop]

For DVD recorder, track down an older JVC with LSI chipset.
DR-M10, DR-M100, DR-MV1, DR-MV5
New DR-M10 on Amazon for $300 (good price): http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F...reative=390957
REALLY SURPRISED to see one of these. Get it while it's available!.

Isn't this model bugging with loading problems and no support from JVC?

[lordsmurf]

No.

Most products have zero support anyway.
And the generic error message for "LOADING" is generally an issue with using cheap blanks.
Even if it were a blown capacitor, that's easy enough to fix for cheap.