video vhs format from 1979 plays as new....

[bionickaren]

hi all i got this video last year an original tape iv been looking for forever its fab having it its over size box 70s art work and the tape its self and the stuff on it!! i opend it and went wow!! now its safe on dvd lol but i wanna ask do all tapes from this time rot? coz this tape is a 1979 original and it plays as new superb sound and picture was i lucky?

thanks for reading my post lol :P
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[Sartori]

I have a home taped vhs video of music videos off tv from 1983 - a TDK E180 which has videos indistinguishable from TV on it still . Its a tape quality thing along with how well the tape has been kept , ie extremes of temp, etc etc plus good luck .

[redwudz]

Video tape can last a long time if stored properly and not 'worn out' from too many plays. I've always heard you should wind/rewind them occasionally to keep the video from 'printing through' to the next layer because of being in the same position for a extended periods. Never was sure if that was true or not. Maybe someone who oversees tape archives such as a TV station could comment?

Some cheaper brands of tape could 'flake off' the oxides and make a mess in your VCR, but good quality tapes should be fine. You have to look at it this way, many VHS tapes are 20+ years old now as that was when they were very popular.

I remember the reel to reel 1/4" video recorder we had in a electronics class in 1968. It had a spinning record head and recorded black and white video. Seems like it would do 30 minutes with a 7 inch reel of tape, cost about $1500. The local TV stations then had U-matic tape cartridges that looked like oversize 8 track tapes that they used for commercials and 3/4" reel to reel tape machines for longer programs . We've came a long ways since then with DV tapes and recordable DVDs.

[MOVIEGEEK]

As was mentioned the tape quality(like DVD media) is the key factor,I always used Maxell "High Grade" or TDK "Gold" VHS tapes and after 20 years they still look good.